INTRODUCTION TO
SHIP CONSTRUCTION
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Aft - Toward, at, or near stern.
• Athwartship - Across the ship at right angles to the
centerline.
• Amidships - At or near the midship section of the ship.
• Base Line - A straight horizontal line at or near the bottom of
the moulded surface from which vertical heights are
measured. Usually, the base line is the very lowest part of
the moulded surface.
• Bow ----The forward end of a vessel.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Center Line - The middle line of the ship,
extending from stem to stern . A straight line
running from bow to stern, midway between the
sides of the ship. All transverse horizontal
dimensions are taken from the center line. The
center line as applied to a transverse bulkhead is
a vertical line in the middle of the ship.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Bulkhead ----A vertical partition corresponding to the wall of
a room, extending either athwartships or fore and aft. A steel
partition in a ship. The vertical partitions that divide the hull
into separate compartments are called bulkheads. Some are
watertight. These watertight bulkheads are so arranged that
in case of accident at sea, water would be confined to one
compartment only. The collision bulkhead in the front end is
constructed to withstand heavy strain and shock in case the
bow be staved in.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Double Bottom
• Double Bottom - Compartments at bottom
of ship between inner and outer bottoms,
used for ballast tanks, water, fuel, oil, etc.
The double bottom extends from the flat
keel to the tank top.
It is strongly constructed and is water tight so
that in case of accident causing an inrush of
water into the double bottom, the ship would
still be able to keep afloat.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
•Length OverAll (LOA) – the length of a ship
measured from the extreme forward end to
the aftermost point of the stern.
•Length Between Perpendiculars (LBP) – the
length of ship measured from the forward
perpendicular to after perpendicular.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Forward perpendicular An imaginary line drawn
perpendicularly through the waterline where the
forward edge of the stem meets the summer load
line.
• After perpendicular An imaginary line drawn
perpendicularly through the waterline at the edge of
the rudder post where it meets the summer load line.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Beam (B): The breadth
of the ship at the widest
point. Molded beam is
measured amidships or
at the widest section
from the inside surface
of the shell plating.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
• Depth - The height of the ship at the midship section
from the base line to the moulded line of the deck at
side (underneath).
• Draft - The vertical distance of the lowest point of the
ship below the surface of the water, when afloat. Draft
marks are the painted numbers on the side of a
vessel.
• Freeboard - The vertical distance from the upper
watertight deck to waterline, when the ship is fully
loaded. Captain Sukhjit Singh
Glossary of Ship Construction Terms
MOULDED DEPTH
=
MOULDED DRAFT
+
FREEBOARD
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Dead rise or Rise of Floor
• The rise or upward slant of the
bottom of a ship from the keel to the bilge.
It is the difference in height between the
base line and the point where the straight
line through the bottom flat surface
intersects the vertical line through the
side of the moulded surface at its widest
point. The objective is to allow liquid in
Double bottom tanks to drain to the
centre line.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Tumblehome
• Inward slope of hull sides above the waterline
Tumblehome is the “fall
in” of the slide plating
from the waterline to the
upper deck. Modern
vessels have very little
tumblehome, if any.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
CAMBER or ROUND OF BEAM
• The athwartship rise or
crown of a deck. The
curvature of the deck
transversely. It is
measured by the
difference in height
between the deck at
center and the deck at
side.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
FLARE or FLAM
• The sudden widening of the shell at
top near the bow.
The outward curvature of the hull
surface above the waterline, i.e., the
opposite of tumblehome.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
FLARE - Advantages
Increases buoyancy when immersed. Flaring bows
are often fitted to help keep the forward decks
dry and to prevent "nose-diving" in head seas.
Allows anchor to drop clear of Shell plating.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Various types of hulls
Flared
Straight
Tumblehome
Captain Sukhjit Singh
SHEER
• Curvature of deck in a fore and aft direction as seen in
profile. It can be defined as the rise of the vessel’s deck
fore and aft. It adds buoyancy to the ends where it is
needed most.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
SHEER - Advantages
Sheer increases freeboard,
and helps keep the vessel
from shipping water in rough
seas - particularly at the bow.
Captain Sukhjit Singh
RAKE and CUT UP
• Rake: Slope of profile lines - esp rake of stem (angle between the
stem and vertical)
• Cut-up: When a keel departs from a straight line at a sharp bend, or
knuckle, the sloping portion is called a cut-up. High-speed
combatants usually have a long cut-up aft (extending 13 to 17 percent
of LWL) to enhance propeller performance and maneuverability
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Why do we need
strengthening of hull
and structures ?
Captain Sukhjit Singh
Forces Causing Stress
Captain Sukhjit Singh
