Careening on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Careening (also known as "heaving down") is a method of gaining access to the hull of a sailing vessel without the use of a dry dock. It is used for cleaning or repairing the hull. Before ship's hulls were protected from
Careening (also known as "heaving down") is a method of gaining access to the hull of a sailing vessel without the use of a dry dock. It is used for cleaning or repairing the hull. Before ship's hulls were protected from marine growth
Biofouling or biological fouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals where it is not wanted on surfaces such as ship and submarine hulls, devices such as water inlets, pipework, grates, ponds, and rivers that ...
by fastening copper sheets over the surface of the hull, fouling by this growth would seriously affect the sailing qualities of a ship, causing a large amount of drag.
Practice
The vessel is grounded broadside onto a steep beach and then pulled over with tackles from the mastheads to strong points on the beach. This brings one side of the hull out of the water. Careening may be assisted by moving ballast to one side of the hull. When work was complete on one side, the ship would be floated off and the process repeated on the other side. A beach favoured for careening was called a careenage. Today, only small vessels are careened, while large vessels are placed in dry dock. A related practice was a Parliamentary heel, in which the vessel was heeled over in deep water, by shifting weight, such as ballast or guns, to one side. In this way the upper sides could be cleaned or repaired with minimal delay. Famously, HMS ''Royal George'' was lost while undergoing a Parliamentary heel in 1782. Pirates would often careen their ships because they had no access todrydock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
s. A secluded bay would suffice for necessary repairs or hull cleaning, and such little "safe havens" could be found throughout the islands in the Caribbean and nearly around the world. One group of islands, Tres Marias in Panama, became popular after Francis Drake had sailed there in 1579, and they quickly became a popular place for piracy.
See also
*Careening Bay
Coronation Island, also known as Garlinju, is located off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. It encompasses an area of . It is located off Port Nelson in the Bonaparte Archipelago, as a part of the group of islands known as the Coronati ...
, Western Australia
*Careening Cove
Careening Cove, is a bay on the northern side of Sydney Harbour, near Milsons Point. The cove lies in the traditional lands of the Cammeraygal people, who called it Wia Wia. It was later named for its use in the early days of European settleme ...
, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*Careenage
The Constitution River or commonly called "The Careenage", is a river located along Carlisle Bay, on the south-western portion of Barbados. The western end of the river runs through the centre of Bridgetown in Saint Michael. The river acts as a ...
, Barbados
References
{{commons category