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