keel
Sign in to savethumb|300px|Keel laying|Keel laid for the in [[drydock]] The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The laying of the keel is often the initial step in constructing a ship. In the British and American shipbuilding traditions, this event marks the beginning date of a ship's construction.
AI overview
The keel is the bottom-most lengthwise structural part of a watercraft that provides stability and, on sailboats, may also help with steering and balance in the water. Keel laying—when this foundation piece is put in place—traditionally marks the official start of ship construction in British and American shipbuilding.
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Origins
- Construction styles
- Frame first
- Plank first
- Structural keels<!--Linked from Container ship-->
- Hydrodynamic keels
- Sailboat keels
- See also
- Notes
- Bibliography
thumb|300px|Keel laying|Keel laid for the in [[drydock]] The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The laying of the keel is often the initial step in constructing a ship. In the British and American shipbuilding traditions, this event marks the beginning date of a ship's construction.
==Etymology== The word "keel" comes from Old English , Old Norse , = "ship" or "keel". It has the distinction of being regarded by some scholars as the first word in the English language recorded in writing, having been recorded by Gildas in his 6th century Latin work De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae, under the spelling cyulae (he was referring to the three ships that the Saxons first arrived in).