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WH Y

DO

S HI PS

U S E

" PO RT"

AN D

" S TA RB O AR D"

Why do ships use "port" and

"starboard" instead of "left" and
"right?"
Unlike left and right, "port" and "starboard" refer to xed locations on a
vessel.

Port side of NOAA Ship Fairweather .

Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariners orientation,
and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion. When looking forward, toward the
bow (front of the boat) of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively.

In the early days of boating, before ships had rudders on their centerlines, boats were controlled using a steering oar. Most
sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern (back of the boat). Sailors
began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became "starboard" by combining two Old English words: stor
(meaning "steer") and bord (meaning "the side of a boat").
As the size of boats grew, so did the steering oar, making it much easier to tie a boat up to a dock on the side opposite the
oar. This side became known as larboard, or "the loading side." Over time, larboardtoo easily confused with starboard
was replaced with port. After all, this was the side that faced the port, allowing supplies to be ported aboard by porters.

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NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, "America's Ship for Ocean Exploration"
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Revised: December 08, 2014 | You are here: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/port-starboard.html