This question was posed to me yesterday by a very civillian friend of mine. Why do we have the distinction between the brow and the Quarterdeck? where did the name Brow derive from?

I'm not going to go digging into the history of the word brow or quarterdeck at this time (maybe if I was at home instead of at work) but the two serve two different functions and thus should have a distinction. The brow is just that piece of steel you walk up (or down sometimes for subs) to get from the pier to the quarterdeck. It is removable and is not a part of the quarterdeck. That would be my reasoning for having a distinction.

You cross the brow (also commonly called the gangway) to get onto or off of the ship/boat. The quarterdeck is that area on the ship where sailors or visitors actually get on the ship (where the ood/jood give permission to come aboard).

But, for the purposes that Ski needs this for, don't confuse brow and gangway. A brow is someplace from which to access the ship (not necessarily the quarterdeck as submarines do not even have a quarterdeck) and gangway is a command given to allow senior personnel to pass through a group of people.

Semi - geezer with information from Knights Modern Seamanship 1941 edition.

Brow - a portable gangplank
Gangway - an opening in the bulwarks or rail to give entrance to the ship. An order to stand aside/get out of the way.
Quarterdeck - A part of the upper deck reserved for the use of officers.

Some real oldies.

Should have known you would have the official answer, Mastersmate. Good job, as usual.

The U.S. NAVY Seamanship course book from 1953 saved my tookus this time around !

The brow threw a curve. The checks I use didn't have it listed. In the end, turns out BROW is a Navy specific term for gangplank.

Quarterdeck, is also the area on deck on a Navy ship which is the watch station for the Officer of the Deck inport.

I'm going to use that Navy reference book more. But my noggin is is thinking its time to splice the mainbrace just before sunset out here.

....I had forgotten I posted this question til today.....

The distinction I'm trying to make is between the two entrances on the carrier. Even had the distinction on the different entrances on the "ship" in boot camp. On the Lincoln it was refered to as the Enlisted Brow and the Officers Quarterdeck. I know that the Quarterdeck is suppose to be a more ceremonial place and that one area on board that always looks nice. But if the brow is actually a gangplank then why is the designation of the enlisted entrance the brow? I'm sure this is just one of those terms that has gotten passed from one thing to another as it happens so often but I figured I'd try for an actual answer, if there is one.

thanks all!

The quarterdeck is also the designated location and ceremonial site where the Officer of the Deck Inport maintains the watch.

quote:

Originally posted by elemanski:
The distinction I'm trying to make is between the two entrances on the carrier. Even had the distinction on the different entrances on the "ship" in boot camp. On the Lincoln it was refered to as the Enlisted Brow and the Officers Quarterdeck. I know that the Quarterdeck is suppose to be a more ceremonial place and that one area on board that always looks nice. But if the brow is actually a gangplank then why is the designation of the enlisted entrance the brow?

Because Carriers aren't ships, they're floating aircraft and therefore all jacked up. Why else would they fall under Naval Air Forces?

A Quarterdeck on old sailing ships used to be almost literally just that: a deck running about only a quarter of the length of the ship, located in the after portion of the ship, though not necessarily the aftermost portion of the ship. This tended to be the location the ship was steered from (because the ship’s helm was there) and as a consequence where the Officer of the Deck/Watch/Equivalent-Position-of-the-Age would stand. It allowed the OOD to keep an eye on the main deck and the rigging while still looking forward. Althoguh people did not tend to come aboard at the QD, it was still close enough to the main deck to both afford the OOD a good view of new arrivals and allow new arrivals to head aft and report to the OOD on the QD without much difficulty. It also tended to be where the Captain of the ship had his cabin (nowadays even destroyer-sized ships still have an at-sea cabin close to the pilot house). Much as the Officer of the Deck today controls entry to the quarterdeck or the bridge (wherever s/he happens to be stationed based on whether or not the ship is underway) so too did the OOD (or equivalent) control access to the Quarter Deck back in the day. Since it was an important watchstation equivalent to the modern bridge or pilot house, access was appropriately limited to conducting official business. You couldn't just "hang out" on the QD (and you still can't).

