# What is the proper name for a dining hall aboard a merchant vessel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925 "2011-01-08T22:39:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/1 "2011-01-08T22:39:30Z")
I am NOT looking for the term as it applies to the facilities on a cruise ship or other passenger vessel, nor on a military vessel of any stripe. Rather I want the right term for the freight ship. Am I correct that it would be mess, mess room, or mess hall, and NOT galley? The latter, I understand it, is specifically the kitchen. No? ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/2 "2011-01-08T23:25:51Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I am NOT looking for the term as it applies to the facilities on a cruise ship or other passenger vessel, nor on a military vessel of any stripe. Rather I want the right term for the freight ship. > > Am I correct that it would be mess, mess room, or mess hall, and NOT galley? The latter, I understand it, is specifically the kitchen. No? For the unlicienced crew sorry but a brain fart I can not come up with it. For the Officers it was the Officer’s Solon. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/3 "2011-01-09T00:27:43Z")
**tomndeb** was a merchant sailor, he’ll know. Those of us in the navy ate on the mess deck. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/4 "2011-01-09T02:01:24Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > …Those of us in the navy ate on the mess deck. I thought you ate in the crew’s mess, which happened to be located on the mess deck. 😃 Naval officers eat in the wardroom. The food is cooked in the galley. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/5 "2011-01-09T02:10:36Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I thought you ate in the crew’s mess, which happened to be located on the mess deck. 😃 > > Naval officers eat in the wardroom. The food is cooked in the galley. If the dining room is on the mess deck, what is on the poop deck? (No…seriously) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/6 "2011-01-09T09:19:27Z")
Just the dining room. Many modern merchant vessels don’t even split officers from crew nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Corporal\_Nobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Corporal\_Nobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corporal_Nobbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/7 "2011-01-09T13:57:00Z")
Merchant seaman chirping in here, the crew (below officer rank) eat in the crew mess. Whilst the Officers eat in the saloon. However the company I work for is rather old fashioned and I imagine with small crews on most merchant ships that seperating the crew is becoming less common. Basically it will depend on the company, ship size and design of the ship. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-proper-name-for-a-dining-hall-aboard-a-merchant-vessel/566925/8 "2011-01-09T13:57:21Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > If the dining room is on the mess deck, what is on the poop deck? The [poop deck](poop deck) is the deck that forms the roof of the rearmost cabin on a sailing vessel. A ship is [pooped](http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/poop.aspx) when a sea breaks over the after deck. I don’t know which term came first.