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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Navigation & the Bridge

Helm

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/helm/nounCommon term

In maritime & shipping, helm means: The wheel or control used to steer a ship, and by extension the steering of the ship itself. The person who steers is the helmsman.

In Turkish: dümen, dümen tekerleği

How it is used

Helm orders follow a fixed form and are repeated by the helmsman: 'Port ten', 'Midships', 'Hard a-starboard', 'Steady'. Officers 'take the helm' or change from autopilot to hand steering.

Example sentences

  1. The helmsman repeated the helm order: 'Starboard twenty, sir.'

  2. Put the helm hard to port and stop the engine!

Common collocations

  • helm order
  • take the helm
  • at the helm
  • hand steering
  • rudderA flat, movable blade at the stern, under the water, that is turned to change the direction of the ship.
  • steering gearThe machinery, usually hydraulic, that turns the rudder according to the orders from the bridge. It is located in the steering gear room at the stern.
  • headingThe direction in which a ship's bow is pointing at a given moment, shown by the compass as an angle from north.
  • courseThe direction in which a ship is intended to travel or is actually travelling, given as an angle from 000° to 359° measured clockwise from north.

More terms: Navigation & the Bridge

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