QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Q. Which is the bow?

A. The forward end of the ship.

2. Q. Which is the stern?

A. The after end of the ship.

3. Q. What is the part known as midships?

A. The middle part.

4. Q. What are the starboard and port sides?

A. The starboard side is on the right-hand side looking forward; the port side is on the left-hand side looking forward.

5. Q. What is the keel?

A. The lowest center-line longitudinal member; it is the first piece of metal laid on the blocks when building the ship.

6. Q. What is the stem?

A. It is the system of framework, the vertical extension of the keel, in the forward part of the vessel to which the plating is secured forward.

7. Q. What is the sternpost?

A, It is the system of framework, the vertical extension of the keel in the after part of the ship, to which the plating is secured aft.

8. Q. What are the frames?

A. The frames or ribs extend transversely from the keel to form the main thwartship portion of the skeleton to which the outside plating is secured.

9. Q. What is the bilge?

A. The flat part of the ship's body on each side of the keel. It extends out to the turn of the bilge.

10. Q. What are the bilge keels?

A. Large pieces of metal secured outside near the turn of the bilge. They lessen the degree of rolling.

11. Q. What is the counter?

A. The portion of the stem from the water line to the overhang (or the part which projects out over the water).

12. Q. What is the water line?

A, It is a line the water makes along the ship's side when she is afloat in still water.

13. Q. What is the run of a ship?

A. The narrowing of a hull aft, between keel and counter.

14. Q. What is the cutwater?

A. It is the forward edge of the stem; the part that cuts the water when the ship is in motion.

15. Q. What is a double-bottom compartment?

A. Steel ships generally have two complete bottoms over a considerable portion of their extent, the inner and the outer bottoms. The spaces between them are called "double-bottom compartments,"

16. Q. What are the eyes of the ship?

A. The extreme forward portion of the ship, where the plating joins the stern.

17. Q. What are the wings?

A. The portion of the hold nearest the side of the ship.

18. Q. What are the chain lockers?

A. Compartments in the forward portion of the vessel under the chain pipes for carrying and storing cables.

19. Q. What are the beams of the ship?

A, Horizontal framing running across the ship to support the decks and connect the sides,

20. Q. What are the waterways?

A, Small gutters extending all around the edge of the weather decks. When the deck is washed down, the waterways carry off the water over the side through the scuppers.

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21. Q. What are the scuppers?

A. They are holes in the ship's side through which water is discharged through pipes from the waterways.

22. Q. What are partners?

A. Frames of timber or steel fitted into the decks immediately around the masts to strengthen the decks locally against side pressure of the masts.

23. Q. What are the ports?

A. Openings in the ship's side for various purposes. Air ports are for the admission of air and light. Gun ports are openings through which the guns are pointed and fired. Merchant ships have cargo ports.

24. Q. What are stanchions?

A. Vertical pillars of wood or metal supporting a beam or some other portion of the ship.

25. Q. What is calking?

A. Driving oakum between the planks of a deck; the top portion of the seam is then filled or payed with pitch or marine glue.

26. Q. What is the rudder?

A. The apparatus used to steer a vessel; it hangs on the sternpost, or rudderpost, by pintles and gudgeons.

27. Q. What is the tiller?

A. A piece of timber or metal fitted fore and aft to the head of the rudder stock by which to turn it when steering.

28. Q. What is the wheel?

A, The handwheel used to move the tiller and rudder. With the steam steering gear, the wheel, when turned, open the valve of the steering engine and the engine moves the rudder through a tiller or a crosshead. The wheel is connected to the valve by shafting and gearing, or by a flexible wire cable, or in some cases by a telemotor (hydraulic piping system). The steam steering gear is now supplanted by electric and by electric-hydraulic systems.

29. Q. What is the forecastle, the waist, the quarter-deck?

A. In modern days these portions' of the ship are not so clearly defined as they were in old sailing ships. Generally speaking, the forecastle extends from the fore-mast forward on the uppermost deck, The quarter-deck extends from the mainmast to the poop or to the stem if there is no poop. The portion of the upper deck on each side between the forecastle and the quarter-deck is known as the waist,

30. Q. What is a hatchway?

A, An opening in the decks forming a passageway from one deck to another and into the holds.

31. What is the bridge?

A. The raised platform extending athwartships in the forward part of the ship, from which the ship is steered and navigated. Amidships and after bridges are sometimes fitted,

32. Q. What is the sea ladder?

A. Steps secured to the ship's side for use in coming on board when the gangway is unshipped. This ladder, as the name indicates, is used chiefly at sea.

33. Q. What are the holds, storerooms, wardroom, cabin, sick bay?

A. The term "hold" is a general term to denote the lower stowage compartments of a ship. Storerooms are located in various parts of the ship; they are used for stowing the various stores. The cabin is the quarters of the captain or the admiral; wardroom, the quarters of all officers junior to the captain, except the junior officers and warrant officers, who occupy the junior officers' and warrant officers' quarters, respectively. The sick bay is the hospital of the ship.

34. Q. What is the galley?

A. The cooking compartments on board ship.

35. Q. What is the taffrail?

A. The rail around the vessel's stern.

36. Q. What is the billboard?

A. A sloping shelf, or edge, on the ship's side to support the old-fashioned type anchor.

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