A Ship’s whereabouts – Ship terms Keel

Part 1 - The basic lay-out of a ship
Bow
Fore and aft line
Stern
Stem
Starboard Side
Port Side
Aft
Forward
Port Bow
Port Quarter
Starboard Quarter
Starboard Bow
Poop
(Deck)
Forecastle
(Deck)
Main Deck
Amidships
Superstructure
Ahead
Astern
Abeam (On the Port Beam)
Abeam (On the Starboard Beam)
Funnel

is similar to the lay-out of a boat.
Stern
Stem
Transom
Bow
Port Side
Starboard
side
Gunwale
Rowlock
Oar

The construction of welded steel frames and plates in steel ships
Transverse frame
Knee plate
Deck Beam
Deck plating
Weld

is also similar to the planks and timbers of wooden ships.

Modern ships are built in sections

Decks separate large horizontal compartments (also called decks).
Tank-top deck
Manhole

Bulkheads divide ships (and their decks) into compartments.
Transverse Bulkhead
Longitudinal Bulkhead
Bridgedeck compartments
Engine Room compartments
Living quarter
Compartments
(cabins)

Cargo holds, decks or tanks, are the largest compartments.
Cargo Hold
Cargo Tank
Hopper
Cargo deck (Vehicle deck)

Tanks keep large quantities of Cargo, Ballast and Fuel.
Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) Tank
Membrane Tank
Ballast Water Tank
Cargo Tanks

Some holds are divided by cellguides or tweendecks.
Row
Bay
Tier
Lower hold
Orlop deck
Lower tweendeck
space
Upper tweendeck space

The main deck, the hatches and hatch-covers are situated over the hold.
Hatch-cover
Hatch
Gangway
Main Deck
Cargo crane
Bulwark

Above the main deck, we find superstructures and deck cargo.
Conning Tower
Bridge and Accomodation
Deckhouse and Funnel
Passenger Decks
Wheelhouse
Mast and Breakwater

The forecastle (usually) contains :
Paint room
Mooring and Anchor
Gear
Boatswain’s Locker
Bowthruster room

Access to Deck Spaces
Hatch
Watertight door
Ladder
Hatchcover

Machinery spaces include :
Engine Room (ER)
Engine Control Room (ECR)
Pump Room
Workshop
Stores
Steering Engine
Room
Propeller Shaft Tunnel

Critical Engine room
Equipment
Main Engine
Separator
Pump
Compressor
Valve
Generator
Auxiliary Engine
Steam
Boiler
Filters
Heat Exchanger
Switchboard
Compressed air vessel

Inside the accommodation, we find :
Recreation Room (Gym)
Cabin
Cold Stores
Mess room
Hospital (Sick Bay)
Deck Office
Galley
Laundry

Access to accomodation spaces
Emergency Escape Trunk
Stairwell
Companion way
Fireproof
door

In the wheelhouse
Chart room
Radio room
Navigation bridge

Wheelhouse equipment

Spaces concerning Safety
Muster station
Safety Locker
CO2 Room

Part 2 – Prepositions and Statives
referring to position.

Point :
2. At the wheel
4.Away from the wheelhouse,
at the bridge-wing controls (2)
1. To the bridge
3.Disembarking
from the ship

Line :
4. Bunkering operations off the breakwater.
6. Vessel proceeding along the breakwater.
3. Give way vessel moved off course.
5. Stand on vessel passes across the
bow of the give way vessel.
2. Vessel on reciprocal course
2. Vessels on
parallel courses

Surface :
1. Loading cargo onto the deck
2. Cargo (already) on deck
5. Ferries across the Dover Strait
5. A helicopter is hovering over the deck.
4. A crewmember has been
lifted off by a helicopter.
3.The AB is chipping
the sweepings off the
tanktop.
6.The stores are lowered through
the hatch.

Area :
1. Proceeding into the port.
2. Moored in the port entrance.
3. Proceeding out of the port
5. Through the port entrance
3. Ships that are out of the port,
2. in the approaches.

Volume :
Loading a cement cargo out of train wagons (3)
through a hose (5) into a ship (1).
2. A ship is proceeding in the fairway.
5. A ship is proceeding through a
Navigable channel.
4.This wreck is out of the fairway
The ship’s waste is separated into (1)
different containers. In (2) port, the waste
Is taken out of (3) the containers and
landed ashore.

Relative positions :
At № 18 buoy
On the leading line
Abeam of Svenska Bjoern
Lighthouse
Bearing Tarifa Lighthouse 353 degrees =
Bearing from Tarifa Lighthouse 173 degrees
Off Gibraltar
Taking a bearing across a magnetic compass

Statives
Modifiers (Adjectives/Adverbs) that indicate a state i.e. a condition of something
Formally : prefix a- + noun or verb
In Nautical English a number of statives are used to express direction which in their turn refer to position (a relative position)
Ashore
Aground
Afloat

Statives – Direction = Position
Tugboat
alongside
Barge tow ahead and across our bow,
abeam of the jetty
Crane amidships
Pipeline athwartships
Starboard Pilot Boarding Position abaft the beam
Berths along both sides of the canal
Gangway aboard
Barge tow further ahead, astern of the green tanker

Some statives express opposite directions :
Aloft
Alow
Below
Going aloft
Astarboard
Aport

Some basic expressions :
On board ?Aboard/Ashore
At Anchor
Across the main lines
Along the main lines
Ashore
On board
Aboard / On the Boatswain’s chair

Famous Proverbs :
He is all at sea.
(He is at a loss and
doesn’t know what to do.)
We are all in the same boat.
(We face the same problems
and have to solve them together.)