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