A half tide dock is a partially tidal

dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...

. Typically the dock is entered at high tide. As the tide ebbs a sill or weir prevents the level dropping below a certain point, meaning that the ships in the dock remain afloat, although they still rise and fall with the tides above this. Half tide docks are particularly useful in areas with a large tidal range. The sill of a half tide dock must be set sufficiently far below the daily high tide mark to allow ships to pass over it. Obviously this was easier to achieve with small ships of shallow draught, or in areas with a large tidal range. Inside the dock, the depth of water beneath the sill's level depends only on the depth to which the dock was excavated, although this obviously increases construction costs. The importance of the sill, and the tide's height above it, is reflected by these dock sills becoming an important local datum level and for tide tables being calculated for heights above it (i.e. clear draught in and out of the dock). This importance has often continued for many years after the original sill had been replaced, as at

Sharpness Sharpness ( ) is an English port in Gloucestershire, one of the most inland in Britain, and eighth largest in the South West. It is on the River Severn at , at a point where the tidal range, though less than at Avonmouth downstream ( typical sp ...

on the Severn Estuary, or where the dock had disappeared entirely, such as Old Dock Sill in Liverpool.

References

{{Reflist Coastal construction Docks (maritime)

See also

References