What is "astern"

Usage examples of "astern".

The guns of those ships, being disposed along the sides, were for the most part able to bear only upon an enemy abreast of them, with a small additional angle of train toward ahead or astern.

Then, in a sudden quiet, just as the Biter stopped her forward movement and began to disengage herself and slide astern, the fore topsail yard, bumped and pulled and jostled in its par rels broke at the truss.

Captain Pullings, and the shrill gun went off: its smoke had barely swept astern before the starboard target appeared, three masses of casks and worn-out sailcloth flying on upright spars, each representing the forecastle, waist and quarterdeck of a ship of the line, the whole towed on a long cablet by the boats of the squadron.

A round burst five hundred yards astern, then the next went between Chubby and me, a stunning blaze of passing shot that sent me reeling in the backwash of disrupted air.

Chinese with the very basic facts that the propeller had on one side a square opening to fit the shaft, and on the other a fairwater that had to point astern, and around its collar four big setscrews that had to be made immovably tight.

Perros watched from the harbour wall of St Anne-du-Portzic as the large U-boats, moving in line astern, slipped out of Brest down the Goulet de Brest towards the sea.

The frigate swung until the wind was dead astern, went a point farther and swung her yards about to gybe gently.

An unnamed semisentient AI presided over a staff of three humaniform robots, who were decomped in machine niches astern.

Then out of the darkness and the silence came the close, angry, loudening buzz of an aircraft engine from astern and to Port.

The nautiloid appeared to drift aft, hanging like an ersatz moon over the deck rail, until it settled almost directly astern.

Cape Finisterre was astern, and the desk was priddied, and they drew all the raw hands after them.

I kept staring back astern into the darkness but never ceasing to puple that filthy scum, striking at it and switching it from side to side until I sweated.

With the south-east wind now astern she was transformed, lighter and more limber, even with sails reefed and with three feet of water in her bilges.

The soundings were indicating shoaler water, although the murmuring of the surf had been left far astern.

Misty and shadowy, Vancouver Island dropped astern, until at last they steamed into harbor, where a crowd of happy-faced Squamish Indians greeted them, stowed them away in canoes, paddled a bit up coast, then sighted the great, glancing fires that were lighting up the grey of oncoming night--fires of celebration and welcome to all the scores of guests who were to partake of the lavish hospitality of the great Squamish chief.