Poop deck

In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or stern, part of the superstructure of a ship.^[1]

The name originates from the French word for stern, poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or "after" cabin, also known as the "poop cabin" (or simply the poop).^[2] On sailing ships, the helmsman would steer the craft from the quarterdeck, immediately in front of the poop deck. At the stern, the poop deck provides an elevated position ideal for observation.^[3] The cabin was also used as an accommodation for the shipmaster and officers.^[2] On modern, motorized warships, the ship functions which were once carried out on the poop deck have been moved to the bridge, usually located in a superstructure.

The term "poop" in "poop deck" is etymologically unrelated to the homonymous English word for feces—nevertheless, such homophony allows for wordplay between these terms, which has been featured in works of fiction with nautical elements. On the episode "London's Apprentice" of Disney sitcom The Suite Life on Deck, for example, cruise ship manager Marion Moseby reacts to the installation of a toilet in the middle of his ship's deck with the exclamation "This is a sky deck, not a poop deck!"^[4]