RiffTrax Discussion > Titanic

Hard to starboard!

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CJones:
"Hard to starboard" is what Mr Murdoch shouts to the helmsman when they see the iceberg, but he turns the wheel left, and the ship turns left, which is to port. Can someone explain this? Am I missing something, or is this just a movie mistake?

Thrifty:
Probably just a movie mistake.

Scrivener:
No, this was actually the correct nautical terminology at the time.  It harkened back to when ships used tillers to turn the rudder.  "Hard-a-starboard" meant you put the tiller to starboard, which moved the rudder, and thus the ship, to port.  It's changed in the last hundred years, so that "Hard to starboard" means the ship turns to starboard.

Give James Cameron this:  he did his research.

CJones:
Thanks for that explanation Scrivener.  :)

Darth Geek:

--- Quote from: Scrivener on September 08, 2010, 01:53:12 PM ---No, this was actually the correct nautical terminology at the time.  It harkened back to when ships used tillers to turn the rudder.  "Hard-a-starboard" meant you put the tiller to starboard, which moved the rudder, and thus the ship, to port.  It's changed in the last hundred years, so that "Hard to starboard" means the ship turns to starboard.

Give James Cameron this:  he did his research.

--- End quote ---
Jeez. As if nautical terminology wasn't pointlessly confusing already.

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