Bow of the Cruise ship Spirit of Endeavour

The bows of lifeboat 17-31 (Severn class) in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England

The bow (pronounced to rhyme with how) is a nautical term 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. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow. The other end of the boat is called the stern. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 801 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The content of this image was reviewed by KenWalker and afterwards uploaded by FlickrLickr. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 801 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The content of this image was reviewed by KenWalker and afterwards uploaded by FlickrLickr. ... A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... For the 1944 movie, see Lifeboat (film). ... The Severn class lifeboat is the largest lifeboat used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a UK organisation dedicated to saving life at sea. ... Poole Harbour is a harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the towns of Poole and Wareham on its shores. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A list of nautical terms; some remain current, many date from the 17th-19th century. ... A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ... For other uses, see Ship (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Boat (disambiguation). ... Aft of the Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder. ...

The term bow comes from the old days of timber boat building. It is derived from the use of the trunk and a bow (bough) or large limb of a tree where the natural strength from the grown curved fibres of the wood provides the strength for this most vulnerable part of the ship or boat. The shipwright would cut the bow and trunk vertically through the felled tree to find the most natural curved form.

The bow is designed to reduce the resistance of the hull cutting through water and should be tall enough to prevent water from easily washing over the top of it. On slower ships like tankers, a fuller bow shape is used to maximise the volume of the ship for a given length. An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ...

The forward part of the bow, usually on the ship's centreline, is called the stem. Traditionally, the stem was an upright timber or metal bar into which side planks or plates were joined.

A "wet bow" results from seawater washing over the top of the hull. A raked stem can help to reduce the wetness of the bow. Aside from making the deck slippery, water can corrode the metal of the ship. If the temperature is low enough this water can also freeze on the deck, rails, turrets, and other exposed surfaces, increasing the topside weight.

In naval slang, 'bows' can also refer to the foremost guns of a ship.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bow

• Prow
• Boat building
• Cruise ship
• Deck
• Figurehead
• Naval architecture
• Shipbuilding
• Stern
• Superstructure
• Bulbous bow
• Port
• Starboard

BOW= FRINT END IF BOAT Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Prow, the fore part of a ship, the stem and its surrounding parts, hence used like keel, by metonymy, of the ship itself. ... Traditional boat building in South East Maluku, Indonesia. ... A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull[1] of a ship. ... Forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Figurehead is a carved wooden decoration, often female or bestiary, found at the prow of ships of the 16th to the 19th century. ... Steamer New York in c. ... Men from Francisco de Orellanas expedition building a small brigantine, the San Pedro, to be used in the search for food Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. ... Aft of the Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder. ... // Sociological concept In social sciences, superstructure is the set of socio-psychological feedback loops that maintain a coherent and meaningful structure in a given society, or part thereof. ... The bulbous bow of the U.S. Navy carrier USS Ronald Reagan is clearly visible in this photograph. ... Port is the nautical term (used on boats and ships) that refers to the left side of a ship, as perceived by a person facing towards the bow (the front of the vessel). ... A view of the Starboard side of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ross Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board the ship and facing the bow (front). ... Traditional wooden cutter under sail. ... For other uses, see Anchor (disambiguation). ... An anchor windlass within the forecastle on the main deck of the sailing ship Balclutha. ... The bow and beakhead of the 17th century warship Vasa seen from above. ... A bilgeboard is a lifting foil used in a sailboat, which resembles a cross between a centerboard and a leeboard. ... Boom brake with line. ... A portion of a model depicting a manual capstan in use. ... A centreboard is a form of movable keel on a small sailing boat or dinghy which can be moved to lower the draught (or depth) of the vessel. ... A daggerboard is a type of centreboard used by various sailing craft. ... A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull[1] of a ship. ... Forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Figurehead is a carved wooden decoration, often female or bestiary, found at the prow of ships of the 16th to the 19th century. ... forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Focsle of the Prince William, a modern square rigged ship, in the North Sea. ... The gunwale, pronounced gunnel to rhyme with tunnel, is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat. ... A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ... A jackline is a temporary wire strung from a ships bow to stern to which a safety harness can be attached, allowing a crewmember to move over the deck during a storm. ... For other uses, see Keel (disambiguation). ... A canting keel is a form of sailing ballast, suspended from a rigid canting strut beneath the boat, which can be swung to windward of a boat under sail, in order to counteract the heeling force of the sail. ... A leeboard is a lifting foil used by a sailboat, much like a centerboard, but located on the leeward side of the boat. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... The orlop deck is the lowest deck in a ship. ... Stern of the Grand Turk with poop deck above In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that constitutes the roof of a cabin built in the aft (rear) part of the superstructure of a ship. ... The port quarter galleries of the 17th century warship Vasa. ... Stern-mounted steering oar of an Egyptian riverboat depicted in the Tomb of Menna (c. ... Wheel of the French carrier Clémenceau. ... In surfing, a skeg is a stabilizing fin located at the rear of the surfboard. ... Aft of the Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder. ... A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post (American terminology) or rudder stock (English terminology) of a boat in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ... Modern self-tailing winch on a sailing boat. ...