The purpose of the ships is different. Some carry goods, others carry passengers, and still others carry military equipment. Regardless, any ship has a hold. What is it, read this article.
Characteristic
A hold is the space between the bottom of the ship and the deck located above it, which is called the platform. It belongs to the category of industrial premises. What is a ship hold ? The sailors call it the ship's pantry, ship's belly, warehouse, cargo compartment, basement, trunk. It provides mechanisms for the operation of the vessel, cargo, food supplies and uniforms. Until the desalination of water, tanks with drinking water were stored in the hold. The outer surface of the containers was painted with paint, and the inner surface was covered with lime, if possible - with cement. In the old days, fresh water supplies were of great importance. In its absence, the whole team could die of thirst.
Climate microclimate
The external environment affects the humidity and temperature of the air in the hold. These indicators are never constant. So, in a hot period of time, the water in the ocean heats up, respectively, in the hold it becomes warmer and drier. To prevent the growth of microorganisms, cargo spaces are treated with ozone. If this is not done, the cargo may be damaged, and its quality will significantly decrease.
Since the hold is an unventilated room, unpleasant extraneous odors constantly accumulate here. Ozone destroys them. On modern ships, holds are equipped with ventilation units, thanks to which it is possible to partially or completely replace the air. During the construction of the vessel , its lining is carried out. It protects the hull of the ship and cargo. Often they are damaged during loading and unloading or when the load is shifted during rolling.
Hold size
The purpose and number of holds on each ship is different. It depends on the type and size of the ship. The main goal of a passenger ship is to safely transport people to their destination. The conditions that ensure the unsinkability of the ship are determined by the length of the hold. Today, a sinking passenger ship is a rare occurrence. But if this happens, you need to know that in most cases, water first gets into the hold of the ship. This room is located at the lowest point of the vessel. Water gets into it in different ways. It can be a kingston grille, a propeller shaft bearing or a defective seal of one of the valves. Small leaks are normal. Their level is controlled, and if necessary, excess water is pumped out by a pump.
The size of the hold of a cargo ship depends on its length. The room is divided by compartments. On each ship, their number is different. It depends on how long the entire vessel is. The hold is necessarily equipped with ventilation units and means of extinguishing fires arising for various reasons. Loading and unloading is carried out using hatches. Refrigerated vessels have holds with refrigeration units and internal thermal insulation. Their lid is small. This is necessary to reduce heat loss.
Warship hold
There is also military equipment, the holds of which are separated by partitions made of waterproof material and filled with equipment and gear. For example, the large landing ship "Ivan Rogov". His cargo hold is called a tank hold.
It is located in the bow of the ship. The length of the room is fifty-four meters, the width is twelve, and the height is five. To load equipment from the pier, the ship is moored stern to it. For information: fifty tanks are placed on a landing ship, or eighty armored personnel carriers, or one hundred and twenty vehicles.
Ships of the distant past
Ships in those days transported cargo. They were various everyday goods: cereals and spices, olives and honey, jewelry, fabrics and much more. But there were ships whose cargoes were people. For such vessels, a hold is a room with multi-tier shelves, which housed several dozen pencil cases. Moreover, they were narrow and long. People were put in pencil cases and they didn’t get out of there all the way. It was impossible to be in such a “room" at full height. Because of the small height, one could only lie.
On the outside of the wall of the pencil case was a door with a window leaf. People poked their faces in the hope of getting at least a breath of fresh air. The overseers did not like this, and they mercilessly beat people with leather whips. Pencil cases of the most naughty inhabitants tightly closed. A few days later, people went crazy.
For ships of past times, a hold is a kind of room that housed seven hundred people or more. People didn’t have enough air, they were there and they were sick. The atmosphere was monstrous. Slave traders did not spend their money to ensure that people stay in the hold during their transportation. Anyway, only the strongest could survive. It was a kind of culling people: who survived, became a slave on the Caribbean plantations. There was no place for the weak.