Ship Building

How do they do that? Big ships are built on a slipway, at an angle? So how do they get all the cabin doors vertical when the keel etc is tilting downhill.

BobH

It's not the same as hanging a door in a house, and a lot of the fitting out is done once the ship is launched. Doubt you will see a spirit level used on a ship as the dam bubble would never stay still.

Bob

They have spirit levels with angled bubbles and squares that are set to the angle of the slipway. The workers can be sacked for bringing a conventional level or a plumbline onto the shipyard.

Neil

Neil had the right idea.

Checked out several launch videos - seems to me they do build on the slant.
Bob Brown, how did they get the bulkheads vertical ?
Steven G. - So do they have to push them down the slip - I think not.

Keep it coming BobH

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Spirit Level on Angle Plate.

MichaelG.

You do not need a spirit level to get things square.... 3 4 5, measure along the floor say 3 and up the bulkhead 4 measurement between the two points, hypotenuse is 5 simples.

In modern construction it is all built on the shop floor in modules and craned into position.

Bob

OOPS The spirit level is the wrong way round unless they going to smash the champagne onto the stern and launch bow first . Perhaps that's why some are launched sideways, no problem with bubbles then build level and heave ho off the edge.

Martin

A lot of modern ships are built in a dry dock or a floating dock; as Bob says pre-assembled modules are craned in, welded together and internal fitting proceeds as soon as some modules are in place. So by the time the ship is floated out, or off, it is ready for sea trials. The question of building on the slant doesn't arise.

Andrew

Saxlby - Was that an April 1st spirit level? or was it used to set up keel blocks ? Interesting picture.

Yes an "April 1st" spirit level Speedy. Courtesy of Adobe.

Something like this.

Dry docked there and they wanted to flood the dock to get a Tug out but we had no propshaft as they were working on the stern gland seal as duty officer had trouble explain but a trip down the dock and the hole where the prop should be said all.

Edited By Bob Brown 1 on 15/05/2015 22:06:22