SHIPTALK: ‘Parts’ Of A Ship (2)

Mess:  Part of the ship's company that eats together, (such as the officers' mess) and, by extension, the place where they eat. On passenger liners, the passengers may still eat in dining rooms, but the crew eats in the mess.  Its derived from  late Latin missum, that which is put on a table.

Mess:  Part of the ship's company that eats together, (such as the officers' mess) and, by extension, the place where they eat. On passenger liners, the passengers may still eat in dining rooms, but the crew eats in the mess.  Its derived from  late Latin missum, that which is put on a table.
 Officer:  A definition is scarcely necessary, and it's derivation from the Old French official is obvious. They've been with us a long time, though. The word originally comes from the Late Latin officarius.
 Overhead:  The ceili ng aboard ship, (Never "ceiling," which on a vessel refers to the interior planking or plates affixed to the ship's frames,)
Poop Deck: The aft-most, raised weather deck on a ship. The name came from the Middle English poupe, from the Latin puppim, meaning the rear section of a ship The word derived from the Latin Puppis, meaning a doll or small image, The Romans and other ancient seafaring peoples had a small sacred idol or image affixed to the stern, where the deity it represented could watch over the vessel. To be pooped incidentally, meant to have a wave break over the ship's stern.
Port: The left side of the ship when facing forward, The original term was "larboard" . . . but the possibility of confusing shouted or indistinct orders to steer to larboard with steering to starboard at a crucial moment was both obvious and serious, The term was legally changed to 'port' in the British Navy in 1844, and in the American Navy in 1846, The word 'port' was taken from the fact that ships traditionally took on cargo over their left sides, i.e., the side of the vessel facing the port. This was probably a holdover from much earlier times when ships had Steering-boards over the right side aft; obviously, you couldn't maneuver such a vessel starboard side to the pier without crushing your steering oar. Also a porthole.
Purser: The clerical officer aboard a passenger or merchant ship. He is in charge of the vessel's accounts, documents, and payroll, and on Most ships provides a safe for the passengers' valuables. In the early navy, he was a low-ranking officer in charge of all of the ship's stores. The word comes from the Latin bursariar, the "burser," or person in charge of the burse … uh … purse…
Ship: A general term for any large, ocean-going vessel (as Opposed to a "boat"). Originally, it referred specifically to a vessel with three or more masts, all square-rigged. The origins of the word are long lost, though it is recognizable in all languages descended from the various old Nordic tongues.
Side Boys: Some officers of the admiralty, particularly those of higher rank, would attain considerable body weight in their later years.  This made coming aboard a ship a particularly strenuous activity.  So, the side boys had the job of hauling the short-o-breath officer inboard if he had difficulties.
SOS: Radio distress signal just coming into Use at the time of the Titanic disaster (and replacing the older CQD). Popularly, it stands for "save our ship," but the signal was probably originally chosen because the Morse code for "SOS," three dots, three dashes, three dots, was easy to transmit, easy to remember, and easy to distinguish when received.
Stack: The ship's funnel on an engine-powered vessel. The origin is probably naval slang,
Starboard: The right side of the ship when facing forward. The name is a very old one, derived from the Anglo-Saxon term Steorbord, or Steering-board, Ancient vessels were steered not by a rudder amidships, but by a long oar or Steering-board extended over the vessel's right side aft. This became known, in time, as the Steering-board side or starboard.