labougie wrote :- "All very small beer compared to a memorable scene in 'Titanic' during which the skipper yells "Hard a' port' and the helmsman promptly spins the wheel to starboard!"
It was, I believe a hangover from the days of smaller ships and tiller steering when, in order to steer to PORT and therefore move the rudder to PORT the tiller would have to go to STARBOARD.
The officer would not tell the helmsman which way to turn the wheel but which way he wanted the rudder to go and the ship to turn.