Talk:Aftercastle

Question[edit]

Is this the same thing as an "aftercastle" (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/8542/aftercastle) or "sterncastle"? 122.107.58.27 (talk) 08:21, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mizzen mast[edit]

Article currently [1] reads An aftercastle (or sterncastle, sometimes aftcastle) is the stern structure behind the mizzenmast... (my emphasis).

I don't think that's true. On many ships, the mizzen mast is stepped on the aftercastle. See File:Mauritius - Detail uit Het uitzeilen van een aantal Oost-Indiëvaarders van Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom (1600).jpg for just one example.

File:Caravel Boa Esperanca Portugal.jpg is perhaps a clearer example.

The statement as it stands is probably true for ships of four or more masts, where a jigger mast is typically stepped on the aftercastle, but the mizzen never. But on three masted ships, where the mizzen is often the aftmost mast, it's true in some cases, marginal in many more, and an outright falsehood in many others. Andrewa (talk) 17:08, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]