In all ships that I sailed in (various ages, types, sizes and flags), the Captain's cabin was always on the Starboard side.
Has anybody got a reason as to why - or did I just happen to strike all 'right-hand' vessels.
In all ships that I sailed in (various ages, types, sizes and flags), the Captain's cabin was always on the Starboard side.
Has anybody got a reason as to why - or did I just happen to strike all 'right-hand' vessels.
Now that you mention it, I have had a think of all the ships I have been on & they have always been on the Starboard side? Firemen,Trimmers,Oilers,Motormen all to port Sailors to St'bd. Port out St'bd home for the 'down below' crews to get the fresh air after putting up with the heat all day? Someone wiser will have the answer? (Thumb)
I was always told when working ashore by a Naval Architect that the Masters cabin should always be located on the Starboard side so as he could observe if any traffic was around that his ship was to give way to and how alert his officers were !!
With one exception, every ship I sailed on had the Master's cabin on the port side. This was BP 1958-64. The exception was the British Queen where the Master's cabin was centreline - he had a deck to himself I seem to remember.
Regards,
John F.
Dont know if its relevant to the Captais cabin being on the starboard side but A ticket for a voyage to India would be marked P.O.S.H for those who paid extra for having a cabin on the shaded side of the ship
Generally speaking (writting) POSH applied to the P&O. P&O ships I sailed on as an engineer were always on the starboard side at least on passenger ships, unless some one knows different.
I would like to recommend a book - (Read)
'Port Out Starboard Home and other language myths' by Michael Quinion.
To quote in part on the subject of POSH: 'The trouble is there's absolutely no evidence for it and P&O flatly denies any such term existed. It's just a legend.....'
He goes on to say that it may derive from a Romany word which means money, first recorded use is in Military slang in 1918.
He also has something to say about brass monkeys which blows that one out of the water as well!
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