Port and Starboard

Port and starboard, in nautical terms, describe the left-hand side as well as the right-hand side of a vessel. It may be argued that the line of the keel, which runs from the bow to the stern, divides the port and starboard sides of a ship. A rudder, when is mounted at the extremity of the line that runs along the centre of the vessel, is governed by the tiller or by the wheel. Pulling the tiller, which may be regarded as a type of lever, towards the starboard side of a ship causes the rudder to move to the port side of the vessel. Turning the rudder to the port, or larboard, side of a ship causes the bow of the vessel to move to its left-hand side. Pushing the tiller, which may take the form of a beam or a pole, towards the port side of a ship turns the rudder towards the starboard side of the vessel. Moving the rudder to the starboard side of a ship causes the prow, as the foremost part of a vessel is also known, to move to the right-hand side. Port and starboard, while being nouns which describe the opposing sides of a ship, can also be used as verbs. Red lights were displayed on the port sides of vessels, white lights were displayed on the mastheads of steam-ships and green lights were mounted on the starboard sides of water-craft. Sailing ships and steam-vessels were required to display navigation lights, as the red and green lights were known, on their port sides as well as on their starboard sides. White lights were used to indicate the fore and aft ends of ships while improved course lights combined the red, green as well as the white lights within one lamp. Etymologists, who determine the origin of words, believe that starboard evolved from the Anglo-Saxon steorbord and it has been suggested that the term referred to the side of a ship on which the helmsman stood. A vessel, when it observed is from the starboard side, displays its helm on the left-hand side while its stem is visible on the right-hand side. Ships, when seen from the port side, display their bows on the left-hand side and their sterns on the right-hand side.

Port and Starboard Describe the Left-Hand Sides and the Right-Hand Sides of a Ship.

William Burney, whose A New Universal Dictionary of the Marine was published in 1815, defines port and starboard as the opposing sides of a ship. It is explained that William Falconer, at an earlier date, was the original author of the manuscript while Burney is claimed to have expanded the work. Larboard and port, on page 350, are reported to have been synonyms for the left-hand side of a vessel. It is claimed, however, that the left-hand side of a ship was only described as its port side on four occasions. A ship, when it heels to port, is reported to have stooped or inclined towards its larboard side. Top the fore-yard to port, in nautical parlance, is described as an order to sway the larboard extremity of the fore-yard to a higher position than the other spars. Port the helm is claimed to have referred to the act of placing the helm over the larboard side a ship and hard a port, by comparison, is reported to have denoted the act of placing the helm close to the larboard side of a vessel. Mariners, due to the similarities between the words larboard and starboard, are claimed to have experienced confusion over the nautical terms. Using the port, in the place of larboard, was intended to provide a sense of clarity when orders were being issued among navigators. It is reported, on page 191, that heel referred to the act of moving a vessel towards its left-hand side or towards its right-hand side. A ship, when it is inclining in a rightwards direction, is described as heeling to starboard while a vessel that is moving in a leftwards direction is said to be heeling to port. Starboard, on page 499, is described as the right-hand side of a ship. It is reported that the starboard side of a vessel is observed from the the perspective of an individual, such as a steersman, whose vision is directed towards the head of the water-craft. A mariner who faces the fore, which is also known as the bow, of a ship will observe the port side of the vessel to their left-hand side while the starboard side of the water-craft will be seen to their right-hand side.

Board Refers to the Deck or to the Side of a Ship. 

Walter William Skeat, on page 44 of Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, claims that board refers to the side of a ship. It is reported that board, which is claimed to have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon bord, can also refer to a shield or to a plank. Starboard, larboard, onboard and overboard are identified as derivations of the nautical term. Bord is reported to have been the term for the side of a ship in the Dutch, German and Icelandic languages. Joseph Emerson Worcester, on page 155 of A Dictionary of the English Language, defines board as a noun that has eight different meanings. Board, according to the seventh and eighth definitions that are offered in the dictionary, refers to the deck or to the sides of a ship. Popular Encyclopedia, which is also known as A Universal Dictionary of Knowledge and Language, defines board in a variety of ways. Colange is identified as the editor of the encyclopedia, which is claimed to have been published in 1869, while W. Ellwood Zell is identified as the publisher. It is reported, on page 314, that board has three definitions when the term is used in a nautical context. Board is claimed to have referred to the deck, interior spaces or sides of a ship. Noah Webster and Chauncy A. Goodrich, on page 133 of the volume of An American Dictionary of the English Language that was published in 1895, explain hat the primary use of board is to describe the side of vessel. To go aboard, for example, is defined as the act of going over the side of a ship. Bord or bred, which are reported to have been Anglo-Saxon words, are identified as the origins of the word. Robert Hunter, on pages 546 and 547 of the second volume of The American Encyclopaedic Dictionary, claims that a board is a piece of wood that is used to construct houses as well as ships. Board, when the word is employed as a verb, is defined as the hostile takeover of a merchantman or of a man-of-war during a naval operation. It could be stated, therefore, that board describes an attempt to capture a ship.

