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The stern is the rear or aft part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. The stern side of a vessel is indicated with a white navigation light at night.
In the early part of the 19th century, the stern of larger ships became gradually more rounded, and with the advent of screw-powered vessels, the stern became the location of the equipment, the officers moving elsewhere, though British ships still contained an Admiral's sternwalk until well into the twentieth century......etc
*A ship is a large vehicle used to travel on water. It is bigger than a boat. Ships are used for travel, trade and war.

From about 4000BC the Ancient Egyptians were making wooden sail boats. By 1200BC the Phoenicians and Greeks had begun to make bigger sailing ships which were about 30 metres (100 feet) long and could carry 90-180 tonnes of cargo. The Romans made even bigger ships which could carry up to 1,000 people and 1,000 tonnes of cargo. The 8th century saw the rise of the Vikings, who were famous for their "longships" and which were mainly used for raiding other countries, but also for trading.The longships had flat bottoms so they could move in shallow (not deep) rivers...etc,,,wikipedia
* MY image take By Volos Regatta 2010
* Another photos: http://www.photographersdirect.com/stockimages/t/tall_ship_race.asp