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The stern is the rear or aft part of a ship
Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
 or boat
Boat

A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water, and provide transport over it. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas....
, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost
Sternpost

A sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the stern of a ship or a boat, to which is attached the transom s and the rearmost part of the keel....
, extending upwards from the counter
Counter

In digital logic and computing, a counter is a device which stores the number of times a particular event or Process has occurred, often in relationship to a clock signal....
 to the taffrail
Taffrail

A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water....
. The stern lies opposite of the bow
Bow (ship)

The bow is a List of nautical terms that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway....
, the foremost part of a ship.

stern area is the location of the steering apparatus (rudder
Rudder

A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, or other conveyance that moves through a fluid . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane....
, tiller
Tiller

A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post or rudder stock of a boat in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder....
, ship's wheel
Ship's wheel

The wheel of a ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the rudder, in turn changing the direction of the boat or ship. It is also called the helm, together with the rest of the steering mechanism....
, etc), and by extension became the domain of the ship's captain
Captain

Captain or The Captain may refer to:...
 and other officers. In particular, the stern was the location of the officers' quarters, and during the age of sail
Age of Sail

The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century....
 became the most opulent part of the ship, with rows of windows, galleries
Balcony

Balcony , a kind of platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or Corbel brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade. The traditional Malta balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a wall....
, walkway
Walkway

A walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all formal surfaces which support the act of walking. This includes sidewalks, trails, paths, stairs, ramps and open paseos or passageways....
s, and elaborate decorations.






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The stern is the rear or aft part of a ship
Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
 or boat
Boat

A boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water, and provide transport over it. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas....
, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost
Sternpost

A sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the stern of a ship or a boat, to which is attached the transom s and the rearmost part of the keel....
, extending upwards from the counter
Counter

In digital logic and computing, a counter is a device which stores the number of times a particular event or Process has occurred, often in relationship to a clock signal....
 to the taffrail
Taffrail

A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water....
. The stern lies opposite of the bow
Bow (ship)

The bow is a List of nautical terms that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway....
, the foremost part of a ship.

Stern area

The stern area is the location of the steering apparatus (rudder
Rudder

A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, or other conveyance that moves through a fluid . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane....
, tiller
Tiller

A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post or rudder stock of a boat in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder....
, ship's wheel
Ship's wheel

The wheel of a ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the rudder, in turn changing the direction of the boat or ship. It is also called the helm, together with the rest of the steering mechanism....
, etc), and by extension became the domain of the ship's captain
Captain

Captain or The Captain may refer to:...
 and other officers. In particular, the stern was the location of the officers' quarters, and during the age of sail
Age of Sail

The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century....
 became the most opulent part of the ship, with rows of windows, galleries
Balcony

Balcony , a kind of platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or Corbel brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade. The traditional Malta balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a wall....
, walkway
Walkway

A walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all formal surfaces which support the act of walking. This includes sidewalks, trails, paths, stairs, ramps and open paseos or passageways....
s, and elaborate decorations. This resulted in a certain amount of vulnerability, and the goal of much maneuvering in battle was to achieve the stern rake
Raking fire

In naval warfare, raking fire is fire directed parallel to the long axis of an enemy ship. Although each shot is directed against a smaller target profile than by shooting broadside and thus more likely to miss the target ship to one side or the other, an individual cannon shot that hits will pass through more of the ship, thereby increasin...
, in which a ship would pour its entire broadside
Broadside

A broadside is the side of a ship; the artillery battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare....
 into the stern

Features

Other features of the stern included lantern
Lantern

A lantern is a portable lighting device used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may be used for signaling, or as general light sources for camping....
s and the ensign
Ensign

An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office. The word has also given rise to the military Ensign , a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit....
.

Types


Several types of sterns exist. These include :

  • straight sterns
  • flat sterns


History


Early ships

In the early part of the 19th century, the stern of larger ships became gradually more rounded, and with the advent of screw-powered
Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan which transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. It can be used to drive an fixed-wing aircraft, ship, or the fluid within a pump....
 vessels, the stern became the location of the equipment, the officers moving elsewhere, though British ships still contained an Admiral's sternwalk until well into the twentieth century.

Modern cruiseships

In modern cruise ship
Cruise ship

File:MSMajestyOfTheSeasEdit1.JPGA cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience....
s, the stern is frequently the location of the dining room
Dining room

A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level....
, so as to provide uninterrupted views of the sea.

Modern warships

In modern warships, particularly cruiser
Cruiser

A cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas....
s and destroyer
Destroyer

In navy terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers ....
s, the stern is usually where the helicopter
Helicopter

A helicopter is an aircraft that is Lift and propelled by one or more horizontal plane Helicopter rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades....
 pad is located. The stern tends to be lower set when compared to other parts of the ship, and may contain a large caliber gun mount
Naval artillery

Naval artillery or naval rifles refers to warship-mounted guns used in naval warfare for attacking enemy vessels, bombardment targets on shore , or for anti-structural demolition....
 or missile
Cruise missile

A cruise missile is a guided missile missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system, usually a jet engine, to allow sustained flight; it is essentially a flying bomb....
 magazine
Magazine (firearm)

A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable ....
s. Aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a navy force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations....
s typically use the deck space in the stern part of the ship for the recovery of incoming aircraft. Aircraft carriers may have aircraft elevators in the stern area to prevent interference of flight operations, which are launched from the bow
Bow (ship)

The bow is a List of nautical terms that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway....
. For submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
s, both fast attack and ballistic missile, the stern is generally the location of the engine room and the motor room, if the submarine has one. If the submarine runs on nuclear power
Nuclear power

Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nucleus via controlled nuclear reactions. The only method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay ....
 the stern may contain a heat exchanger and other parts associated with a nuclear reactor.

Gallery


Image:Poupe-soleil-royal-berain.jpg|The transom of the Soleil Royal
French ship Soleil-Royal (1670)

Soleil Royal was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Anne Hilarion de Tourville.She was built in Brest, France between 1669 and 1670 by engineer Laurent Hubac, was launched in 1670, and stayed unused in Brest, France harbour for years....
, by Jean Bérain the Elder
Jean Bérain the Elder

Jean Berain the Elder was a drawing and designer, Painting and engraver of ornament, the artistic force in the Royal office of the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi where all the designs originated for court spectacle, from f?tes to funerals, and many designs for furnishings not covered by the B?timents du Roi....
 Image:VOC Amsterdam.jpg|The stern of the V.O.C. ship Amsterdam Image:Spiegel Tirion28.JPG|The stern of a modern sailboat
Sailboat

A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a smaller vessel varies by region and culture....
 (Tirion28) Image:lifeboat.stern.17-31.arp.jpg|The stern of a UK Severn class lifeboat
Severn class lifeboat

The Severn class lifeboat is the largest Lifeboat used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution , a UK charity dedicated to saving life at sea....