Lengthening

The operation of separating a ship athwartships and adding a certain portion to her length. It is performed by clearing or driving out all the fastenings in wake of the butts of those planks which may be retained, and the others are cut through. The after-end is then drawn apart to a limited distance equal to the additional length proposed. The keel is then made good, the floors crossed, and a sufficient number of timbers raised to fill the vacancy produced by the separation. The kelson is then replaced to give good shift to the new scarphs of the keel, and as many beams as may be necessary are placed across the ship in the new interval, and the planks on the outside are placed with a proper shift. The clamps and footwaling within the ship are then supplied, the beams kneed, and the ship completed in all respects as before.