Aft: The rear part of a ship
All Hands: Gather entire ship's company
Aloft: Above or on top of the deck
Amidships: Toward the middle of a ship
Astern: Behind a ship
Avast: Stop
Bearing: The direction of an object expressed either as a true bearing as shown on the chart, or as a bearing relative to the heading of the boat
Below: Underneath
Berthing: Enlisting sleeping area
Bilge: The rounded lower part of a ship's hull
Bow: The front part of a ship
Bridge: Platform above the main deck, where the ship's controls are located
Brig: The ships jail
Brow: Gangplank leading from a ship to a pier
Bulkhead: Upright partitions separating parts of a ship
Buoy: An anchored float used for used for marking a position on the water or a hazard or a shoal and for mooring
Capsize: To turn over
Carry on: To proceed to a duty
Chart: A map for use by navigators
Cleat: A fitting usually with two horned shaped ends, to which lines are made fast. The classic cleat is almost anvil shaped
Colors: National Ensign
Compartment: Space enclosed by bulkheads, deck, and overhead
Compass: Navigation instrument either magnetic or gyro
Current: The horizontal movement of water
Deck: A floor on a ship
Displacement: Weight of a ship
Dock: A protected water area in which vessels are moored. The term is often used to denote a pier or wharf.
Draft: The depth of water that a ship displaces
Fathom: A six foot length, a unit of measure for water depth
Fender: A cushion placed between boats, or between a boat and a pier, to prevent damage.
Field day: Intense Cleaning
Flank Speed: Faster than full speed; as fast as the ship can go
Forward: Toward the front
Fouled: Any piece of equipment that is jammed or entangled, or dirtied
Free Board: A ship's height from the waterline to the main deck
Galley: A ship's kitchen
Gear: A general term for ropes, blocks, tackle and other equipment
Gee Dunk: Junk Food
General Quarters: Full readiness for battle
Gigline: The name given to the line used to align the uniform shirt, belt buckle, and trousers
Hatchway: A covered opening in a ship's deck to allow entrance to a lower deck
Head: A restroom on a ship
Helm: The wheel or tiller controlling the rudder
Hold: A compartment below deck in a large vessel, used solely for carrying cargo
Holiday Routine: Aboard ship on authorized holidays and Sundays
Hull: The main body of a ship
Jettison: To cast overboard or off. Informal. To discard (something) as unwanted or burdensome
Keel: The main timber or steel beam that extends the entire length of the bottom of the ship
Knot: Speed of a ship
Ladderwell: Stairs
Leeward: The direction away from the wind; opposite of windward
Mess Decks: Where enlisted eat
Mooring: An arrangement for securing a boat to a mooring buoy or a pier
National Ensign: The name given to the national flag when flown by ships and boats
Overboard: Over the side or out of the boat
Overhead: Ceiling
Pennant: Any nautical flags that taper to a point and are used for identification
Port: Facing forward, the left-hand side of a ship
Quarter Deck: Designated are by the Commanding Officer for official business
Screw: Another name for the propeller on a ship
Scuttle: Round, watertight opening in a hatch (deck)
Scuttlebutt: Drinking Fountain; rumor
Shipshape: Neat, clean
Sick Bay: Area aboard ship that serves as a hospital or medical clinic
Starboard: Facing Forward, the right-hand side of a ship
Stateroom: Living compartment for an officer
Stern: The rear end of a ship
Stow: To pack or store away; especially, to pack in an orderly, compact manner
Swab: Rope or yarn mop
Super Structure: Structures built on a ship's upper deck
Underway: Vessel in motion, i.e., when not moored, at anchor, or aground
Union Jack: The blue field of white stars from the national ensign flown by day from the jackstaff on U.S. Warships at anchor or moored
Wake: Trail left by watercraft moving through water.
Wardroom: Where officers eat
Watch: Periods of duty on a ship, broken into six periods
Waterline: The line to where the surface water comes on the side of a ship
Weather Decks: Deck Exposed to the weather
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