Afterdeck

The afterdeck on this ship the deck from point 1 to 2.
Main parts of ship. 1Funnel; 2Stern; 3Propeller and Rudder; 4Portside (the right side is known as starboard); 5Anchor; 6Bulbous bow; 7Bow; 8Deck; 9Superstructure

In naval architecture, an afterdeck or after deck, or sometimes the aftdeck, aft deck or a-deck is the open deck area toward the stern or aft back part of a ship or boat. The afterdeck can be used for a number of different purposes, yet not all ships have an afterdeck. In place of the afterdeck, a ship may be built with a poop deck, that is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship; a poop deck is usually higher up than an afterdeck. A ship may have its superstructure or aftercastle located in the stern and thus not have an afterdeck. The stern and afterdeck of a ship are usually more smooth and stable than the bow (front) of the ship in motion. A taffrail is the handrail around the open afterdeck or poop deck. On wooden sailing ships like man-of-war or East Indiaman the taffrail is usually a hand carved wood rail and often highly decorated.[1] [2][3][4] [5]