Ship Parts

Pirate Ship

Rigging – The system of ropes, wires and chains used to support and operate the masts, sails, booms and yards of a ship.
Mast – A large pole (spar) resin above the deck of a ship and supports sails and rigging.
Foremast – The front mast on a ship or any other sailing vessel.
Mainmast – The middle, primary mast on a ship or any other sailing vessel.
Mizzenmast – The aftermost mast on a ship or any other sailing vessel.
Sail - A large piece of material like cloth, set on mast and used to speed up sailing by being placed in the wind.

Square sail – A rectangular sail attached on yard, hanging symmetrically across the mast.
Fore-and-aft sail – A triangular sail set behind mast, attached to a gaff and boom, parallel with a keel.
Lateen sail – A triangular sail, set on a long yard and sometimes supported with boom.
Jib - A small fore-and-aft sail extending from the fore-topmast head to the jib-boom.
Trysail - A small fore-and-aft sail used during the storm conditions and placed instead of the regular sail.
Course sail - The largest and lowest square sail on a mast

Spanker – A fore-and-aft sail on an aftermost mast, bent with a gaff and boom.
Spar - A wooden or metal pole used for rigging such as mast, yard, gaff, boom, etc.
Bowsprit – A pole which extends forward from the bow of a ship.
Yardarm or Yard – A pole which horizontally crosses a mast.
Gaff - A swinging pole used to extend the top of a fore-and-aft sail away from a mast and support it.
Boom - A horizontal pole used to extend the foot of a fore-and-aft sail from a mast and support it.
Stay - A heavy rope, cable or wire used as support for a mast or spar.
Hull –A frame or body of any sailing vessel.
Keel – The bottom of a hull, scratching from bow to stern.
Rudder – A metal or wood plate mounted at the stern, used to maneuvers a ship.
Bulkhead – A water-tight structure dividing a ship into compartments.
Abaft or aft – A rear section of the ship.
Bow - The front part of a ship.
Deck – A horizontal platform covering a hull from one side of a ship to the other.

Poop – An enclosed structure, a rear part of a deck.
Stern – The aftermost part of a ship. A captain office and officers' quarters.
Forecastle -The part of upper deck at fore end of ship; the forward part of a ship with living quarters.
Main deck - The highest part of a deck in some vessels.
Berth -The sleeping and living quarters below main deck or built-in bed on a ship.
Orlop -The lowest deck on a ship, used for covering storage.
Bilge –The bottom of a ship, the transition between the bottom and the sides.
Scuppers – The openings, spreading along edges of a deck and allow water to drain off into the sea.