You never go downstairs in a ship; you always gobelow. To go up is to go topside. However, if you climbthe mast, stacks, rigging, or any other area above thehighest solid structure, you go aloft. The bridge istopside and usually forward. It contains control andvisual communication stations. Human beings live in aship or on board a ship. Inanimate objects, stores, andequipment are aboard a ship. Similarly, you board aship or go on board. Stores, ammunition, and so on aretaken aboard and struck below.An object hanging against the side, bow, or stern isover the side, bow, or stern. An object in the water butnot touching the ship is outboard of or off the ship (offthe starboard side, off the port bow, and so on). Anobject in front of a ship is ahead of it. An object to therear is astern, never in back. Cooking is done in thegalley, not in the kitchen.The fore-and-aft inclination of a ship is the ship’strim—down by the head or down by the stern. To trim asubmarine is to adjust water in the variable ballasttanks, or trim tanks. A ship is said to list if it has apermanent or semipermanent inclination to one side orthe other. This is a less than optimum condition.STRUCTURAL TERMSIn this section, you will learn some of the termsrelated to ship construction. These terms won’t tell you“how to” build a ship; however, by learning the terms,you will understand the major structural characteristicsof the hull, decks, and superstructure of a ship.HullFigure 8-1 shows the hull structure of a cruiser. Youshould refer to this figure as you read this section. Thehull is the supporting body of a ship. Think of the hull asan envelope. Inside the hull are strengthening membersthat prevent the envelope from collapsing. The hull alsocontains partitions that form machinery, berthing,messing, and other spaces.The keel is the backbone of the ship. The keel of moststeel ships does not extend below the ship’s bottom;hence, it is known as a flat keel. Its usual shape is that ofan I-beam. All other parts used in constructing the hullare attached, either directly or indirectly, to the keel.8-2Student Notes:Figure 8-1.—Hull structure of a cruiser.
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