%% Last Updated: - [[2021-03-19]] %% ## Directions ![[Ship parts.jpg]] ## The helm The helm controls the direction that a ship goes in. This often consists of a helm that is attached to a tiller a few floors below it, but in simpler ships this is simply a tiller. ### How to steer a ship ![[Wheel_and_rudder_assembly_(fixed).gif]] [^wheelandrudder] The wheel is connected to two different pieces of rope on either end. Sometimes there were two wheels connected by an axle, to let more than one person help steer. [^howtosteer] When the wheel or wheels turned, one rope is coiled and the other is uncoiled. The rope is attached through a series of pulleys to the tiller below deck. The tiller is a large, long block of wood or metal that is connected to the rudder. The ropes move it across the ship to a specific direction. The tiller and the rudder are connected such that when the tiller moves to starboard, the rudder moves to port. The ship turns in the same direction that the rudder moves. When it moves to port, the ship turns to port. #### Rudder and Tiller Orders Ships differ in the relationship between the wheel and the tiller, as well as whether the helmsman would stand to the fore or aft of the helm. On older ships, like [[The Wavechaser]], the helmsman stood to the fore of the wheel facing the back of the ship. and would turn the direction in the order that the ship needed to go in. For example, turning the wheel clockwise (starboard) would also turn the ship starboard. However, the orders were given in "Tiller Orders" (that is, as if it was the tiller that needed to be moved) and so to get the ship to turn to starboard, the order would be "port helm" or "x degrees port". By contrast, while using "Rudder Orders", this same action would require the order "starboard helm". tl;dr: To turn the Wavechaser to port: "starboard helm", which means turning the helm to port. ## References [^wheelandrudder]: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship%27s_wheel) [^howtosteer]: [Brandon F on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3UX67RjrL0)