aport ahull belowdecks astarboard alee abaft astern bilge inboard aftercastle afterdeck bilgeboard outboard jibboom inb topside skeg jackline cathead centreboard astar daggerboard leeboard taffrail yardarm furled starboard kelson gunwale beakhead
parts of a ship bow stern port starboard
List of ship directions - wikipedia List of ship directions Jump to : navigation , search `` Aloft '' redirects here . For hotel brand , see Aloft Hotels . For the 2014 film , see Aloft ( film ) . `` Ashore '' redirects here . For the June Tabor album , see Ashore ( album ) . 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 . aboard onto or within a ship , or in a group . above a higher deck of the ship . aft ( adjective ) toward the stern ( rear ) of a ship . adrift floating in the water without propulsion . aground resting on the shore or wedged against the sea floor . ahull with sails furled and helm lashed alee . alee on or toward the lee ( the downwind side ) . aloft the stacks , masts , rigging , or other area above the highest solid structure . amidships near the middle part of a ship . aport toward the port side of a ship ( opposite of `` astarboard '' ) . ashore on or towards the shore or land . astarboard toward the starboard side of a ship ( opposite of `` aport '' ) . astern ( adjective ) toward the rear of a ship ( opposite of `` forward '' ) . athwartships toward the sides of a ship . aweather toward the weather or windward side of a ship . aweigh just clear of the sea floor , as with an anchor . below a lower deck of the ship . belowdecks inside or into a ship , or down to a lower deck . bilge the underwater part of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the vertical topsides bottom the lowest part of the ship 's hull . bow or stem front of a ship ( opposite of `` stern '' ) centerline an imaginary , central line drawn from the bow to the stern . fore or forward at or toward the front of a ship or further ahead of a location ( opposite of `` aft '' ) inboard attached inside the ship . keel the bottom structure of a ship 's hull . leeward side or direction away from the wind ( opposite of `` windward '' ) . on deck to an outside or muster deck ( as `` all hands on deck '' ) . on board somewhere on or in the ship . outboard attached outside the ship . port the left side of the ship , facing forward ( opposite of `` starboard '' ) . starboard the right side of the ship , when facing forward ( opposite of `` port '' ) . stern the rear of a ship ( opposite of `` bow '' ) . topside on the ship 's main weather deck . underdeck a lower deck of a ship . 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 '' ) . windward side or direction from which wind blows ( opposite of `` leeward '' ) . Origins ( edit ) First use of `` aboard '' : 14th century First use of `` aft '' : 1580 First use of `` outboard '' : 1694 First use of `` inboard '' : 1830 First use of `` belowdecks '' : 1897 . The word `` ahoy '' is not a direction , but rather an interjection used to hail a person or ship , or to attract attention . See the linked sources , below , for more details . See also ( edit ) 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 ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : `` Ship Directions - TKDTutor '' ( glossary ) , TKDtutor.com , 2012 , web : SD . ^ Jump up to : `` Aboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - ab Jump up ^ `` Aground - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - agr Jump up ^ `` Ahull - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - ahull Jump up ^ `` Alee - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - alee Jump up ^ `` Aport - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - aport Jump up ^ `` Ashore - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - ash Jump up ^ `` Astarboard - Definition and More from Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - astar Jump up ^ `` Astern - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - astern Jump up ^ `` Aweather - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - aweat Jump up ^ `` Aweigh - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - aweigh ^ Jump up to : `` Belowdecks - Definition and More from Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - belowd Jump up ^ `` Bilge - Definition and More from Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - bilge Jump up ^ `` Inboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - inb Jump up ^ `` Bilge keel - Definition and More from Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - bilgek ^ Jump up to : `` Windward - Definition and More from Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - windw Jump up ^ `` Deck - Definition and More from Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - deck Jump up ^ `` Onboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - onb ^ Jump up to : `` Outboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - outb Jump up ^ `` Underdeck - Definition and More from Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - underd Jump up ^ `` aft '' . Oxford English Dictionary ( 3rd ed . ) . Oxford University Press . September 2005 . ( Subscription or UK public library membership required . ) Jump up ^ `` outboard '' . Oxford English Dictionary ( 3rd ed . ) . Oxford University Press . September 2005 . ( Subscription or UK public library membership required . ) Jump up ^ `` Ahoy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary '' , Merriam - Webster Dictionary , May 2012 , web : MW - ahoy <Th_colspan="2"> Parts of a sailing ship <Td_colspan="2"> Aftercastle Afterdeck Anchor Anchor windlass Beakhead Bilge Bilgeboard Boom brake Bow Bowsprit Capstan Cathead Centreboard Chains Cockpit Crow 's nest Daggerboard Deck Figurehead Forecastle Gangway Gunwale Head Hull Jackline Jibboom Keel Keel ( Canting ) Kelson Leeboard Mast Orlop deck Poop deck Prow Quarter gallery Quarterdeck Rudder Ship 's wheel Skeg Stem Stern Sternpost Strake Taffrail Tiller Top Transom Whipstaff Winch Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ship_directions&oldid=801300647 '' Categories : Nautical terminology Sailing ship components Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 18 September 2017 , at 21 : 43 . About Wikipedia