# Main deck

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The main deck of [USS *Wainwright*](/source/USS_Wainwright_(CG-28)) supports the 5"/54 gun aft, but is not the [weather deck](/source/Weather_deck) for the greater length of the forward portion of the ship.

The **main deck** of a [ship](/source/Ship) is the uppermost complete [deck](/source/Deck_(ship)) extending from [bow](/source/Bow_(watercraft)) to [stern](/source/Stern).[1] A steel ship's hull may be considered a structural [beam](/source/Beam_(structure)) with the main deck forming the upper flange of a [box girder](/source/Box_girder) and the [keel](/source/Keel) forming the lower [strength member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strength_member&action=edit&redlink=1). The main deck may act as a [tension member](/source/Tension_member) when the ship is supported by a single [wave](/source/Wind_wave) amidships, or as a [compression member](/source/Compression_member) when the ship is supported between waves forward and aft.[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Knight, Austin M.](/source/Austin_M._Knight) (1937). *Modern Seamanship* (Tenth ed.). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. p. 31.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Manning, George Charles (1930). *Manual of Naval Architecture*. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. pp. 102&103.

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