Aft:
The term designates the rear of the ship’s vessel.
Ahead: In
a forward direction or directly in front of the boat; directly
behind the boat over the stern.
Ahoy: This old traditional
greeting for hailing other vessels was originally a Viking battle
cry.
Amidships:
In or toward the part of a boat or ship midway between
the bow and the stern; toward the middle of the ship or boat.
Astern: In
back of the boat, opposite of ahead
Azipods: Electrically propelled
motors placed under the ship’s hull, which allow the ship better
maneuverability and greater fuel efficiency with less noise
and less vibration. The pods have replaced the traditional propeller
shafts, thus eliminating the need for rudders and stern thrusters.
Barque:
Sailing vessel with three or more masts: fore and aft rigged
on aftermast, square rigged on all others.
Barquentine: Sailing vessel
with three or more masts. Square rigged on foremast, fore and
aft rigged on all others.
Beam: The width of the ship
Boat Stations: Space designated
for each person during boat drill or any other emergency to
board his/her boat.
Bow: The forward (front)
part of a vessel.
Bow Thrusters: This small
two-way handle is used to control the bow thrusters, powerful
engines in the bow that push the ship away from the dockside
without tugs. Some new ships have placed thrusters positioned
in the stern as well.
Bridge: The vessel’s navigational
and command control center, which is staffed at all times whether
the ship is in port or at sea. The captain and other senior
officers take watch turns for designated periods, usually four-
or eight-hour shifts. Junior officers also assist in duties
carried out on the Bridge.
Brigantine: Originally,
a ship of brigands, or pirates. Up to end of 19th century, it
was a two-masted vessel square rigged on foremast (the mast
nearest the bow) and main topmast, but with fore and aft mainsail.
Latterly, a two-masted vessel with foremast square rigged, and
mainmast fore and aft rigged.
Bulkhead: Any of the upright
partitions separating sections of a ship for protection against
fire or water leakage
Captain:
Master of a sea-going vessel. Certificated officer competent
and qualified to be master of a sea-going vessel. In the merchant
marine, it is a courtesy title for a Master Mariner in command
of a ship.
Cabin: Room accommodations
onboard ship
Carry on: To continue sailing
under the same canvas despite the worsening of the wind.
Cat's Skin: Light, warm
wind on surface of sea.
Chart: A map used by navigators
Clock Calm:
Absolutely calm weather with a perfectly smooth sea.
Close Aboard:
Close alongside, Very near.
Crew: Personnel,
other than Master, who serve on board a vessel. In some cases
a differentiation between officers and ratings is made; but
officers are "crew" in a legal sense.
Deck:
A permanent covering over a ship’s compartment, hull or any
part of a ship serving as a floor.
Dead on End:
Said of wind when exactly ahead; and of another vessel when
her fore and aft line coincides with observer's line of sight.
Dock: A protected
water area in which vessels are moored. The term is often used
to denote a pier or a wharf.
Downwind:
In the direction the wind is blowing.
Drydock:
Place where ship is undergoing repairs, refit or refurbishment.
Draft: The
depth of water a boat draw.
Flagship:
The finest or newest of the ships of a cruise line.
Forward:
The term designates the front of the vessel.
Funnel: The
funnel was formerly called the "smokestack" in ships
of yore. Today, the funnel is the so-called chimney, which allows
the ship’s combustion gases to be released into the atmosphere.
Each cruise line has its own design and color scheme on its
ships’ funnels for easy recognition.
Galley:
The ship’s main kitchen. Most vessels have a main kitchen and
in the newer cruise ships, the kitchen is often supplemented
by smaller galleys to service private dining rooms or specialized
restaurants.
Gangway:
The stairway or ramp connecting the ship to the dock.
Global Positioning
System (GPS): In today’s newer ships GPS uses satellite
technology to maintain the ship’s course—a far cry from the
time when a ship’s navigational courses was determined by the
position of the sun and stars. Today, accurate navigation is
assured at any time and in any type of weather.
GRT/gross registered
tons: The term refers not to the ship’s weight but
to the total navigation of all permanently enclosed spaces above
and below decks with certain exceptions, such as the bridge,
radio room, galley, washing facilities and other specified areas.
GRT is used as the basis to determine harbor fees.
Helm:
The apparatus that is used to steer the ship.
Hull: The frame and body of
the ship exclusive of masts or superstructure.
Knot:
A unit of speed measuring one nautical mile (6,076 feet or 1,872
meters) per hour and it is about one/eighth longer that the
statue mile of 5,280 feet. A nautical mile is equal to one/sixtieth
of a degree of the earth’s circumference. Ships’ speeds are
measured in knots.
Latitude:
The distance north or south of the equator—the imaginary line
that circles the Earth, equally distant at all points from both
the North and the South Poles; and which divides the earth’s
surface into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Longitude:
The distance east or west of the zero degree at Greenwich Observatory,
outside London, England. Both distances are recorded in degrees,
minutes and seconds. At the Equator, one minute of longitude
is equal to one nautical mile but as the meridians converge
after leaving the equator and meeting at the poles, the size
of a degree becomes smaller.
Leeward: The sheltered side
of the ship away from the wind.
Line: A light rope or hawser.
Mayday:
Mayday is the internationally recognized voice radio signal
for ships and people in serious trouble at sea. Made official
in 1948, it is an anglicizing of the French m'aidez, (help me).
Midship:
The middle or center of the ship.
Moor: To
secure a ship in position by two or more anchors, cables or
ropes either to a buoy(s) or to positions ashore.
