keelson
{{short description|Structural member in a boat or ship}}
{{for|the community|Kelson, New Zealand}}
The keelson or kelson is a reinforcing structural member on top of the keel in the hull of a vessel.{{Cite web|url = http://www.dictionary.com/browse/keelson|title =keelson|publisher = Dictionary.com}} Originally used on wooden ships, in modern usage a kellson is any structural member used to strengthen the hull or support any heavy weight.Cutler and Cutler, p 126
In part V of “Song of Myself”, American poet Walt Whitman uses the phrase: “And that a kelson of the creation is love;” to imply that love is akin to a keelson, or backbone, that supports humanity.
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References
- {{Cite web|url = http://www.dictionary.com/browse/keelson|title =keelson|publisher = Dictionary.com|access-date = 2016-05-07}}
- {{cite book|last=Cutler|first=Deborah W. and Thomas J. Cutler|title=Dictionary of Naval Terms|year=2005|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-150-1}}
{{Sailing ship elements}}