Fullagar (first all-welded ocean-going ship)
Fullagar (primer buque oceánico totalmente soldado)
- Date
- 1920 · confidence high
- Place
- Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Cammell Laird (Birkenhead)
- Field
- Movement
What it is
A cargo ship with a welded rather than riveted hull, which reduced weight and construction time. It prepared the way for the mass welding of the Liberty ships of the Second World War.
Liberty ships suffered brittle fractures in cold water; the problem was cured with tougher steels and designs without sharp corners.
What it led to
- welded Liberty ships (1941-1945)
- block prefabrication in shipbuilding
- lower shipyard costs and lead times