a room or apartment in a ship where any of the officers usually reside. There are many of these in a large ship; the principal of which is designed for the captain or commander. In ships of the line this chamber is furnished with an open gallery in the ship's stern, as also a little gallery on each quarter. The apartments where the inferior officers or common sailors sleep and mess are usually called BIRTHS; which see.

The bed places built up for the sailors at the ship's side in merchantmen are also called cabins.