What were the parts of a colonial ship?

Some colonial ships, such as the Mayflower, were often triple-masted; the three masts were the fore mast, the main mast and the mizzen mast, which sat on the quarter deck near the stern of the ship. The Mayflower and similar ships had three main levels below decks.

The three decks on the Mayflower and similar ships were the upper deck, the gun deck and the cargo hold; the gun deck was also known as the 'tween deck; this was where the colonists were crammed together with all their goods. The outside of the ship was known as the hull, and the ship was steered by means of the tiller and rudder.