Upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast
This article is about the structure of a ship. For the annual music festival, see Forecastle Festival.
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.