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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- GLOSSARY --

"COUNTER" (or "Cutaway") STERNS

"Counter" (or "cutaway") sterns, which extend well beyond a ship's after waterline, were widely used during the first eight decades of steamship construction. A holdover from the age of sail, this stern form left the rudder head exposed under virtually all conditions of loading, a dangerous practice on warships and, to a much smaller degree, on merchantmen. It was gradually superceded by the "cruiser" stern, and by the 1940s was not much used on new ships. For aesthetic reasons, the "counter" stern remained in wide use on yachts well after being abandoned for other purposes.

This page features a definition of the term "counter" (or "cutaway") stern, with an appropriate illustration.


Example of a "counter" (or "cutaway") stern:

"COUNTER" STERN, seen on USS Santa Clara, 1919.

Cropped from Photo # NH 43137.

 


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Page made 17 March 2007