cranesfreak Jul 15, 2017:

Muchas Gracias a Peter y a Robin Gracias a todos por vuestros comentarios, los cuales considero refuerzan mi comentario inicial.
Hoy estoy en un buque portacontenedores de más de 300 metros de eslora y más de 40 metros de manga, el cual tiene más de 20 tripulantes que hablan inglés como su segunda lengua. Sólo uno me supo decir qué era "prow". El término "Bow" lo conocen todos. HTH. Saludos.

Peter Guest Jul 15, 2017:

Hmm. All my texts refer to the spar as the bowsprit and the prow as the old-fashioned name for the beakhead; that is, a small deck forward of the knightheads and stem. The gratings on this known wre known as the heads and this was the ships' toilet. Forward of this is the figurehead. All supported by the stem-piece and stemhead

Jennifer Levey Jul 15, 2017:

@Asker Re cranesfreak's comment below:
Your text is an "expert report" about a maritime accident - written by and for people who understand the difference between "bow" and "prow" and will expect the correct naval terms to be used. Failure to use them properly may incite readers to doubt or legally contest the validity of the report.
The "bow" of a ship is, in general, the entire "sharp end" of the vessel, shaped to cut through the water. The "prow" is the part of the "bow" which extends furthest forward (in the normal direction of travel). In the days of galleons and clipper ships, the "prow" was an approximately horizontal spar to which to which the stays of the foremast were attached and which were often sculpted on the underside into the form of a shapely woman or other figure. In a modern ship with a raked bow, the prow, some considerable distance above the water, often may extend quite a long way further forward than the bow measured at the waterline. This extra distance will be significant in the event of a collision - and is in any event included in the 150m measurement mentioned in the text.

cranesfreak Jul 15, 2017:

@Asker Sólo un comentario que quizás te ayude.
En los textos marítimos actuales casi nadie usa prow para indicar proa. Mayormente usan bow. Prow es correcto, pero la mayoría salvo que sean todos angloparlantes nativos y sepan mucho, no entenderán de qué hablas. HTH. Saludos.