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An aftcastle is the raised part of the upper deck at the stern of a ship.
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∙ 9y ago
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What is an aftercastle?
An aftercastle is another name for an aftcastle, the raised part of the upper deck at the stern of a ship.
Why do they call windows on ships portholes?
According to the Navy Department Library, the word "porthole" has nothing to do with its location on the port side of a ship, but originated during the reign of Henry VII of England (1485). The king insisted on mounting guns too large for his ships and therefore the conventional methods of securing the weapons on the forecastle and aftcastle could not be used. A French shipbuilder named James Baker was commissioned to solve the problem, which he did by piercing the ship's sides so the cannon could be mounted inside the fore and after castles. For heavy weather and when the cannons were not in use, the openings were fitted with covers, that were called porte in French, meaning "door". "Porte" was Anglicized to "port" and later corrupted to porthole. Eventually, it came to mean any opening in a ship's side whether for cannon or not.
What do you call the raised deck on a ship?
If you could clarify "raised deck" I could answer your question better. Any construction forming enclosed 'rooms' above the hull is the superstructure. There are many types of deck, named generally for their function. The Boat Deck is the deck where the lifeboats are stored. The Bridge deck is where the helm and navigation station are (among other things). These are all above the waterline. There are flight decks, helo decks, spar deck... On a cargo ship or tanker, the raised structure at the rear would be referred to with the general term 'superstructure' and the raised structure at the front would be called the 'forecastle'. The part in the middle is the 'weather deck'. Passenger ships and modern military craft that are more block-like or pyramid shaped have more names for their decks, usually labeled by function. In older designs for sailing vessels, ships had a raised deck in the fore and aft parts of the ship to provide elevated fighting positions for archers, and later for rifleman. The part in the front was called the forecastle (aka fo'c'cle, fo'c's'le). This section commonly housed the sailor's quarters. It is one of the most uncomfortable places to sleep while underway due to pitching of the vessel. Similarly there was the Aftcastle in the aft (rear) part of the boat. You'll often hear the term "Poop Deck" for the raised deck aft (from the french" la poupe" for stern). In addition to benefits as an elevated fighting position, it provided good visibility of the sails, decks, and for navigation.