Anglo-Saxon as well as Old Norse Origins of Larboard and Starboard.

J. C. Atkinson, whose opinions about the etymology of larboard as well as starboard can be found on page 35 of the tenth volume of the third series of Notes and Queries, suggests an Anglo-Saxon origin of the terms that describe the sides of a vessel. It is claimed that the Royal Navy, in 1845, decided to describe the left-hand side of a ship as port while larboard is reported to have fallen into obsolescence. Leer, on page 74, is reported to have been the word for left in the Anglo-Saxon vernacular. It is suggested, therefore, that the combination of leer and bord described the left-hand side of a ship. Baec-bord, in the Anglo-Saxon vernacular, is identified as a synonym of steor-bord and the terms are claimed to have referred to the side of a vessel on which the helmsman stood. It is reported that steore and styr, which are claimed to have been the Anglo-Saxon words for helm or rudder, were combined with bord and evolved into starboard over the centuries. Visual depictions of ships that are contained within the Bayeux Tapestry, the Sandwich Seal and a bass-relief which is situated at the entrance of the Leaning Tower of Pisa are cited as evidence that the steersman stood on the right-hand side of a vessel. It is suggested that the larboard and the starboard side of ships, in addition to the bow as well as the stern ends of vessels, could be interchangeable with one another. Moving the steering-oar from one end of the ship to the other, for example, could transform the bow into the stern while moving the steering-oar from one side of the ship to another could cause the starboard side to transform into the port side. It could be argued that the definition of larboard and starboard, when applied to a double-ended vessel, was determined by whether the helmsman was standing at the fore or the aft of the water-craft. Ships that are equipped with a fixed rudder, which is mounted on a specific end of a vessel, can be described as having a port side and a starboard side while other types of vessel may be harder to define.

Italian Origins of Port and Starboard. 

It is suggested, on page 404 of the first volume of the second series of Notes and Queries, that port as well starboard originated in the maritime states of Italy. Genoa and Venice, during the Middle Ages, are described as being among the earliest European navigators. Questo bordo, which is is claimed to have been abbreviated to 'sto bord after repeated use, is reported to have referred to the side of a ship on which the helmsman stood. It appears, therefore, that starboard emerged before the introduction of rudders that were mounted along the line of the keel. Quello bordo, which is claimed to have been shortened to 'lo bord over the passage of time, is reported to have denoted the side of a ship on which the helmsman does not stand. Starboard and larboard, which are claimed to have evolved from 'sto bord and 'lo bord, are reported to have denoted the opposing sides of a ship. Portare, when translated into English, is claimed to have referred to the act of pushing while tirare is reported to have described the act of pulling. It appears, therefore, that portare and tirare described the act of steering a ship to the left or to the right. Porta il timone and tirare il timone, which are identified as instructions that a Master would give to a helmsman, are claimed to have referred to the acts of pushing or pulling the helm of a water-craft. Porting, or pushing, the helm is reported to have been associated with the larboard side of a ship. It is suggested that the port side of a vessel, as a reference to the manner in which it was steered, became synonymous with the larboard side of a water-craft. Starboard is claimed to have been derived from Steorbord, which is acknowledged to have been Anglo-Saxon in its origin, but it is denied that styran was the origin of the word. Styran, which appears to have been a nautical term, is claimed to have denoted the act of steering. Port and starboard, from the perspective of a mariner who faces the bow from the position of the helm, describe the right-hand sides as well as the left-hand sides of ship.

An Introduction to Navigation Lights.

