# Beakhead

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Beakhead
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Beakhead.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakhead
> Source revision: 1309001735
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Sailing ship element}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2023}}
A '''beakhead''' or '''beak''' is the protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship.

Beakheads were fitted on sailing vessels from the 16th to the 18th century and served as working platforms for sailors working the sails of the [bowsprit](/source/bowsprit), the forward-pointing [mast](/source/Mast_(sailing)) that carries the [spritsails](/source/spritsail_(square-rigged)).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kane |first=Njord |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W6OsDwAAQBAJ&dq=A+beakhead+or+beak+is+the+protruding+part+of+the+foremost+section+of+a+sailing+ship.+It+was+fitted+on+sailing+vessels+from+the+16th+to+the+18th+century+and+served+as+a+working+platform+by+sailors+working+the+sails+of+the+bowsprit%2C+the+forward-pointing+mast+that+carries+the+spritsails.&pg=PT506 |title=History of the Vikings and Norse Culture |date=2019-09-02 |publisher=Spangenhelm Publishing |isbn=978-1-943066-31-5 |language=en}}</ref> The beakhead would be one of the most ornate sections of a ship, particularly in the extravagant Baroque-style ships of the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ship - 17th-century developments {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/ship/17th-century-developments |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The sides were often decorated with carved statues and located directly underneath was the [figurehead](/source/figurehead_(object)), usually in the form of animals, shields or mythological creatures. The beakhead also housed the crew's toilets ([head](/source/Head_(watercraft))), which would drop refuse straight into the sea without sullying the ship's hull unnecessarily.
[[File:Vasa foreshipe above1.jpg|thumb|The [bow](/source/Bow_(watercraft)) and beakhead of the 17th century warship {{ship||Vasa|ship}} seen from above. The small square holes on either side of the [bowsprit](/source/bowsprit) are the toilets.]]
thumb|left|Beakhead of {{ship|French ship|Soleil Royal|1669|2}}

{{Sailing ship elements}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Sailboat components
Category:Sailing ship components

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beakhead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakhead) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakhead?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.