stern

300px|thumb|Detailed schematic of an elliptical or "fantail" stern thumb|The flat Transom (nautical)|transom stern of the [[cargo ship Sichem Princess Marie-Chantal]]

The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section of the ship, but eventually came to refer to the entire back of a vessel. The stern end of a ship is indicated with a white navigation light at night.