{{Short description|Process of unloading a watercraft or an aircraft}} {{see also|Embarkation}} {{wiktionary|debarkation|debarcation|disembarkation}} '''Disembarkation''' or '''debarcation'''/'''debarkation''' is the process of leaving a ship or aircraft, or removing goods from a ship or aircraft. (''debark'': from the French ''des'' meaning "from", and, ''barque'', meaning "small ship").<ref name="noaa">{{cite web| url= http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/WarOf1812/bookletcharts/11369/1812NewOrleansBookletChart11369.pdf |date= 4 April 2012|title=Lakes Ponchartrain and Maurepas Chart 11369 Booklet Chart Commemorative Edition |accessdate= 2014-06-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.usnavy.vt.edu/Marines/PLC_Junior/Fall_Semester/GMK1010_Customs&Courtesies%20SO.pdf |title=United States Marine Corps |format=PDF |date= |accessdate= 2014-06-07}}</ref>
==Civilian== The loading and unloading of cargo has traditionally been handled by stevedores, also known as longshoremen, wharfies, etc. Today, the vast majority of non-bulk cargo is transported in intermodal containers,<ref name="box">{{cite book | author = Marc Levinson | title = The Box, How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger | publisher = Princeton Univ. Press | year = 2006 | url = https://archive.org/details/boxhowshippin00levi | isbn = 0-691-12324-1 | url-access = registration }}</ref> which are loaded and unloaded using specialized cranes.<ref>{{Cite book|author=George, Rose|year=2013|title=Deep sea and foreign going: inside shipping, the invisible industry that brings you 90% of everything|publisher=Portobello Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84627-263-9}}</ref>
People normally board and depart a ship via a gangplank (gangway), a movable structure usually consisting of a ramp with stairs and railings. The gangplank may lead to either a dock or a small boat (or lighter) that connects to the shore. Accidents during disembarkation are most often due to being struck by a rope (line), railing or other items due to the ship's motion, or attempting to avoid such items. The second most common cause is slipping or tripping on the gangway.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|year=2013|title=Safety News: Gangway Safety|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)|location=Washington, DC|url=http://www.omao.noaa.gov/accident_investigations_lessons_learned/safety_news_letters/OMAO_Safety_News_January_2013.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214200651/http://www.omao.noaa.gov/accident_investigations_lessons_learned/safety_news_letters/OMAO_Safety_News_January_2013.pdf|archivedate=2013-02-14|url-status=dead|access-date=2014-06-17}}</ref> <gallery> Passengers disembarking from Captain River Cruises.jpg|Passengers disembarking from a ship via a gangway US Navy 110322-N-0640G-044 Family members of military personnel disembark a military-chartered flight from Japan during Operation Pacific Passage,.jpg|Passengers disembarking from a plane </gallery> ==Military== {{main|Landing operation}} Military debarking procedures, even in non-combat zones, can be quite complex.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Furse, George Armand|year=1888|title=Embarkation and Disembarkation of Troops|publisher=Holbroook & Son|location=Holbroook & Son|oclc=774601520}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=American Expeditionary Forces|year=1917|title=Provisional instructions on disembarkation, entraining and detraining of troops in France|publisher=United States Army|location=Washington, DC|oclc=18529496}}</ref> In addition to routine operations, debarking can be conducted under fire as part of amphibious assaults, such as that of the Normandy landings during World War II. In such cases, it is vital that cargo be loaded so it can be unloaded in the order needed, rather than simply to maximize the use of space. This is called combat loading. Landing craft are used to transport both troops and cargo to the shore.<ref>The United States Service Magazine - Volume 2 1864 - Page 538 "The actual disembarkation is a matter of difficulty and labor under all circumstances, but in presence of the enemy it becomes one of extreme delicacy. If the troops must debark in boats, the fleet should carry a convenient number of launches</ref>
==See also== * Glossary of nautical terms (A-L) * Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z) * Embarkment * Boarding (transport) * {{Portal-inline|Transport}}
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Water transport