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 (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 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 (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]
• on board: somewhere on or in 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.
• weather: side or direction from which wind blows (same as "windward").^[16]
• windward: side or direction from which wind blows (opposite of "leeward").^[16]

Origins

• First use of "aboard": 14th century^[2]
• First use of "aft": 1580^[21]
• First use of "outboard": 1694^[22]
• 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

1. "Ship Directions - TKDTutor" (glossary), TKDtutor.com, 2012, web: SD.
2. "Aboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ab
3. "Aground - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-agr
4. "Ahull - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ahull
5. "Alee - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-alee
6. "Aport - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aport
7. "Ashore - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ash
8. "Astarboard - Definition and More from Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-astar
9. "Astern - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-astern
10. "Aweather - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aweat
11. "Aweigh - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aweigh
12. "Belowdecks - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-belowd
13. "Bilge - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-bilge
14. "Inboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-inb
15. "Bilge keel - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-bilgek
16. "Windward - Definition and More from Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-windw
17. "Deck - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-deck
18. "Onboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-onb
19. "Outboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-outb
20. "Underdeck - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-underd
21. "aft". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
22. "outboard". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
23. "Ahoy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ahoy