Naval ARCHITECTURE (continued)

Z. The cheeks of the head or knees, which connect the head to the bows on each side.

&. The standard of the head which fastens it to the stem.

a. The catheads, one of which lies on each bow, projecting outwards like the arm of a crane. They are used to draw the anchors up to the top of the side without injuring the bow.

b. The bits, to which the cable is fastened when the ship rides at anchor.

c. The false post, in two pieces, sayed to the fore part of the stern-post.

d. The side-counter-timbers, which terminate the ship abaft within the quarter-gallery.

e. Two pieces of dead wood, one afore, and another abaft, sayed on the keel.

In vessels of war, the general dimensions are established by authority of officers appointed by the government to superintend the building of ships. In the merchants service, the extreme breadth, length of the keel, depth in the hold, heighth between-decks and in the waist, are agreed on by contract; and from these dimensions the shipwright is to form a draught suitable to the trade for which the ship is designed.

In projecting the draught of a vessel of war, the first article to be considered is her length. As all ships are much longer above than below, it is also necessary to distinguish the precise part of her heighth, from which her length is taken: this is usually the lower gun-deck, or the load water-line. It has been already observed, that water-lines are described longitudinally on a ship's bottom by the surface of the water in which she floats, and that the line which determines her depth under the water is usually termed the load-water-line. In this draught it will be particularly necessary to leave sufficient distance between the ports.

The next object is to establish the breadth by the midship-beam. Although there is great difference of opinion about proportioning the breadth to the length, yet it is most usual to conform to the dimensions of Ships of the same rate. After the dimensions of the breadth and length are determined, the depth of the hold must be fixed, which is generally half the breadth: but the form of the body should be considered on this occasion; for a flat floor will require less depth in the hold than a sharp one. The distance between the decks must also be settled.

We may then proceed to fix the length of the keel, by which we shall be enabled to judge of the rake of the stern and stern-post. The rake is known to be the projection of the ship at the heighth of the stern and stern-post, beyond the ends of the keel afore and abaft; or the angle by which

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