Transom
A Transom is the transverse structure that closes the after end of the hull, giving many modern ships their characteristic flat or slightly curved stern. A transom stern is simpler and cheaper to build than a rounded cruiser stern and provides useful deck area aft.
Structurally the transom must be strong enough to take the loads from the stern, the steering gear and mooring, and on many ships it carries the name and port of registry. On small craft the transom also supports the rudder fittings or an outboard engine.
The transom shapes the stern of the ship — affecting resistance, deck space and how the wake forms — and it is a structural boundary that has to carry steering and mooring loads. The transom-stern form is now standard on most merchant ships because it is efficient to build.
What is a transom stern?
A stern that ends in a flat or gently curved transverse face (the transom), rather than a rounded cruiser stern — the common form on modern merchant ships.