Focus On...The Bridge

The Navigation Bridge aboard Crown Princess.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

It's the one unmistakable feature found on every cruise ship.  All the way forward rests a glass-enclosed structure that is the navigational command centre of every ship: the navigation bridge, or "the bridge" for short.  From here, every aspect of the ship is controlled, manned by a combination of officers and deckhands twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week - even when tied up in port.

But why is the bridge called "the bridge"?

In the early days of steam, ships were powered not by propellers, but by large outboard paddle wheels on either side of the ship.  These usually sat amidships, and were topped with large metal housings.  

On sailing ships, navigation usually took place at the stern for the obvious reason that it was located immediately above the rudder, and was the easiest place to install a wheel suitable for steering the ship.  But with the advent of paddle wheel technology, the large metal housings became difficult for officers to see past, not to mention the maze of rigging and masts that still cluttered deck space thanks to an inherent mistrust of steam technology.

In order to inspect the wheels - which were notorious for breaking up in even moderately heavy seas - and to allow the officers a better, unobstructed vantage point, a walkway between the two wheel casings was built on top of them: the bridge.  When screw propellers eventually replaced paddle wheels, the concept of the bridge remained, and maritime navigation was forever changed.

Cunard's RMS Campania in 1893.

Note the exposed navigation bridge 

forward of the first funnel.

Photo courtesy of the United States Library of Congress

 

On the earliest screw steamships, the bridge was a harsh environment: the area was totally exposed to the elements, and only protected by a waist-high railing meant to shield equipment more than humans.  Gradually, a small house was built around the large ship's wheel and became known as 'the wheelhouse.'

By the turn of the last century, bridges had evolved to the point where a second enclosed navigation space surrounded the telegraphs used to direct the engine room, with a separate enclosed structure for the wheelhouse.  Bridge wings extending over the port and starboard sides of the ship were still generally exposed to the elements, though the RMS Olympic and Titanic notably had sheltered partitions at the end of each wing to better protect the Officers during inclement weather.

 A view of the enclosed Starboard-side 

bridge wing aboard Mariner of the Seas.

Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders

Today, the bridge of a modern cruise ship offers comforts sailors could only have dreamed about.  Many are fully-enclosed, meaning no part of the bridge, including its wings, is exposed to the elements.  A full set of navigation controls on each wing, coupled with a glass floor, allow officers to dock their ships with absolute precision - all with the touch of a small joystick-like control.  

The open-air starboard side bridge wing 

of Fred. Olsen's 1988-built Balmoral.

Note the officer standing next to the docking controls.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

While the vast majority of cruise ships built after the year 2000 feature fully-enclosed navigation bridges, many built before this period still feature the exposed, open-air bridge wings.  Some Officers are known to prefer this arrangement to the fully enclosed bridge, but presumably on a cool Alaska day or a sweltering Panama Canal transit, the fully enclosed bridge ensures comfort at any time or condition.  

Many ultra-luxury lines still build their ships with open wings, as it allows guests on upper decks to view the docking and undocking procedures with more 'interactivity' than a closed-bridge environment.  

The open-air bridge wing aboard Silversea's 

Silver Shadow.  Note the docking controls (covered).

Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders

Ships and navigation may have come a long way since the first transatlantic liners plied the oceans over one hundred years ago, but the basic principles behind seafaring haven't.  The next time you look at the glass-enclosed marvel that is the navigation bridge, you can do so with the knowledge of its very humble and practical beginnings.