AFT : Towards the stern of a ship.

AMIDSHIP : In the middle of a ship.

ANGUS : a sled made of steel tubing carrying still cameras. It is towed from a ship at the end of a long steel cable. It takes photographs of the ocean floor. Angus is an abbreviation of Acoustically Navigated Geological Underwater Survey.

ARGO : A steel sled equipped with video cameras that can take moving pictures which are transmitted back to the ship.

BERTH : A ship's place at a Wharf. Also a sleeping place on board.

BILGE : The lower inside hull of a ship, up to the point where the sides become vertical.

BOAT DECK : The deck of a ship on which the lifeboats are carried. On the Titanic the Boat Deck was the top Deck.

BOILER : A furnace in which coal was burned to boil water to creat the steam to turn the turbine.

BOLLARDS : Metal posts on a ship or dock to which the mooring lines are tied.

BOW : The front end of a ship.

BRIDGE : A raised platform or structure toward the fron of the ship which has clear open view ahead. From here the ship is navigated.

BULKHEAD : Upright partition dividing a ship's cabins or watertight compartments.

CAPSTAN : an upright, revolving barrel mounted at the stern of the ship for ropes to be tied around it.

COLLAPSIBLE : Boat made with canvas sides allowing it to be stored easily.

CQD : Morse code distress signal used by ships in the early days of the telegraph wireless.

CROW'S NEST : a lookout platform high on a ship's mast.

DAVITS : Cranes used to lower and hold lifeboats.

DEBRIS FIELD : Area in which items and objects are found from the main wreck site.

DECKHOUSE : Room built on a ship's Deck.

DISPLACEMENT : Amount of water displaced by a ship immersed in it.

DRY-DOCK : Basin where water has ben pumped out to allow for shipbuilding or repairs.

FLANKS : The sides of a ship.

FORECASTLE : A short raised deck at the bow.

FORWARD : Towards the front end of a ship.

HELM : To steer or another name for the tiller or ship's wheel.

HMS: His or Her Majesty's Ship only found in names of British Royal Navy vessels.

HOLD : Storage space usually found at the bottom of a ship.

HULL : The frame of the ship.

JASON JUNIOR (JJ) : A self propelled underwater robot equipped with lights and cameras that can explore difficult and dangerous areas. JJ was attatched to ALVIN .

KEEL : a steel line of metal plates running lengthwise along the middle of the bottom of a ship - like a spine.

KNOT : Unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour = 6,080ft.

MIDSHIP : the middle part of a ship.

MORSE CODE : A lamp devised by Samuel Morse consisting of dots and dashes representing the diferent letters of the alphabet so that messages can be sent either by lamp or wireless.

ORLOP : The lowest deck of a ship with three or more decks.

PORT : The lefthand side of a ship.

RMS : Royal Mail Steamer

RUSTICLES : Very fragile reddish-brown stalactites of rust, hanging down from the egde of ships.

SOS : A general call for help used by a ship's radio operator when sending Morse code. The signal could easily be recognised because the code is 3 dots 3 dashes and 3 dots.

STARBOARD : The right hand side of a ship.

STEERAGE : Part of the ship allocated to passengers travelling at the cheapest rate of fare - On the Titanic it was the third class.

STERN : Rear of a ship

STEWARD : A crew member responsible for the passengers and food supplies.

STOKER : A crew member who keeps the ship's boilers full of coal.

TRIPLE-SCREW : Ship with three propellers.

WHEELHOUSE : A small covered area on the bridge where the ship's wheel is found.

WIRELESS : An early form of radio.