Building Ships

Thousands of years ago, people made boats without plans. They were taught by their elders how to make boats, and they made them that way. But today, all boats are built from a plan or design. Computers are used to draw up the plans, and to work out how much material will be needed to build the new vessel.

Small boats may be made of wood or fibreglass, but great big huge boats are normally made from metal. Here the metal sheets are being cut up, working from the plans, to make the pieces needed to put together into a big ship.

 

Huge machines are used in big ship building yards, and many people work there. Here a man is welding the metal parts together. Welding is putting a very hot flame to the metal, so that it melts enough to be able to join two metal sheets together.

When enough of the pieces are put together, the ship is built on the dock, over rails that will slide it towards the water when it is finished. Dockyards where boats are built are always built close to the water's edge.

Here you can see a big Japanese boat being launched for the very first time. It is sliding down rails which go down into the water. Soon it will be floating for the first time.