Pilot:
A licensed person who navigates ships into or out of a harbor
or through difficult waters. The pilot also advises the ship’s
captain on how to handle the ship during these procedures.
Pitch: The
rise and fall of a ship’s bow that may occur when the ship is
at sea.
Plimsoll mark:
A mark found on all ships to prevent overloading of the vessels.
Ships around the world use the mark to distinguish three different
depths: the depth to which a vessel can be loaded in fresh water
(fresh water is less buoyant than salt water); the depth in
summer when seas tend to be calmer; and the depth in winter,
when seas are rougher.
Port: The
term for the left side of the vessel when facing forward.
Port Hole: Small aperture,
usually circular, in the ship's side, that is used for lighting,
ventilating and other purposes.
Prow: The part of the bow
forward where it leaves the waterline.
Purser’s Office: This term
is used to designate the ship’s reception area, guest-relations
area, or information desk. Usually centrally located on the
ship for easy access, this is the center for general information
and answers to shipboard problems passengers may encounter.
Quarter:
That part of a vessel between the beam and the stern.
Quarter Boat: Boat carried
at davits on quarter of ship and kept ready for immediate use
when at sea.
Refit:
Removal of worn or damaged gear and fitting of new
gear in replacement while ship is in drydock.
Registry: For varying reasons,
cruise companies often registered their ships in another country
other than where the company’s vessel is from. The ship then
flies the flag of the country it is registered in, known as
FOC or flag of convenience.
S.O.S.:
Contrary to popular notion, the letters S.O.S. do not stand
for "Save Our Ship" or "Save Our Souls".
They were selected to indicate a distress because, in Morse
code, these letters and their combination create an unmistakable
sound pattern.
Shipboard: Aboard the vessel.
Ship chandler: Person who
deals in supplying goods to a ship.
Ship’s christening: The
custom of breaking a bottle of champagne over the stern of the
ship dates back hundreds of years to when toasting prosperity
to a ship with a silver goblet of wine and then tossing the
goblet into the sea in order to prevent a toast of ill intent
being drunk from the same cup was the practice. This custom
became too expensive and it was replaced in 1690 by the breaking
of a bottle of wine over the stern. Today, the christening of
a ship is the official naming of the vessel. A champagne bottle
hooked onto a device, which, when a button is pressed by the
vessel’s godmother, smashes the bottle against the ship and
thus formally christens or names the vessel. In the realm of
superstitious customs, the christening also blesses the vessel
against adversity.
Shipside: The dock area
alongside the moored vessel.
Ship symbols:
--GTV: Gas turbine vessel
--MV: Motor vessel
--MS: Motor sailing yacht
--SS: Steamship
--SY: Sailing yacht
Stabilizer: A gyroscopically
operated retractable "fin" extending from either or
both sides of the ship below the waterline to provide a more
stable ride in rough waters or deep swells.
Starboard: The term designates
the right side of the vessel when facing forward.
Stern: The rear end of the
ship.
Tender:
A small vessel, sometimes a motorized lifeboat, used to transport
passengers between the ship and shore. It is used when the vessel
is too large to dock or there are inadequate docking facilities
on land.
Three Mile Limit: The original
three-mile limit was the recognized distance from a nation's
shore over which that nation had jurisdiction. This border of
international waters or the "high seas" was established
because, at the time this international law was established,
three miles was the longest range of any nation's most powerful
guns, and therefore, the limit from shore batteries at which
they could enforce their laws. (International law and the 1988
Territorial Sea Proclamation established the "high seas"
border at the 12-mile limit.)
Tugboat: A sturdy powerful
boat built for towing or pushing ships or barges. Tugboats are
used in pushing or pulling a liner into or out of its docking
area. Today, powerful thrusters built into the new cruise liners
are replacing the need for tugboats in the docking or undocking
process.
Unmoor:
To cast off hawsers by which a vessel is attached to a buoy
or wharf.
Vessel:
Defined by Merchant Shipping Act as "any ship or boat,
or other description of vessel, used in navigation".
Watches:
Traditionally, a 24-hour day is divided into seven watches.
These are: midnight to 4 a.m. (0000-0400); the mid-watch; 4
to 8 a.m. (0400-0800); morning watch; 8 a.m. to noon (0800-1200);
forenoon watch; noon to 4 p.m. (1200-1600); afternoon watch;
4 to 6 p.m. (1600-1800); first dog watch; 6 to 8 p.m. (1800-2000)
second dog watch; and, 8 p.m. to midnight (2000-2400), evening
watch. The half hours of the watch are marked by the striking
of the bell an appropriate number of times.
Wake: The track of agitated
water left behind a ship when in motion
Waterline: The line along
the side of a ship’s hull corresponding to the water surface.
Watertight Doors: Steel
doors located throughout the ship that can be closed off in
order to contain any water flooding the vessel. In a modern
vessel, a master switch can activate all the doors in a matter
of seconds.
Wind speeds: On cruise liners,
this navigational announcement gives the vessel’s position,
the current temperature, and weather information. Wind velocity
is measured on the Beaufort scale, which is a method, devised
in 1805 by British naval officer Francis Beaufort for measuring
the force of wind at sea. Twelve velocities known as "force"
on the Beaufort scale range from zero force–calm, glassy sea
surface—to force 12 (speed 73+)—hurricane force with no visibility
and huge waves.
Windward: The side toward
which the wind blows.
Yaw:
The erratic deviation from the ship’s set course, usually caused
by a heavy sea.
