List of ship directions

This list of ship directions provides succinct definitions for terms applying to spatial orientation in a marine environment or location on a vessel, such as fore, aft, astern, aboard, or topside.

Terms

• Abaft (preposition): at or toward the stern of a ship, or further back from a location, e.g. the mizzenmast is abaft the mainmast.^[1]
• Aboard: onto or within a ship, or in a group.^[2]
• Above: a higher deck of the ship.^[1]
• Aft (adjective): toward the stern (rear) of a ship.^[1]
• Adrift: floating in the water without propulsion.
• Aground: resting on the shore or wedged against the sea floor.^[3]
• Ahull: with sails furled and helm lashed alee.^[4]
• Alee: on or toward the lee (the downwind side).^[5]
• Aloft: the stacks, masts, rigging, or other area above the highest solid structure.^[1]
• Amidships: near the middle part of a ship.^[1]
• Aport: toward the port side of a ship (opposite of "astarboard").^[6]
• Ashore: on or towards the shore or land.^[7]
• Astarboard: toward the starboard side of a ship (opposite of "aport").^[8]
• Astern (adjective): toward the rear of a ship (opposite of "forward").^[9]
• Athwartships: toward the sides of a ship.^[1]
• Aweather: toward the weather or windward side of a ship.^[10]
• Aweigh: just clear of the sea floor, as with an anchor.^[11]
• Below: a lower deck of the ship.^[1]
• Belowdecks: inside or into a ship, or down to a lower deck.^[12]
• Bilge: the underwater part of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the vertical topsides^[13]
• Bottom: the lowest part of the ship's hull.
• Bow: front of a ship (opposite of "stern")^[1]
• Centerline or centreline: an imaginary, central line drawn from the bow to the stern.^[1]
• Fore or forward: at or toward the front of a ship or further ahead of a location (opposite of "aft")^[1]
• Inboard: attached inside the ship.^[14]
• Keel: the bottom structure of a ship's hull.^[15]
• Leeward: side or direction away from the wind (opposite of "windward").^[16]
• On deck: to an outside or muster deck (as "all hands on deck").^[17]
• On board: on, onto, or within the ship^[18]
• Onboard: somewhere on or in the ship.^[19]
• Outboard: attached outside the ship.^[20]
• Port: the left side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "starboard").^[1]
• Starboard: the right side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "port").^[1]
• Stern: the rear of a ship (opposite of "bow").^[1]
• Topside: the top portion of the outer surface of a ship on each side above the waterline.^[1]
• Underdeck: a lower deck of a ship.^[21]
• Yardarm: an end of a yard spar below a sail.
• Waterline: where the water surface meets the ship's hull.
• Weather: side or direction from which wind blows (same as "windward").^[16]
• Windward: side or direction from which wind blows (opposite of "leeward").^[16]

Date of first use

• "Aboard": 14th century^[2]
• "Aft": 1580^[22]
• "Outboard": 1694^[23]
• "Inboard": 1830^[20]
• "Belowdecks": 1897.^[12]

See also

• Deck (ship) - defines the various decks on ships
• Port and starboard - explanation, with signal lights, and history
• Glossary of nautical terms - list of over 2,400 nautical words or phrases

References