The historical Stede Bonnet’s Revenge was a sloop-of-war, one of the smaller types of men-of-war, or fighting ships. Unlike merchant ships, they carried multiple guns (i.e., cannons); merchant vessels were usually also armed, but not as heavily.
Basic Nautical Terms
fore: The front part of the ship.
aft: Towards the back.
bow: The frontmost part of the ship’s hull.
stern: The backmost part of the ship.
starboard: If you’re facing forward, this is the side of the ship on your right. If you’re facing aft, it will be on your left.
port: If you’re facing forward, the side on your left. If you’re facing aft, it’s on your right.
hull: The outer body of the ship. What you scrape barnacles off (assuming you’re not flirty enough to get out of the job).
Decks
The Revenge has four full decks. Plus there are several partial upper decks with weird names.
Main Deck
Also called the upper deck or upper gun deck. This is the deck where everything happens: flag-sewing, sleepovers, duels, fuckery, etc.
Forecastle (Fo’c’sle)
Pronounced, and sometimes spelled, fo’c’sle. The partial deck in the ship’s fore, from which Blackbeard swings off a rope to impress the crew. A few steps above the main deck.
Quarterdeck
You know the sweeping staircases Stede descends like he’s Ginger Rogers in an MGM musical? Those lead between the main deck and the quarterdeck. The quarterdeck was traditionally where the captain, and sometimes his officers, hung out and kept an eye on things; regular sailors weren’t allowed up there, except in the course of their duties. It’s also the location of the wheel, or helm, which steers the ship by turning its rudder.
Poop Deck
Named after the French word for stern; nothing to do with poop. Even higher than the quarterdeck, the poop deck is perched over the stern. Its height makes it a good place to make observations from. The handrail around the poop deck is called the taffrail.
Gun Deck
Also called the lower deck. This deck is under the main deck. You know how from the outside of the ship you can see cannons poking out from their little hidey-holes? Those are gun ports, and the guns (cannons) live along both sides of the gun deck. (The Revenge also has cannons on the main deck, which is why the main deck is sometimes called the upper gun deck.) In some ships, the crew would sleep on this deck, between the guns. In OFMD, this is the deck with the kitchen and the crew’s table, as well as the jam room and the rec room; you can see the gun ports in the hull.
Orlop
The deck under the gun deck. Where coils of rope and other equipment is stored. It’s below the ship’s waterline, so the stuff you store here has to be able to withstand some damp. Has a low ceiling. Historically, was often used as the ship’s surgery during battle. [ETA: Season 2 revealed that the Revenge has no orlop.]
Hold
The lowermost deck. Where supplies are stored and cargo, if there is any, is carried.
Masts
The masts are the big poles that hold up the sails. Different types of ships have different numbers of masts. The Revenge has three.
Foremast: Frontmost mast. Emerges through the fo’c’sle.
Mainmast: The one in the middle, coming through the main deck.
Mizzenmast, or mizzen: Aft mast. Comes through the quarterdeck.
There are about a million sails, each with its own name, and about a million ropes, ditto. I’m not covering any of that here, because life’s too short. Suffice it to say that the ropes, cables, and chains in general are called the rigging.
Other Parts of the Ship
Head
Generally speaking, the front of the ship. More specifically, the area in front of the fo’c’sle; also called the beakhead. Home of the figurehead (in this case a unicorn) and the bowsprit (the pole that sticks out in front of the ship). This is where Blackbeard throws Lucius overboard, which means Lucius has the whole length of the ship to be thrown a line by Fang and pulled back on board, which is totally what happened. The head is also where the crew’s toilet was located (head has since become synonymous with toilet.) The captain had his own toilet—sorry, en suite—in the stern, near his cabin.
Tops
Sometimes called fighting-tops. The little platforms about a third of the way up each mast. Ed and Stede pull their lighthouse trick in the top on the mainmast, i.e., the maintop. This is also where they bond over quality marmalade.
Capstan
The big cylinder that sits on the main deck. The crew turns this to move ropes and cables for heavy work, like weighing (raising) the anchor or hoisting a foresail. Its wooden bars are removable when not in use. Fun historical fact: sailors often sang sea shanties while turning the capstan, to keep them all in rhythm, and if one of the crew had a musical instrument, like a fiddle, pipe, or drum, he might play it while sitting on top of the capstan.
Great cabin
The biggest cabin on the ship, usually the captain’s quarters. Often had a row of windows facing aft and a library.
Everything I know about ships I learned from Patrick O’Brian and Wikipedia. If you see any errors, please let me know.
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