[Milsurplus] Port and Starboard

[Mike Morrow]

I wrote:

> That common "left equals port, etc." inaccuracy is only true if one
>happens to be facing foreward.  On a ship, one very often is not.

Michael wrote:

>Since it's defined facing the bow (as in, from the helm), it's all
>good.  

But it's not good if a crew member mistakes port and starboard to mean left and right.  When a crew member is heading aft to, say, adjust the port motor generator set, I don't want him to start messing with the one on his left.  That would be the starboard MG.   In my six years at sea, I never thought of right or left when using these terms.  Port and starboard specify position, not direction.

>I have to go on my tricky memory as to why the port & starboard
>lights are as they are, but it's related.

It relates to the port running light of a vessel being red, while the starboard running light is green.  The purpose of this convention is collision avoidance.

Under the Collision at Sea avoidance regulations (COLREGS, or nautical Rules of the Road), when two ships approach or cross paths, the ship to port is "burdened" and the ship to starboard is "privileged"  The burdened vessel is required to maneuver to avoid and give way to the privileged vessel, while the privileged vessel is required to maintain course and speed.  (About 30 years ago, these terms changed to "give-way" and "stand-on.")

The clearest example is when one vessel is about to cross the path of another.  The burdened vessel will see the red port running light of the privileged vessel, while the privileged vessel will see the green starboard running light of the burdened vessel.  Thus, the privileged vessel has the green light to stand on, while the burdened vessel has the red light with the obligation to give way to the privileged vessel.

Thirty years ago I earned my living as officer of the deck (OOD) on a submarine.  I don't remember much of it today, but one never forgets fundamentals like this.  Interestingly, when an OOD gives rudder orders to the helmsman, "right rudder" or "left rudder" is always used (direction), but NEVER "starboard rudder" or "port rudder" (location). 

Mike / KK5F