RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR FREEBOARD. 129 
additions, modifications and amendments made since the first issue in 1885, had 
become complicated and somewhat difficult to apply and did not treat the different 
types of vessels in an equitable manner. Every endeavor was made in drawing 
up the new freeboard regulations to make the rules simple and easy of application, 
and the result of the committee’s labors is embodied in their proposed rules for 
the assignment of load lines to merchant vessels, which are undoubtedly a consider- 
able improvement over the present regulations. 
Fig. 5, Plate 59, shows the proposed new table freeboards in comparison with 
the present British tables, and Fig. 6, Plate 60, a comparison with the present 
German tables. There are now two distinct sheer standards, parabolic curves 
where the sheer forward is twice the sheer aft, one for vessels with forecastles and 
a higher standard for flush deck vessels (Fig. 7, Plate 61). Although all types of 
vessels are penalized for deficiency of sheer as compared with the standard, it is 
not proposed to grant any allowance for excess of sheer over the standard. Block 
coefficients at 85 per cent of the molded depth are used with the tables instead of 
coefficients of fineness derived from under deck tonnage. The depth to be used 
with the tables is taken to the top of the deck at side, whether of wood or steel, 
and summer freeboards are tabulated as in the German regulations. The committee 
recommend that the freeboards of British ships be marked from the deck at side 
instead of being set down from a statutory deck line in accordance with the Mer- 
chant Shipping Acts. A more logical method of assessing the value of erections 
which takes account of their extent, disposition, and the nature of the closing appli- 
ances, has been adopted. Fig. 8, Plate 62, shows the present British freeboards 
compared with the committee’s proposed freeboards in the case of a 400-foot vessel 
with different types of erections, varying proportions of z and different mean 
sheers. The committee lays particular stress upon the necessity of providing 
adequate protection for openings, and instead of proposing to make additions to 
the freeboards of vessels on account of deficiencies in this respect, “Conditions of 
Assignment of Freeboard”’ are laid down with regard to the strength of machinery 
casings, hatches, ventilators, openings in the superstructures and in the sides, 
such as gangway, doors, side ports, etc., which are an amplification of the present 
requirements. 
Probably the most important part of the committee’s work was the formulating 
of a new standard of strength to be used in association with the new freeboard 
tules. A technical staff was employed to carry out the necessary research work, 
and under the guidance of Prof. Abell, of Liverpool University, now chief surveyor 
of Lloyd’s Register, a very thorough analysis was made of ship structural practice 
as determined from the 1913 Rules of Lloyd’s Register, British Corporation, Bureau 
Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd’s, as it was considered that the classification 
tules, embodying, as they do, the results of years of experience, were good for a 
wide range of loading conditions. It was ultimately found possible to express 
by comparatively simple formulae the average minimum requirements of ordinary 
practice found from the above analysis. 
