A pissdale (also written piss-dale and piss dale) is a lead basin or trough that was fitted to the insides of the bulwarks on sailing ships which served as a

urinal A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. Urinals can be ...

for the men aboard these ships. The pissdale was a 17th-century engineering development: prior to this, crewmen either used buckets or, more frequently, simply urinated over the rails of the ship (though this put them at risk of falling overboard and drowning, as few sailors had any ability to swim). They were akin to a seat of ease, a euphemism for a sitting toilet which was located in the

beakhead A beakhead or beak is the protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship. It was fitted on sailing vessels from the 16th to the 18th century and served as a working platform by sailors working the sails of the bowsprit, the forward-point ...

References

Sailing ship components {{Shipbuilding-stub