Since the age of sail has passed and ship design has been altered accordingly, the true "quarter deck" no longer exists and the OOD underway tends to be stationed at a point relatively high on the ship and farther forward, making it inconvenient for use as a entry control point. On smaller ships (read just about everything but Carriers, Big Deck Amphibs, and Command Ships) there is only one entry point, so there is no need to make a distinction between where enlisted enter and where officers enter. However (remember, carriers are all jacked up) on carriers they have enough officers and chiefs to man two destroyers with all-khaki crews and enough E-6 and below to fill the hangar bay. As I'm sure you know, lines are incredibly long when liberty gets called away. As a result, Carriers tend to have more than one entry point, which isn't too much of a burden considering that they have 10 times the manpower of a destroyer to draw on.

So... there can be only one QD, which in the modern Navy is the place where the in port OOD is standing. Nowadays, you can shift the QD to anywhere you want, but it still follows the OOD in port. You can only have one OOD at any given time. So, you can only have one QD at any given time. The QD tends to also be the entry point for khaki whilst the "other place" tends to be the entry point for enlisted sailors (wouldn’t you want the more senior watch stander greeting the CO/XO/Admiral?). Owing to a lack of imagination (or perhaps owing to a rare dose of common sense) it is customary to refer to the enlisted entry point as the "enlisted brow" rather than inventing some other imaginary place name like "Poop Deck" (which, on sailing ships, was the deck aft of and higher than the Quarter Deck) or what have you.

The thing I remember most about Quarterdecks, Brows, Gangplanks, and Accommmodation Ladders (espcially after an extended deployment,)was the fact that we "Deck Technications" took our lives in our hands rigging them.

This is NOT to say that the job itself was espcially dangrous, the real danger was from all the slack act pogues in the Liberty party.

I've seen more seaman like conduct (manners) from rats deserting a sinking ship.

that actually makes a lot of sense Aoi. thanks!

bump

I have several vintage BMJs and the 1940 and 1943 are identical in the Quarter-Deck and Gangways section.
The commanding officer defines the limits of the quarter-deck. It embraces as much of the main or other appropriate deck as may be necessary for the proper conduct of official and ceremonial functions.
The starboard gangway is used by all commissioned officers and their visitors; the port gangway is used by all other persons. If the construction of the ship and other circumstances make a change in this rule expedient, the change may be made at the discretion of the commanding officer. In heavy weather the lee gangway is used by everyone.
The Centennial Edition is some what different as it has under Quarterdeck
/////////////////////////the quarterdeck in many ways replaces the bridge as the control point of the ship when the ship is not underway. It has both functional and ceremonial purposed and, just like the bridge, is manned by a watch team. The OOD shifts his or her watch from the bridge to the quarterdeck once the ship enters port and, until the ship gets underway again, the ship's routine is run from there. The location of the quarterdeck will vary occording to the type of ship and, because the quarterdeck also normally serves as the point of entry and exiting for the ship, it may actually move to different locations on board the same ship,, depending upon which side is facing the pier or whether or not the ship is anchored and using boats.
Larger vessels, such as aircraft carriers, may have two or more entry and exit points for the ship. Only one is designated as the qwuarterdeck, however. Things change.
?Westpac Willie.

Thought I would add this out of the Centenial Edition. Boarding and Departing the Ship
Boarding
If the ship is alongside a pier, you will use a "brow" (a walkway that bridges the gap between the pier and the ship) to come aboard. If the ship is ancho0red out in the water, you will, of course, ride in a boat to get to the ship, and to get from the water up tot he ship's main deck you will use an "accommodation ladder" (a kind of stairwell that has been rigged over the side of the ship). The opening in ship's rail, where you actuallty board the ship (whether you are using a brow or an accommodation ladder, is called the "gangway." At the gangway you should turn and face aft (where the national ensign is flying from the jackstaff, come to attention, and smartly salute if the ensign is flyuing. The OOD will return your salute to the national ensign. On some larger ships, you will not be able to actually see the National ensign but you should salute anyway. You will know whether is is flying or not by the time of day. If is is after 0800 and before sunset, you will know that the ensign is flying. After you have smartly saluted the national ensign, turn and face the OOD (ir ger ir gus reoresebtatuve), salute and say, "I request permission to come aboard "ma'am" (or "sir"). The OOD will return your salute and say, "Very well," or"Permission granted"

All this is true, even the Marines know all this, now add. Way, make way, under way, back way, no way, sounding way. Most Boatswain Mates know the terms, and the QMs as well. So ship mates, make fast the following and make your reports known before the Mast. "Boats".. Al..