Ships have a lot of parts with specific

names. Most of them make sense. Some

really don't. The bow is at the front.

The stern is at the back. The hull is

the body of the ship. But, there's one

part with a name that makes no sense at

all. It's called Monkey Island. You'd

assume that there were monkeys involved.

But, well, it's just the highest deck on

the ship. So,

where did the name come from? To

understand why, we need to start at the

bottom and work our way up. The hull is

the main body of the ship. The

watertight shell that keeps the vessel

afloat. On top of the hull, you have the

main deck, the primary working surface

of the ship. But, ships aren't flat.

They have structures built on top of the

main deck, and this is called the

superstructure. It's everything that

rises above deck, accommodation areas,

storage spaces, and most importantly for

our purposes, the command and control

areas.

Early ships were simple. The person

steering the ship stood at the stern,

operating a tiller connected directly to

the rudder. As ships grew larger, the

tiller was replaced by a wheel. The

wheel could be positioned anywhere

because it connected to the rudder

through ropes and pulleys, not a direct

mechanical link. On sailing ships, the

wheel was typically located on the

quarterdeck, a deck raised at the stern

behind the main mast. The captain would

give orders from here. The helmsman

would execute them. The raised position

gave a good view over the ship and the

surrounding water. Eventually, the wheel

was enclosed in a small structure for

protection from the weather. This became

known as the wheelhouse. The helmsman

stayed inside. The captain often

remained outside, preferring an

unobstructed view. As ships transitioned

from sail to steam, the arrangement

changed again. Paddle steamers had large

paddle wheels on either side of the

ship. These blocked the view from

traditional quarterdeck positions. The

captain couldn't see where the ship was

going. The solution was to move higher.

A platform built connecting the two

paddle houses giving the captain an

elevated position with clear sight lines

in all directions. This platform became

known as the bridge. Literally a bridge

between the two paddle houses. And then

when propellers replaced paddles the

bridge remained. It had proven useful

and over time the wheelhouse moved up to

the bridge itself. The engine controls

followed. Navigation equipment, chart

tables, radio rooms, all of it migrated

to the bridge. The bridge became the

command center of the ship. Everything

in one place. But on some ships that

wasn't the highest point. Docking,

narrow channels, tight harbors. These

are the moments where you need to see

exactly where your hull ends.

>> [music]

>> The bridge doesn't give you that. So

they built above it. This became known

as the flying bridge. A secondary bridge

one level higher with duplicate

controls. From here an officer could see

straight down the sides of the ship.

Watch the stern, judge distances to

docks or other vessels and it gave a

commanding view that enclosed bridges

couldn't match. Flying bridges are

common on yachts, ferries and tugboats.

Any vessel that needs precise

maneuvering in tight spaces. The

controls are usually simpler than the

main bridge. Just enough to steer and

control the engines. Above the flying

bridge there's often one more level. The

very top of the superstructure.

This is Monkey Island. Typically it's

just an open deck accessible by a steep

ladder or stairs. and it's where you'll

find the ship's navigational equipment,

radar masts, antennas, satellite domes,

and signal lights. Anything that needs

height and a clear line of sight goes up

here. But why call it Monkey Island? The

truth is, no one knows for certain. The

term has been used in maritime circles

for well over a century, but the origin

was never formally documented. What

we're left with are theories. Some

plausible, some less so. The most

commonly accepted explanation has to do

with how you access it. Monkey Island is

[music] reached by climbing a near

vertical ladder. Sailors scrambling up

and down looked like monkeys climbing.

The comparison stuck. The deck became

Monkey Island. It fits. Maritime

language names things for what they look

like or what they do. Sailors have never

been precious about it. However, there's

another theory involving naval gunnery.

Some sources claim the term originally

referred to small platforms on sailing

warship where light guns, sometimes

called monkey guns, were mounted. That

platform became Monkey Island. Over

time, the term shifted to mean the

uppermost deck. The problem with this

theory is the documentation. There's not

much historical evidence of monkey guns

being a widespread term. It could be

folk etymology, a story invented later

to explain a name that has already

stuck. A third theory involves actual

monkeys. Officers on long voyages

sometimes kept pets, including monkeys.

The animals would climb to the highest

points of the ship, and sailors jokingly

started calling the top deck Monkey

Island. It's a good story, but again,

hard to verify. Anecdotal at best. Most

maritime historians lean toward the

first explanation, the climbing motion,

the agility required, the comparison to

monkeys scaling rigging. Today, the term

is still in use. Modern ships have

enclosed climate-controlled bridges with

advanced navigation systems. Officers

rarely need to climb to the top deck.

Most of the equipment up there, radar,

antennas, satellite systems, are

automated and monitored remotely from

the bridge below. But, the name Monkey

Island [music] remains. It's part of a

pattern that you see throughout maritime

language. Terms that made sense in one

era and get preserved into the next. The

bridge is no longer a literal bridge

between paddle houses, but we still call

it that. The wheelhouse doesn't contain

a physical wheel anymore, but the name

remains. And Monkey Island, whatever the

origin, is still the uppermost deck.

Ships are full of odd terminology. The

poop deck has nothing to do with waste.

It comes from the French word for stern.

The head is the bathroom. Named for its

the ship's bow. Scuttlebutt was a water

cask where sailors gathered and

gossiped, and the term became slang for

rumors. Monkey Island fits right in. An

odd name, an uncertain origin, but

preserved by generations of sailors who

kept using it. So, the next time you see

a ship's superstructure rising above the

deck, you'll know what's at the very

top. And you'll know that despite the

name, there are no monkeys and no

islands. Just navigational equipment, a

steep ladder, and a name that's

outlasted everyone who knew where it

came from.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed this video.

Subscribe if you want to hear more about

strange nautical terms like these. We

hope to see you in our next video, and

thank you for watching.

Every episode on this channel takes days

to produce, from research and scripting

to storyboarding, animation, and even

voiceover. And it's all made possible by

our Patreon crew. We've just revamped

our Patreon, and we've prepared a lot

more to share with you. As a deckhand,

you'll get early ad-free access to new

videos, [music] be able to vote on

upcoming video topics, grab exclusive

wallpapers for your phone and PC, and

see your name on our supporters wall at

the end of every new video. If you'd

like a closer look behind the scenes,

the officer tier gives you time lapses

of our team working hard on brand new

animations or thumbnails. You'll also

get behind the scenes updates, animatic

releases, and a monthly newsletter

filled with maritime stories and news

that we don't cover on the channel. And

for those who really want to take the

helm, our captain tier lets you sail

your very own custom-designed ship in

the Casual Navigation art style featured

in a future episode for everyone to see.

You'll also get your name in the end

credits as a captain supporter with

video shout-outs, private Q&A sessions

on Discord. [music]

However you choose to support, or even

if you're just here watching, it truly

means a lot. You'll find the Patreon

link down below. Thank you for keeping

Casual Navigation afloat.