Commander Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford, who dedicates the third section of the second edition of The Sailor's Pocket Book to the rule of the road at sea, describes the varieties of navigation lights that were displayed on ships. It is claimed, on page 58, that the rule which governs the sea routes is identical to that which is observed on the land routes. Exceptions to this rule, such as when one water-craft approaches another from the right, are claimed to have existed. Bedford, who published his guide book in 1875, uses port as a verb and as nouns. Port, which is described as the act of keeping to the right-hand side of a roadstead, is also defined as the left-hand side of a vessel. Confusion may arise, therefore, over a term that denotes the left-hand side of a ship while describing the act of keeping to the right-hand side of a thoroughfare. It is claimed that vessels, like pedestrians, are required to move to their right when they are approaching one another from opposite directions. Moving to the right, according to Bedford, allows two vessels to pass each other on their port side. Green and red lights are reported to have enabled mariners, during instances in which two vessels were passing one another, to differentiate between the opposing sides of a ship. Vessels that navigated the roadsteads, according to Bedford, avoided collisions by displaying navigation lights. It is reported, on page 62, that all ships were required to display navigation lights while they are under way. Red lights, according to Bedford, were carried on the port side of vessels while green lights are claimed to have been displayed on the starboard side of ships. It is explained that navigation lights, which are reported to have been mounted at a position of right ahead to two points abaft of the beam, should have been visible from a distance of two-miles. Pilot vessels, on page 63, are claimed to have been exempt from displaying port and starboard lights but are reported to have mounted white lights on their mast-heads.

Laws Pertaining to Navigation Lights in the United States of America.

It is explained, on page 287 of the installation of Navigation Laws of the United States that was published in 1895, that steam-ships which operated at sea were required to display navigation lights from sunrise to sunset. Navigation lights are reported to have been white, red and green. Steam-ships, according to the third article of the rules that concern lights, were expected to display bright white lights on their mast-heads. White lights, according to the navigation laws, were mounted at a height of twenty-feet above the deck and were expected to be seen from a distance of five-miles. It reported, furthermore, that white lights were expected to be seen from the port and starboard sides of the ship. A green light, according to section (b) of the third article, was required to be displayed on the starboard side of a vessel. It is reported that starboard lights, on a dark night, were required to be visible from a distance of two-miles. A red light, according to section (c) of the third article, was required to be displayed on the port side of a ship. It is claimed that port lights, during the hours of darkness, were expected to be visible from a distance of two-miles. Red lights and green lights, according to section (d) of the third article, had to be contained within screens that projected for a distance of three-feet. It is reported that the purpose of the screens was to prevent the navigation lights, which are described as side lights, from shining across the bow of the ship. Sailing vessels, on page 288, are reported to have been required to carry the same navigation lights as those that were carried onboard steam-ships. It was not necessary, according to the fourth article, for sailing ships to mount the white lights that steam-ships were required to carry. Sailing vessels, like steam-ships, are claimed to have been required to display their navigation lights when they were under way or when they were being towed. Laws that governed the use of navigation lights in North America, therefore, were similar to those which applied in Britain.

Improved Course Lights.

It is reported, on page 296 of the eleventh volume of Industries, that the four navigation lights which were displayed on a ship could be combined within one lamp that was mounted on or suspended from the mast-head. On the 25th of September, 1891, it was announced that Mr. H. Rickinson had invented an improved system of course lights that could assist vessels which navigated the sea at night. Rickinson is claimed to have conducted his business from Highbury, which is reported to have been situated in London, while his invention is revealed to have consisted of four lenses that were installed within the four-sided framework of a rectangular lamp. It is claimed that the lenses, which are reported to have enabled the crews of other ships to determine the course that the vessel was taking, were connected to the lamp at right-angles. White lenses, of which two were present, are claimed to have pointed towards the stem and stern ends of the vessel. No information is provided about whether the light was generated by oil, gas or electricity. A red lens, in accordance with the rules of navigation, is reported to have pointed towards the port side of the ship while a green lens is claimed to have pointed towards the starboard side of the vessel. Figure 1 depicts a compass that has been mounted on the upper surface of the course light while figures 2, 2A, 2B and 2C represent the view of the navigation lamp from a port quarter position. Depictions of starboard quarter lights can be seen in figures 3, 3A, 3B and 3C while figure 4 as well as figure 5 illustrate the methods of attaching the course lamp to the mast-head. It is revealed that the green, white and red lenses were of a convex appearance. Course lights are claimed to have allowed mariners to determine whether a ship was travelling in a west south-west, north-west, north-west by north and north north-west direction. Seafarers, therefore, could have observed the movements of a vessel from the perspective of the different points of the compass.

Port the Helm and Starboard the Helm.

