NAVIGATION BRIDGE

NAVIGATION

NAVIGATIONAL BRIDGE

The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW (officer of the watch) aided usually by an AB (able seaman) acting as lookout. During critical maneuvers the captain will be on the bridge supported, perhaps, by an OOW as an extra set of hands, an AB on the wheel and sometimes a pilot if required

WHEELHOUSE

Wheelhouses are the small enclosed parts of a bridge which historically held the ship's steering wheel. Today, ship bridges do not have a separate wheelhouse. In some cases, the term wheelhouse is used interchangeably to refer to the bridge.

Traditionally, sailing ships were commanded from the quarter deck, aft of the mainmast. With the arrival of paddle steamers, engineers required a platform from which they could inspect the paddle wheels and where the captain's view would not be obstructed by the paddle houses. A raised walkway, literally a bridge, connecting the paddle houses was therefore provided. When the screw propeller superseded the paddle wheel, the bridge was retained.

Iron, and later steel, ships also required a compass platform. This was usually a tower, where a magnetic compass could be sited far away as possible from the ferrous interference of the hulk of the ship. Depending upon the design and layout of a ship, all of these terms can be variously interchangeable. Many ships still have a flying bridge, a platform atop the pilot house, open to weather, containing a binnacle and voice tubes to allow the conning officer to direct the ship from a higher position during fair weather conditions

Larger ships, particularly warships, often had a number of different bridges. A navigation bridge would be used for the actual conning of the ship. A separate admiral's bridge could be provided in flagships, where the admiral could exercise strategic control over his fleet without interfering with the Captain's tactical command of the vessel. In older warships, a heavily armored conning tower was often provided, where the vital command staff could be located under protection to ensure that the ship could be commanded under fire.

BASIC TERMS

• wheelhouse • navigating bridge • steering wheel • rudder control • magnetic compass • compass repeater • gyroscopic compass • chart table • chartroom • radar scanner • layout

BASIC TERMS

• bridge wings • navigating equipment • communication equipment • main bridge console • plotting aids • ARPA • radar • wing control • relative/true motion radar • position fixing aids • satcom • satnav • navtex receiver • RD finder • LORAN-C • Decca Navigator • facsimile receiver • auto pilot • depth sounder • speed log • sonar • VHF radio telephone • MF transmitter • watch-keeping receiver • monitoring • engine control console

The wheelhouse forms part of the ship' s navigating bridge. It normally runs athwartships and is situated art. From the bridge the ship is nonna1ly navigated, and from there all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the Captain or Officer of the Watch.

Today the bridge of a modem ship is tota1ly enclosed by glass screens or windows to give protection from weather. In addition to the steering wheel or steering controls, the ship's main magnetic compass and a repeater from the gyroscopic compass are normally situated on the bridge.

It also houses a chart table, radar scanners and a rich array of modem navigating and communication equipment. The type and layout of the wheelhouse and the bridge, as well as bridge wings, varies according to ship types and to the changes in modem technology in shipbuilding and navigation.