Why is a marine toilet called a head?

At the front of the ship was the figure head: a carved wooden figure or bust fitted on the bow of the ship. Since the wind was blowing from the rear to the front, the “head” (or front) of the ship was the best place for sailors to relieve themselves. So, when the shipmates went to the toilet, they went to the head.

Why does the Navy use the term head?

The head (pl. heads) is a ship’s toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.

Where did the term head?

The term “head” used for a marine toilet started because of the location of the toilet on the earliest sailing ships. For crewmen, the facilities were located at the head of the ships. The front of ships had a figurehead: a carved wooden figure or bust fitted on the bow of the ship.

What does latrine mean in the military?

public toilet
Noun. 1. latrine – a public toilet in a military area.

What does Marines call the bathroom?

The ‘head’ aboard a naval ship is the bathroom or toilet. Today, the term ‘head’ refers to any marine bathroom aboard a boat or ship.

What is the bathroom on a boat called?

“The bathroom of a maritime vessel is known as the head because of its location aboard vessels in the bow or fore of the ship, as explained by the Naval Heritage and History Command. The term first appears in 1708 in Woodes Rogers’ book, “A Cruising Voyage Around the World.” Source Ask.com.

What is the origin of head?

In summary, origin/HEAD represents the default branch on the remote, which is defined automatically when you clone a repository from the internet.

What do Marines call a bathroom?

The ‘head’ aboard a naval ship is the bathroom or toilet. Today, the term ‘head’ refers to any marine bathroom aboard a boat or ship. On naval shore bases, the ‘head’ also refers to a bathroom.

What is VIP latrine?

Ventilated improved pit. (VIP) latrines. The addition of a vent pipe to a simple pit latrine is one way of reducing the nuisance of flies in the cubicle if the cubicle is kept clean and dark. This type of latrine is called a ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine.

What is the ‘head’ on a naval ship called?

The ‘head’ aboard a naval ship is the bathroom or toilet. Today, the term ‘head’ refers to any marine bathroom aboard a boat or ship. On naval shore bases, the ‘head’ also refers to a bathroom. The term comes from the days when the Navy used sailing ships.

Why is the marine toilet called the head?

Since then I have been to sea as a Ships Engineer and we all called the marine toilet the head or heads, the name deriving from the days of the wooden sailing ships, when the heads were placed up for’d. This is a marine article regarding the origin of the marine toilet being known as the head; here we will have a light-hearted look at its history.

What is a ‘head’ in the military?

The Marine Corps and the Coast Guard use the term ‘head’ when referring to a bathroom. A naval ‘head’ can vary in size. Ashore as well as aboard ship, the ‘head’ could have toilets, sinks as well as showers. The ‘head’ could be nothing more than a closet with a sink and toilet, or it could be a room with several toilets and sinks.

Where are the marine toilets located on a ship?

They were located on each side of the bowsprit, which was an integral part of the ship’s bow, overlooked only by the figurehead at the head of the ship, and this is how the marine toilets become known as the head. Incidentally, the word head came from a Roman galley, where the prow with the armor…