Commander Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford, on page 59 of the third section of the second edition of The Sailor's Pocket Book, claims that the reckless use of port helm was a major cause of collisions at sea. Joseph Emerson Worcester, on page 645 of the new edition of A Dictionary of the English Language, describes the helm as an instrument with which a vessel is steered. It is reported that the rudder, tiller and wheel of a ship can all be regarded as categories of helm. Port the helm is defined as an order to place the helm onto the left-hand side, or larboard side, of the vessel while starboard the helm is described as an order to place the helm onto the right-hand side of the ship. It is implied that a helmsman, who is described as an individual who manages the helm, is responsible for steering the vessel. Port, on page 1105, is defined as the act of turning or putting a ship to its larboard side. Steer, on page 1411, is described as a verb and as a noun while styran is identified as the Anglo-Saxon word from which the modern term originated. It is explained that steer, when the word is employed as a verb, refers to the act of directing the course of a ship. Steer, when the word is employed as a noun, is claimed to have referred to the helm of a vessel. Admiral William Henry Smyth, on page 583 of The Sailor's Word Book, defines to port the helm as the action of moving the rudder to the starboard side of a ship. Moving the rudder to the right-hand side of a vessel, therefore, would involve pushing the tiller to its left-hand side. Smyth, on page 584, describes a rudder as an appendage that is attached to the stern-post of a ship. It explained that the rudder, which is reported to have been attached to the stern-post via pintles and braces, governed the course of a vessel as it passed through the water. Smyth, on page 683, claims that the tiller was attached to the rudder. It is reported that the tiller, which could be described as a type of spar, could be manufactured from a straight-grained timber beam or from an iron bar.

Hard-a-Port and Hard-a-Starboard.

Joseph Emerson Worcester, on page 660 of A Dictionary of the English Language, describes the terms that are used to describe the act of steering a ship from left to right. Hard, in nautical parlance, is claimed to have referred to the state of being close to the sides of a ship. Close and hard, therefore, are synonymous with one another. Hard-a-port, for example, is defined as being close to the larboard side of a ship while hard-a-starboard is described as the state of being close to the starboard side of a vessel. A. Ansted, on page 112 of A Dictionary of Sea Terms, claims that hard is applied to commands that are given to the helmsman of a ship. Hard, when it is included in an order that is given onboard a vessel, is reported to have translated as an instruction to apply additional force or energy to the execution of a command. It is explained that hard up, or hard 'a weather, describes the act of pulling the tiller to the windward side of a ship. Hard down, or hard 'a lee, is described as the act as moving the tiller to the lee side of a vessel. It should be noted that hard, when applied to the act of turning the rudder, relates to the speed at which the order is executed. Hard may be understood as the energetic, forceful, rapid, urgent or vigorous execution of a command. Noah Webster and Chauncy A. Goodrich, on page 534 of the edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language that was published in 1895, describe hard-a-port as an order to put the tiller close to the larboard side of a ship. Hard-a-starboard, by extension, is defined as an order to place the tiller close to the starboard side of a vessel. James Stormonth as well as Philip Henry Phelp, on page 247 of the fourth edition of Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language, define hard-a-port as the position of the helm when it is situated at a close distance from the larboard side of a ship. Hard-a-starboard, by comparison, is described as the position that the helm is in when it is positioned at a close distance from the starboard side of a water-craft.

Turning to Port or Starboard.

John Ogilvie, on page 426 of the second volume of The Imperial Dictionary, claims that port is a verb that describes the act of a ship turning to its left-hand side. Putting to, according to Ogilvie, is an alternative term for the turning a vessel in a particular direction. Commander Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford, on page 58 of the The Sailor's Pocket Book, maintains that port is a verb that refers to the act steering a ship to its right-hand side. Bedford and Ogilvie, therefore, appear to have had different opinions about the meaning of port when the word is used as a verb. It is reported, on page 24 of the forty-eighth volume of The Nautical Magazine for 1879, that Mr. Vyvyan proposed that the terms port and starboard should be abolished. Vyvyan, who is identified as a member of the Emigration Office at Liverpool, is claimed to have favoured the use of left and right as terms for the opposing sides of a ship. Dixon Kemp, on page 27 of A Manuel of Yacht and Boat Sailing, explains that a rudder is put over to starboard when its tiller is pushed to port. Moving the rudder to port, furthermore, causes the bow to turn to the left. It is reported, on page 25, that wrong helm was to blame for the majority of collisions that occurred at sea. Wrong helm, when considering that helm refers to the steering apparatus of a ship, describes the act of turning a vessel in an incorrect direction and placing it on to an erroneous course. It is explained that the Board of Trade appointed a Committee to decide whether the terms that described the turning, or steering, of merchantmen should be altered. Port and starboard, as was suggested to the Board of Trade, could be used as nouns but should not be used as verbs. It is claimed that a steersman, rather than being instructed to port the helm of a vessel, would be ordered to direct the course of the ship to starboard. Changing the terms that were used to dictate the course of ships, according to Vyvyan, would reduce the amount of collisions at sea that were caused by steering errors.