To make the hull watertight, shipwrights hammered "oakum" (old, tar-soaked rope fibers) into the seams between planks.
Often used in the British East Indies for its extreme durability and natural oils, making it almost impervious to wood-boring worms.
By the late 1700s, hulls were "copper-bottomed." This involved nailing thin sheets of copper over the wood to prevent the growth of barnacles and the destructive Teredo navalis (shipworm), which could otherwise eat through a hull in months. Structural Innovation: The Diagonal Truss Wooden Warship Construction: A History in Ship ...
The preferred choice for the hull due to its density and natural resistance to rot. "Compass timber"—naturally curved branches—was highly prized for the ship’s "knees" (the L-shaped brackets supporting the decks).
The was the ship's backbone, usually a massive piece of elm or oak. From this, the sternpost and stem rose to define the profile. The frames (ribs) were then attached to the keel. In the 18th century, the "Great Age of Sail" saw ships like the HMS Victory utilize over 6,000 trees for a single hull, creating a structure thick enough to absorb the impact of 32-pounder cannonballs. The Skin: Planking and Caulking To make the hull watertight, shipwrights hammered "oakum"
As ships grew larger, they faced the problem of "hogging"—the tendency for the heavy bow and stern to sag while the middle of the ship rose. In the early 1800s, British naval architect revolutionized construction by introducing diagonal bracing. This turned the ship’s hull into a rigid girder, allowing wooden ships to reach lengths previously thought impossible. The Twilight of Wood
These lighter woods were reserved for masts and yards, as their flexibility allowed them to bend under high winds without snapping. The Skeleton: Ribs and Keel From this, the sternpost and stem rose to define the profile
Construction began in the forest, not the dockyard. The choice of wood was a strategic decision: