Bridge (nautical)

The bridge, often called short bridge, called the deck on a ship, on which the sea watch is gone. Traditionally, in the four-hour change the ship from here is led by the navigational watch. The term " bridge " comes from the time of the steamer, as a bridge between the two wheel arches - just a bridge - was built, on which was the skipper.

Construction

Strictly speaking, the bridge, the entire bridge deck and the closed side to the pilothouse, called in the inland shipping wheelhouse or helm chair (English: Wheel House, Rudderhouse, in American language and pilothouse ). Thus, the bridge consists of rowing or wheelhouse and cams. However, in the parlance of the closed portion is referred to as a bridge usually. This is the duty officer, commander, etc. provide a favorable and ago seawater protected as possible free position to maneuver. A connection to other parts of the assemblies in the vessel is also called the traveling bridge.

On both sides of the wheelhouse, a Nock or bridge wing closes (English bridge wing) on a mostly non-covered part, from where the ship during maneuvers is performed and the on duty deck officer to carry out specific activities during his watch, in particular compliance with the prescribed travel path of continuous position determination and the consideration of navigation obstacles and located in the vicinity of the vessel other marine vessels through technical means such as radar and human observation.

In the wheelhouse are the command systems, such as the rudder, the engine telegraph, communication devices, and the most important nautical instruments, such as the magnetic compass. A portion of the bridge is also the card room in which store the charts and on the coupling table navigation is operated. On modern ships of the card room is rarely separated from the wheelhouse. The integration of the card table in the wheelhouse itself was required to ensure that the watch officer also monitor when the card is working the sea area and the traffic situation as well as the radio communication can perceive in particular due to the introduction of the so-called one-man guard operation of ship operation.

On submarines, the bridge is open at the top of the tower of the boat and is bounded towards the bow only by the so-called bulwark, which runs up to chest level and the bridge crew protects against seawater. The bridge can therefore only be occupied with boat surfaced. Wheelhouse and bridge wings are obsolete here; submarines of the Second World War, however, there was often a leading astern transition to so-called " winter garden ".

For large airships of the room with the control instruments has also been referred to as the bridge.