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Terms starboard and port...origination?

thomasale

By thomasale,
in Holland America Line

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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From Wikipedia

 

The origin of the term comes from old boating practices. Before ships had rudders on their centerline, they were steered by use of a specialized oar. This oar was held by a sailor located towards the stern (back) of the ship. However, like most of the rest of society, there were many more right-handed sailors than left-handed sailors. This meant that the right-handed sailors holding the steering oar (which had been broadened to provide better control) used to stand on the right side of the ship. The word starboard comes from Old English steorbord, literally meaning the side on which the ship is steered. The old English term steorbord descends from the Old Norse words stýri meaning “rudder” and borð meaning “side of a ship”. The modern term "steering wheel" comes from the same language root as "starboard" or "steer board".

Similarly, the term for the left side of the boat, port, is derived from the practice of sailors mooring on the left side (i.e., the larboard or loading side) as to prevent the steering boards from being crushed. Because the words larboard and starboard sounded too similar to be easily distinguished, larboard was changed to port.

The starboard side of most naval vessels the world over is designated the 'senior' side. The officers' gangway or sea ladder is shipped on this side and this side of the quarterdeck is reserved for the captain. The flag or pennant of the ship's captain or senior officer in command is generally hoist on the starboard yard.

 

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starboard

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Namvet4

Namvet4

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I knew Navy Chief would provide the answer! :) (I have the pleasure of working with a retired Master Chief and have learned a lot about ship terminology and shipboard protocol from him for my upcoming cruise)

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Namvet4

Namvet4

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OK... here is another one.

 

On 'most' ships... not all by any means, but the vast majority, the master's or captain's cabin is located on the Starboard side of the ship. Why?

 

 

 

 

Stephen

 

Stephen.... Navy Chief made reference to that in the response he posted:

The starboard side of most naval vessels the world over is designated the 'senior' side. The officers' gangway or sea ladder is shipped on this side and this side of the quarterdeck is reserved for the captain.

Hope that is the answer you were looking for...

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PRINSENDAM

PRINSENDAM

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Stephen.... Navy Chief made reference to that in the response he posted:

 

Hope that is the answer you were looking for...

 

 

 

Nope, nothing to do with 'Senior Side' in the Navy. It probably became senior side because the captain's cabin was 'mostly' located on the starboard.

 

Of course in the navy... for many years then senior officers were usually located aft under the quarterdeck... as they were in the old sailing ships.

 

I'm looking for a more practical reason.

 

Stephen

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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Nope, nothing to do with 'Senior Side' in the Navy. It probably became senior side because the captain's cabin was 'mostly' located on the starboard.

 

Of course in the navy... for many years then senior officers were usually located aft under the quarterdeck... as they were in the old sailing ships.

 

I'm looking for a more practical reason.

 

Stephen

 

I'm not sure why that the captain's stateroom is on the starboard side directly aft of the bridge. The ships I have been on it was always that way. On the Harry E. Yarnell (CG-17), the Flag Officers cabin was on the port side with the pantry between the captains cabin and flag quarters. Likewise, the captains chair on the bridge is on the starboard side as well. Again no practical reason I can think of.

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PRINSENDAM

PRINSENDAM

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I'm not sure why that the captain's stateroom is on the starboard side directly aft of the bridge. The ships I have been on it was always that way. On the Harry E. Yarnell (CG-17), the Flag Officers cabin was on the port side with the pantry between the captains cabin and flag quarters. Likewise, the captains chair on the bridge is on the starboard side as well. Again no practical reason I can think of.

 

 

 

I think I'll give you just a little bit longer to think about it.:)

 

There is a good reason. If not, you would find a lot of ships with the cabin on the port side as well as starboard. Ever notice on than on the bridge of the average merchant ship that the engineroom telegraph (when single screw) is usually located in the starboard side of the wheelhouse. Likewise the voice pipe to captain's cabin.

 

Chief, what was your specialization in the Navy?

 

Stephen

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PRINSENDAM

PRINSENDAM

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Might the practice have begun so the master of the vessel could more easily keep watch over the oarsmen on the starboard side? Or maybe being over there gave him more protection from land-based (port side) marauders.

