Conn (nautical)
The conn, also spelled con, cun, conne, cond, conde, and cund, is the status of being in control of a ship's movements while at sea. The following quote summarizes the use of the term:
"Conn" is also a verb describing the act of controlling a ship.
Within the U.S. Coast Guard, Shipyard and U.S. Navy, the captain of a vessel typically selects a junior officer to perform the role of conning for him or her. Such an individual has the title of "officer of the deck" or "the conning officer" while on duty, and he or she will stand watches at four-hour intervals carrying out the captain's commands. However, the captain can immediately take the conn by simply issuing an order to the helm. On navy ships, neither the ship's navigator nor the ship's pilot is usually the conning officer, whereas on merchant ships the conning officer may be the captain, the deck officer or the pilot. The officer of the deck may give the conn to a junior officer for training purposes, in which case the officer of the deck and the conning officer may not be the same individual.
It is from this term that the concept of a conning tower, an elevated platform from which a conning officer can view all aspects of a ship's movement, is derived.
The naval term "conn" may derive from the Middle English conne or the French conduire via the Latin conducere. Though the origin of the term is not entirely clear, the term is most frequently used as a transitive verb, i.e., to "conn" a ship.