Wharf - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Long Wharf in Boston,

Massachusetts, United States, c. 19th

century, jutting into Boston Harbor

The Barbours Cut Terminal of the

Port of Houston, USA. This cargo

shipping terminal has a single large

wharf with multipleberths.

WharfFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A wharf, quay(/ki/, also /ke/ or /kwe/[1]), staithor staithe

is a structure on the shore of a harbor or on the bank of a river or

canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or

passengers.[2]Such a structure includes one or more berths(mooring locations), and may also include piers, warehouses, or

other facilities necessary for handling the ships.

Contents

1 Overview

2 Etymology

3 See also

4 References

5 External links

Overview

A wharf commonly comprises a fixed platform, often on pilings. Commercial ports may have

warehouses that serve as interim storage areas, since the typical objective is to unload and reload vessels

as quickly as possible. Where capacity is sufficient a single wharf with a single berth constructed along

the land adjacent to the water is normally used where there is a need for more capacity multiple

wharves, or perhaps a single large wharf with multiple berths, will instead be constructed, sometimes

projecting into the water. A pier, raised over the water ratherthan within it, is commonlyused for cases

where the weight or volume of cargos willbe low.

Smaller and more modern wharves are sometimes built on flotation devices (pontoons) to keep them at

the same level as the ship,evenduring changing tides.

In everyday parlance the term quayis common in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many

other Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland, whereas the term wharfis more common in

the United States. In some contexts wharfand quaymay be used to mean pier, berth, or jetty.

In old ports such as London (which once had around 1700 wharves [3]) many old wharves have been

converted to residential or office use.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Ship_Channel_Barbours_Cut.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Ship_Channel_Barbours_Cut.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Ship_Channel_Barbours_Cut.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Ship_Channel_Barbours_Cut.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Londonhttp://-/?-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,_Massachusettshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Long_wharf_and_shipping,_by_J.W._%26_J.S._Moulton.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Long_wharf_and_shipping,_by_J.W._%26_J.S._Moulton.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring_(watercraft)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warehousehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Long_wharf_and_shipping,_by_J.W._%26_J.S._Moulton.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttp://-/?-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Londonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jettyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berth_(moorings)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontoon_(boat)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_foundationhttp://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warehousehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring_(watercraft)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berth_(moorings)http://-/?-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbourhttp://-/?-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Houstonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbours_Cut_Terminalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Ship_Channel_Barbours_Cut.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Harborhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,_Massachusettshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Wharf_(Boston)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Long_wharf_and_shipping,_by_J.W._%26_J.S._Moulton.jpg


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King Henry's Wharves, typical London

wharves converted to apartments

Wharf by Marriott/Pacquereau Bay on St.

Thomas

Tourist boat loading passengers at a small

quay, Sa Calobra, Majorca, Spain

Etymology

The word wharfcomes from the Old English hwearf, meaning "bank" or "shore", and its plural is either

wharfsor wharves collectively a group of these is referred to as a wharfingor wharfage. "Wharfage"also refers to a fee charged by ports for the cargo handled there.

In the northeast and east of England the termstaithorstaithe(from the Norse for landing stage) is also

used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in the Kingdom

of Northumbria used the Anglo-Saxon spelling of 'staith', southern sites of the Danelaw took the Danish

spelling of 'staithe'. Both originally referred to staithes in the sense of jetties or wharves. In time, the

northern coalfields of Northumbria developed coal staiths specifically for loading coal onto ships and

these would adopt the 'staith' spelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example, Dunston

Staiths in Gateshead and Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk. However, the termstaithmay also be used to

refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges. It

has been suggested that wharf came from an acronym for ware-house at river front, but this is actually a

backronym created by Thames river boat guides.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronymhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brancaster_Staithehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatesheadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunston,_Tyne_and_Wearhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_staithhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danelawhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Northumbriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorcahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_Calobrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tourist_boat_at_sa_calobra_(majorca_spain)_arp.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas,_U.S._Virgin_Islandshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Thomas_Marriott_Pacquereau_Bay_1.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_locations_in_the_Port_of_London#Wapping_and_Shadwellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wapping_king_henrys_wharf_1.jpg


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Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Wharvesand quays.

Another explanation may be that the word wharfcomes from the Saxon word "warft" or the Dutch word

"werf" which both mean "yard", an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard (Dutch:

scheepswerf) or a lumberyard (Dutch: houtwerf). This could explain the name Ministry Wharf located at

Saunderton, just outside High Wycombe, which is nowhere near any body of water. In support of this

explanation is the fact that many places in England with "wharf" in their names are in areas with a high

Dutch influence, for example the Norfolk broads.

See also

Canal basinDockPortSafeguarded wharf

References

1. "Quay - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2012-10-19.

2. "Quay". American Heritage Dictionary/Dictionary.com. Retrieved 8 Feb 2010.

"Wharf". American Heritage Dictionary/Dictionary.com. Retrieved 8 Feb 2010.

3. Craig, Charles Diprose, Graham Seaborne, Mike (2009).London's Changing Riverscape. London: Frances

Lincoln Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7112-2941-9.

External links

The dictionary definition of wharf at Wiktionary

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wharf&oldid=694362358"

Categories: Wharves Commercial item transport and distribution Coastal construction

Port infrastructure

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Wharf - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia