Thelazarette orlazaret (sometimeslazaretto) of a boat is an area near oraft of thecockpit. The word is similar to and probably derived fromlazaretto. A lazarette is usually a storage locker used for gear or equipment a sailor orboatswain would use around the decks on a sailing vessel.[1][2][3]
It is typically found below theweather deck in the stern of the vessel and is accessed through acargo hatch (if accessed from the main deck) or a doorway (if accessed from below decks). The equipment usually stored in a lazarette would be spare lines, sails, sail repair, line and cable splicing repair equipment, fenders,bosun chair, spare blocks, tools, and other equipment.
The name derives from the Biblical story ofSaint Lazarus, who in Christian belief was raised from the dead out of the tomb byJesus.[4]
On the old square-rigged sailing ships it was located in the stern of the ship. The original purpose was to store the bodies of important passengers or crew who had died on the voyage (lesser seamen would be buried at sea).[citation needed] In modern shipbuilding and for powerboats of most sizes, the lazarette is the location of the steering gear equipment for the vessel. This area is particularly sensitive to flooding and damage, as the ability to steer during heavy weather is of the utmost importance to vessel safety. The lazarette also represents a vulnerability in that the large hull penetrations required for rudders and shafts for propulsion through the vessel's hull generally reside there.
The lazarette was to the aft of the main cabin, and was used for storing spare line and cables, blocks, fenders and other gear that was seldom needed at sea.
Media related toLazarettes at Wikimedia Commons