Keep the Boat Afloat

Water will collect in a ship no matter how hard it is kept out, so ships used designs and tools to remove excess water. The bulwark, covered in planks and topped with a railing, was fastened to the frame tops to keep cargo and people from falling overboard while helping prevent waves from coming aboard. If a large wave splashed onto the deck, openings at the base called scuppers allowed water to flow off. Outer hull planking, combined with caulk made from oakum and tar hammered into the seams, helped make wooden hulls water-tight. A square notch in the bottom of the lower frame piece, called a limber hole, ran the length of the vessel and directed water to the bilge pumps, while a chain lying in the notch could be tugged to loosen debris and let water flow. The scow schooner Success, a 161 ton, two-masted vessel built by Julius Johnson in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was wrecked on November 26, 1896, after her anchor chain parted while she was sheltering from a storm in the bay; loaded with lumber, she was driven onto the beach near the north shore of Whitefish Bay and broke up in the pounding surf.

Sevastopol, Wisconsin · United States