Forecastle
Forecastle also spelled
fo'c's'le (
pronounced ) originally meant the upper
deck of a
sailing ship, forward of the foremast.
The forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters is also called forecastle. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase "before the mast" which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors (as opposed to a ship's officers).
The term "forecastle" relates to
Medieval shipbuilding, where ships of war were usually equipped with a tall, multi-deck
castle-like structure in the
bows of the ship which served as a platform for archers to shoot down on enemy ships and could also be used as a defensive stronghold if the ship was boarded.
A similar but usually much larger structure was at the aft end of the ship, often stretching all the way from the main
mast to the
stern.
Having such tall upper works on the ship was of course detrimental to sailing performance. As
cannons were introduced and gunfire replaced boarding as the primary means of naval combat during the 16th century, the medieval forecastle was no longer needed, and later ships such as the
galleon had only a low, one-deck high forecastle.
In addtion to crew's quarters, the forecastle may contain essential machinery such as the
anchor windlass.
Some sailing ships and many modern (non-sail) ships have no forecastle as such at all but the name is still being used to indicate the foremost part of the upper deck (although often called the
foredeck) and for any crews quarters in the bow of the ship, even if below the main deck.