 

 

 

Jim, you are almost there. 'Keeping watch' is what it is all about.

 

From the collision regulations..........

 

"When two power driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keel out of the way and shall, if circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel."

 

Basically, you are required by the rules to give way to vessels crossing from your starboard side. It is your 'danger zone' if you like. By having the master's cabin on the starboard side, he can keep his own lookout... just to make certain the the OOW on the bridge is taking the correct avoiding action. Not that captain's do keep a lookout from their own cabin... but when you have a young and inexperienced Third Officer on the bridge... it is handy for keeping a eye on things.....

 

Also, by having the cabin on the same side, it is easier for the catain to kind his way back to it when he gets drunk in the bar.:eek:

 

Captain wrote in the logbook....'Chief Officer was drunk today." So the Chief Officer wrote in the log, "Captain was sober today."

 

Stephen

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Cruising744

Cruising744

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In the film Titanic the officer on seeing the iceberg shouts "Hard-a-starboard". The cockswain turns the wheel to the left and the ship turns to port.

 

This is because, until 1923, commands were given as to which way the cockswain would have moved the tiller prior to the introduction of ships wheels. Therefore to turn the ship hard to port the command "Hard-a-starboard" was given.

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PRINSENDAM

PRINSENDAM

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In the film Titanic the officer on seeing the iceberg shouts "Hard-a-starboard". The cockswain turns the wheel to the left and the ship turns to port.

 

This is because, until 1923, commands were given as to which way the cockswain would have moved the tiller prior to the introduction of ships wheels. Therefore to turn the ship hard to port the command "Hard-a-starboard" was given.

 

 

 

No. He yelled hard a starboard because he was drunk!!!! :eek:

 

But you are quite right. Caught a lot of people out when they say the movie.

 

BTW.... A 'Coxswain' not a 'Cockswain', pronounced "Cox'sun" is a person who steers a rowing boat. On a ship the steering is done by a "Quartermaster".

 

The captain or pilot who cons the ship is known as a 'Con Artist'. :eek: Opps. Delete that last remark.

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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Actually, todays modern naval ships, the person "at the wheel" is the helmsman, the person standing at the engin order telegraph is the lee helmsman (which is not normally manned steaming in the open ocean). The quartermaster of the watch has a table with the current navagational track laid out and the deck log.

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PRINSENDAM

PRINSENDAM

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Actually, todays modern naval ships, the person "at the wheel" is the helmsman, the person standing at the engin order telegraph is the lee helmsman (which is not normally manned steaming in the open ocean). The quartermaster of the watch has a table with the current navagational track laid out and the deck log.

 

 

Chief,

 

Yes, those are the terms used in the US Navy but not on merchant ships or in the Royal Navy.

 

Stephen

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Cruising744

Cruising744

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Many thanks for the spelling and terminology corrections. Having been an aviator for the last 41 years these nautical terms are rather alien to me. I was confused by the 'starboard' call and the turn to port when I saw the film and managed to find the 'tiller' reason on the internet.

 

Cruising744

 

PS. Finally giving up the life in the clouds next May and going on our first ever cruise in June (HAL to Alaska). Will have to get used to the slower pace of life.

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sailorbill

sailorbill

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On US Navy aircraft carriers, the Captain's chair is on the port side of the bridge, not the starboard side. This is for the very good reason that since the bridge structure is always on the starboard side of the flight deck, the Captain can then monitor the activities on the flight deck during take offs and landings.

 

Bill,

who stood many a bridge watch on an aircraft carrier as junior officer of the deck having the "con" which meant the officer to give instructions to the helmsman and lee helmsman for ships speed and direction. Great fun! (It was the rest of the navy BS that was no fun!)

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jhannah

jhannah

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As sophomoric as I'd like my answer to be ;) here's the origin of the term according to Wikipedia:

 

In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that constitutes the roof of a poop cabin built in the aft part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the Latin puppis, or the elevated stern deck. In sailing ships, with the helmsman at the stern, an elevated position was ideal for both navigation and observation of the crew.

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