Doubt About Ship Building Sites

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by PAUL XAVIER, Jun 10, 2014.

  1. PAUL XAVIER
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    PAUL XAVIER Junior Member

    Hi,
    I have no industrial experience. I have only knowledge from books.
    I am little bit confused between the terms "building slip", "building berth" and "dry dock" are all the same?
    TY for replies :)
     
  2. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    I really don't know of much difference between building slip and building berth. These are both terms for a place where a boat or ship is built and will be launched and completed while afloat. The vessel is built on a "slipway" which is a cross between a ramp and a railway. It sits on a sort of car with wheels or on skids that are chocked in place. When the time comes the skids or wheels are greased and the chocks knocked out and the whole thing slides into the water.

    A dry dock on the other hand is much like a barge that can be pumped full of water and sunk. If the vessel is being built, they build it in the dry dock while the dock is completely afloat, and at launching time they fill the dock with water and it literally sinks out from under the vessel, which then floats free and is moved elsewhere to be completed. Then the water is pumped out of the dock and it floats again. In ship repair the dock is sunk, the vessel moves into it and the water is pumped out raising the vessel out of the water.

    Google those terms on Google images. That may help understand it better.
     
  3. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

  4. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    Ships are also built in graving docks. The ships are launched by flooding the graving dock. This is how the Queen Mary 2 was built.
     
  5. rwatson
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    rwatson Senior Member

    I understand that Graving and dry docks are the same thing

    eg
    "The classic form of drydock, properly known as graving dock, is a narrow basin, usually made of earthen berms and concrete, closed by gates or by a caisson, into which a vessel may be floated and the water pumped out, leaving the vessel supported on blocks."
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drydock

    " Definition of graving dock in English: another term for dry dock."
    http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/graving-dock
     
  6. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    Graving docks are one type of dry dock. Another type of dry dock are floating dry docks, which Ike described above:
    Bath Iron Works and Austal USA both build vessels on dry land, transfer the vessels to a floating launching platform, essentially a floating dry dock, which is then submerged to launch the vessel.
    BIW transfer and launch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaifVT_WVvI
    Austal USA transfer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLap-pSayTQ
     
  7. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

  8. rwatson
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    rwatson Senior Member

    Yes - they are a form of dry dock. The term 'Grave' indicates that they are dug out of earth/rock etc.

    "graving dock
    noun Nautical .
    an excavated shore dry dock for the repair and maintenance of ships."


    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/graving dock




    The other docks you are referring to are

    "floating dock, floating dry dock - dry dock that can be submerged under a vessel and then raised"
    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/drydock

    and

    "dry dock
    noun
    a structure able to contain a ship and to be drained or lifted so as to leave the ship free of water with all parts of the hull accessible for repairs, painting, etc.
    Compare floating dock, graving dock."

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dry dock



    "Dry Dock" is the catch-all phrase for anything that removes the water from around the ship by the look of it.
     

  9. Ad Hoc
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    Ad Hoc Naval Architect

    They are also called basin or basin dry docks. And the basin dock can also be subdivided into 3 different categories:
    1) Full Hydrostatic Dock
    2) Fully relieved dock
    3) Partially relieved dock.
     
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