pilothouse

A pilothouse, also spelled pilot house, is the enclosed area on a watercraft from which the vessel is steered and navigated. It functions as the ship’s primary dedicated space for command and control, especially during movements in harbor, channels, and inland waters.

In its typical form, the pilothouse is placed high enough to provide good visibility, and it may be part of a larger bridge or a standalone deckhouse. Inside, it commonly contains the helm or steering control, a binnacle or magnetic/gyro compass, charts and a plotting table, and various navigational instruments. Modern vessels often equip the pilothouse with radar, GPS, autopilot controls, communication gear, and an engine order telegraph or related propulsion interfaces.

The pilothouse is distinct from the broader bridge in some ships. On smaller vessels, the pilothouse may be the same as the wheelhouse or the entire command space. On larger ships, the bridge is the main command center, while the pilothouse may be a dedicated room or compartment within the superstructure that focuses on steering and navigation. Some ships also have secondary or aft pilothouses as redundancies for crew safety or operational flexibility.

Historically, the term reflects the role of the ship’s pilot in guiding vessels through potentially hazardous waters, particularly near ports. Today, the pilothouse remains a functional term in maritime practice, covering both traditional wheelhouses and modern enclosed navigation rooms.