Definition of forecastle 1 : the forward part of the upper deck of a ship. 2 : the crew’s quarters usually in a ship’s bow.
Why is it called the forecastle?
The fo’c’s’le or forecastle is the forward deck of the ship. It derives its name from sailing ship days when the raised forward deck was known as the forecastle. This was typically a raised, castle like structure where archers first could engage enemy ships.
What is the forecastle used for?
a superstructure at or immediately aft of the bow of a vessel, used as a shelter for stores, machinery, etc., or as quarters for sailors. any sailors’ quarters located in the forward part of a vessel, as a deckhouse.
Where is the forecastle on a boat?
The forecastle and aftercastle (or sterncastle) are at the bow and stern of the vessel. A top castle was perched on masts of some ships about the 13th century. The first known castles are shown amidships or astern on Roman ships, to afford vantage points in sea skirmishes.
Why is it called a quarterdeck?
The name derives from the great men o’ war; the quarterdeck was a raised section of the upper deck at the after end, where the helm position was. By extension, on flush-decked ships the after part of the main deck, where the officers took their station, was also known as the quarterdeck.
Where is the quarterdeck on a ship?
The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship’s colours were kept.
Why is forecastle pronounced Focsle?
Why is forecastle pronounced ‘focsle’? – Quora. This is what happened. forecastle > focastle (vocalization of r) > foc-uh-sl (reduction of the second vowel, since the first syllable is stressed) > focsle (deletion of the unstressed syllable).
What was the poop deck on a ship?
stern deck
Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or “after” cabin, also known as the “poop cabin”. On sailing ships, the helmsman would steer the craft from the quarterdeck, immediately in front of the poop deck.
Where is the forecastle in the figure?
The forecastle is to be located on the freeboard deck with its aft bulkhead fitted in way or aft of the forward bulkhead of the foremost hold, as shown in Figure 1.
What is the longest deck of a ship?
Upper Deck
3. Upper Deck: The deck that covers the hull of the vessel from its fore to its aft is the upper deck. It is the topmost deck on a ship. In all vessels, the upper deck is the biggest deck amongst all other decks.
What were the top castles used for?
A top castle was perched on masts of some ships about the 13th century. The first known castles are shown amidships or astern on Roman ships, to afford vantage points in sea skirmishes. Forecastles were constructed on Viking ships as early as the 8th century.
What is a synonym for forecastle?
In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for forecastle, like: boatswain, fo’c’sle, foremast, quarter-deck, port-side, foredeck, main deck, boat-deck, foc-sle, poop-deck and mainmast.
What is a ship quarterdeck?
Definition of quarterdeck
1 : the stern area of a ship’s upper deck. 2 : a part of a deck on a naval vessel set aside by the captain for ceremonial and official use.
The Navy Department Library
“Head” in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship’s toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area.
What is the lowest deck on a ship?
orlop
The orlop is the lowest deck in a ship (except for very old ships). It is the deck or part of a deck where the cables are stowed, usually below the water line.
Why do you salute the quarterdeck?
quarterdeck have long been disputed. Some say that, the quarterdeck being the place of command, the salute is paid to the royal authority from which the command is derived. Others prefer to believe that the salute originated in an obeisance to a shrine placed aft in the ship.
How did sailors poop on ships?
They would climb down into the heads directly under the Bow Sprit and either poo through the gratings or nets. Larger ships had “seats of ease” – toilets in the same place. OK on a fine calm day but very dangerous in a storm.
What is deck 1 on a cruise ship?
On some cruise ships, Deck 1 is the lowest deck on the ship. On others, it’s simply the lowest deck that’s accessible to passengers. On Carnival and Disney cruise ships, you can book a cabin on Deck 1. On other cruise ships, the lowest passenger cabins are on Deck 3 or 4.
Why is Boatswain pronounced bosun?
Usage Note: The word boatswain is pronounced as a single word with two syllables (bōsən). People with sea legs have a long tradition of spelling the word as bosun, bo’s’n, and bos’n to reflect the salty pronunciation.
What is a poop knife?
You cut the poop into smaller more flushable pieces then nudge it toward the hole. He believed it was normal for families to have a poop knife until one day when he used a friend’s toilet and asked for a poop knife. Quite naturally, his friend was baffled and started laughing at this bizarre term.
Why is it called starboard?
Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern . Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became “starboard” by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning “steer”) and bord (meaning “the side of a boat”).
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