Print this page Print this page

Down to the Sea in Ships

 J.M. Syken

Course Outline

Through the viewing of several archival/documentary films, we will gain an insightful knowledge and understanding/appreciation of the ancient and modern art of shipbuilding. This will include an examination of both wood and steel framing used in shipbuilding. The development of the Parsons Steam Turbine marine engine will be of special interest as well.

First, we will examine how a wood framed vessel is constructed; from keel to superstructure, and the traditional/modern methods of making a hull watertight. This will also include a review of the use of watertight bulkheads in ancient Chinese Junks. The miracle of production for allied shipping during WWII, the use of steel for great ocean liners and warships will be featured as will be the operations of the shipyard/s in which they were built. 

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

  1. Understand/appreciate the traditional use of wood for the structural framework of a ship, methods of making it watertight and the tools, joinery etc. used;
  2. Understand/appreciate the use of watertight bulkheads in ancient Chinese Junks, its on-going use in shipbuilding and influence on trans-oceanic seafaring;
  3. Understand/appreciate the development of the Parsons Steam Turbine and its application for marine propulsion systems;
  4. Understand/appreciate the use of steel in the framework of a ship including the methods used to form, cut, shape, join etc. the sections;
  5. Understand/appreciate the use of sub-assemblies to speed the construction of ships, in particular during WWII;
  6. Understand/appreciate the operations of a shipyard;
  7. Understand/appreciate the design/construction of two of the world’s greatest ocean liners: RMS Titanic and RMS Queen Mary 2, and; and
  8. Understand/appreciate the design/construction of the U.S. Navy’s first conventionally powered “Supercarrier” – USS Forrestal.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the materials, methods, systems etc. used in shipbuilding from both a modern and ancient perspective.

Course Introduction

The course incorporates the viewing of several archival/documentary films broken down as follows;

Part 1 examines the use of wood in the construction of wooden ships for a fishing trawler and the development of the watertight bulkhead in ancient Chinese Junks. Part 2 examines the development of the steam turbine engine and its adaptation for ship propulsion. Part 3 first examines the design/construction of the RMS Titanic at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the early 20th Century. Next, it examines the use of both wood (for constructing minesweepers and other auxiliary craft) and steel (for merchant freighters) by the Royal Navy and British Merchant Marine service respectively during WWII. Part 4 examines the creation of the Marinship Corp. shipyard in Sausalito, CA in 1942 and the miracle of production of the shipyard which, produced 15 Freighters and 78 Tankers for the war effort. Part 5 examines the design/construction of the U.S. Navy’s first post-WWII “Supercarrier” – the USS Forrestal. Part 6 examines the design/construction/operation of the world’s largest passenger ship – the Queen Mary 2.

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view the following rchival/documentary films :

Part 1 – Old Reliable;
TITLE: The Shipbuilders of Essex (ca. 1940s)
LINK: https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.49150
DURATION: 20:43
TITLE: The Watertight-Bulkhead Technology of Chinese Junks (ca. 2010)
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZP9fFyitn4
DURATION: 09:20
Part 2 – Thank You Mr. Parsons;
TITLE: Steam Turbine (1946)
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEmGjko5yDw
DURATION: 08:08
Part 3 – Brittania Rules the Waves;
TITLE: Building the Titanic: The Story of the Unsinkable Ship
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBVa2TFKHco
DURATION: 1:07:31
TITLE: The Little Ships of England (1943)
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPUQnJ1Eoic
DURATION: 12:41
TITLE: Steel Goes to Sea (1941)
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnTtJwgP0jM
DURATION: 15:56
Part 4 – Miracle in Marin;
TITLE: Tanker (1945)
LINK: https://archive.org/details/chi_00005
DURATION: 47:15
Part 5 – Supercarrier;
TITLE: U.S.S. Forrestal(1956)
LINK: https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.38198
DURATION: 19:29
Part 6 – Worthy Heir;
TITLE: Megastructures: Queen Mary 2
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GpuTjbU5ak
DURATION: 46:45

Course Summary

Whether it’s a humble fishing trawler, a ship of war or a great ocean liner, each shares a common heritage. As old as human civilization itself, shipbuilding is an ancient art/science that has carried over into modern times technologies that work for us, in the 21st Century, as well as they did for our ancestors millennia ago. A fine example is the use of wooden watertight bulkheads in Chinese Junks starting in the Jin Dynasty, a thousand years ago. By dividing the hull into watertight sections, one or more could fill with water (if/when the hull was breached) without the resulting loss of the ship, its cargo and crew. This idea of compartmentalization of a ship’s hull is still used, albeit with technical improvements on the basic idea, from the smallest to the largest of ships. It is this heritage of the shipbuilder and his art that has made the world’s oceans the great highway of world commerce.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipbuilding

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_(ship)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsons_Marine_Steam_Turbine_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harland_and_Wolff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Forrestal_(CV-59)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUm6xjXq3MU (Film - Birth of Victory - 56:02)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbQwY0_3ZNA (Film: Modern Marvels: World's Largest Ships - 45:03)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-jNKRSJqxQ (Film: Luxury at Sea: The Greatest Liners - 56:38)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4UlddSQ9zA&t=1086s (Film: Speed Machines: Great Ocean Liners - 48:26

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.