List of ship directions

This list of ship directions explains dozens of related terms such as fore, aft, astern, aboard, or topside. For background, see below: Origins.

• abaft: at or toward the stern of a ship, or further back from a location.^[1]
• aboard: onto or within a ship, or in a group.^[2]
• above: a higher deck of the ship.^[1]
• aft: toward the stern 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: 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 (or stem): front of a ship (opposite of "stern")^[1]
• centerline: 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]
• onboard: somewhere on board the ship.^[18]
• outboard: attached outside the ship.^[19]
• port: the left side of the ship, 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: on the ship's main weather deck.^[1]
• underdeck: a lower deck of a ship.^[20]
• yardarm: an end of a yard spar below a sail.
• waterline: where the water surface meets the ship's hull.
• windward: side or direction from which wind blows (opposite of "leeward").^[16]

Origins

Many terms used in shipping and boating are nearly 400 years old or older, while others originated in the 19th century. Some origins have been traced to the exact year:

• First use of "astern": c.1571^[9]
• First use of "aport": 1627^[6]
• First use of "astarboard": 1630^[8]
• First use of "abaft": 15th century^[21]
• First use of "aboard": 14th century^[2]
• First use of "aft": 1816^[22]
• First use of "outboard": 1823^[19]
• First use of "inboard": 1830^[19]
• First use of "belowdecks": 1897.^[12]

The word "ahoy" is not a direction, but rather an interjection used to hail a person or ship, or to attract attention.^[23] See the linked sources, below, for more details.

See also

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

References