Ship measurements


Ship measurements consist of a multitude of terms and definitions specifically related to ships and measuring or defining their characteristics.

Definitions

Beam - A measure of the width of the ship. There are two types:
Carlin - similar to a beam, except running in a fore and aft direction.
Complement - The full number of people required to operate a ship. Includes officers and crew; does not include passengers. For warships, the number of people assigned to a ship in peacetime may be considerably less than her full complement.
Cube - The cargo carrying capacity of a ship, measured in cubic metres or feet. There are two common types:
Displacement - A measurement of the weight or mass of the vessel, at a given draught.
,deadweight and the number of item it can carry ie TEU 20 ft equivalent units. Displacement is expressed in Tonne ship built for USA will be in imperial tons, Warships are shown in displacement tons or tonne.To preserve secrecy, nations sometimes misstate a warship's displacement.
Draft or draught or - The vertical distance from the bottom of the keel to the waterline. Used mainly to determine the minimum water depth for safe passage of a vessel and to calculate the vessels displacement so as to determine the mass of cargo on board.
Draft, Air - Air Draft/Draught is the distance from the water line to the highest point on a ship while it is loaded. Technically, standard draft is the distance a ship can pass over, air draft is the distance a ship can pass under.
Length between perpendiculars - The distance between the where forward part cuts the water line and the rudder post of the ship.
Shaft Horsepower - The amount of mechanical power delivered by the engine to a propeller shaft. One horsepower is equivalent to 746 Watts.