Forecastle

This article is about the structure of a ship. For the annual music festival, see Forecastle Festival.
Replica of the Victoria, the only one of Ferdinand Magellan's five ships to return to Spain in 1522, showing both a forecastle (left) and quarterdeck (right).

The forecastle (/ˈfoʊksəl/ ⓘ FOHK-səl; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le)[1][2] is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase "before the mast" which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors, as opposed to a ship's officers.

  1. ^ Oxford dictionary search, retrieved 2013-08-22, gives "fo'c'sle"
  2. ^ Collins dictionary search, retrieved 2013-08-22, gives "fo'c's'le or fo'c'sle"