Quick Reference


  • ACV-A vehicle that rides on a cushion of air.
  • Amphibious Assault Ship-A carrier with helicopters.
  • ASW-Anti-submarine warfare.
  • Battleship-A class of very large warships with thick armor and tremendous guns.
  • Bonaventure-A mast behind the mizzenmast.
  • Bow/Prow-Front of a ship.
  • Bowsprit-A structure jutting out of the bow of a ship.
  • Clipper-A very fast sailing ships with slender lines and large area of sail.
  • Caravel-A sailing ship of the 15th and 16th century with three masts.
  • Carrack-A wide sailing ship of the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • Castle-A raised platform installed on a ship.
  • Cog-An early sailing ship with one mast.
  • Containership-A cargo ship which holds cargo in separate containers.
  • Corvette-A class of small warships.
  • Carrier-A warship whose primary weapon are the aircraft that it carries.
  • Cruiser-A class of warship between battleship and destroyer.
  • Deck-A platform on a ship that serves as its floors.
  • Destroyer-A class of warship larger than frigates and smaller than cruisers.
  • Dhow-A generally lateen rigged ship used in the Indian Ocean.
  • Dry dock-A dock in which water is pumped out.
  • Foremast-A mast in front of the mainmast.
  • Frigate-A class of warship above a corvette and under a destroyer.
  • Galleon-A heavy sailing warship of the 15th to 18th century rigged with square sails.
  • Galley-A ship using oars as primary propulsion system.
  • Gunwale-The upper edge of a ship's side.
  • Hydrofoil-A ship that rises out of the water on aerodynamic foils beneath the hull.
  • Junk-An eastern sailing ship with batten-stiffened lugsails.
  • Keel-A structural component of a ship that extends along its length on the bottom.
  • Mast-A vertical on a ship, often for mounting navigational devices and sails.
  • Mizzenmast-The mast behind the main mast.
  • Oceanliner-An ocean-going passenger ship.
  • Outrigger-A structure extending from a ship's sides to steady it.
  • Packet-A swift sailing ocean liner.
  • Planking-Boards covering a ship.
  • Port-Left side of a ship.
  • Rigging-The set up of a ship's sails.
  • Ro-Ro-Roll on, roll off ships with extensible ramps.
  • Rudder-A plate mounted on a ship that is turned to help it steer.
  • Schooner-A generally two-masted ship rigged with fore-and-aft sails.
  • Ship-of-the-Line-A warship built to fight as part of a line of ships.
  • Shroud-Lines running from a mast to the ship's sides, providing support and allowing crew to climb up.
  • Starboard-Right side of a ship.
  • Stay-A line running from a mast to the deck in front or behind the mast, holding the mast up.
  • Stern-Rear of a ship.
  • Tanker-A transport whose hull is a large tank for holding fluids.
  • Torpedo-A self propelled underwater projectile used against ships.