Beam
Building Ways
Commissioned
Displacement
Draft
Homeport
Keel Laid
Launched
Submarine
TRIDENT

Beam

The extreme width of a ship or boat. In wooden ship construction, the beams were the horizontal timbers in which the deck planking was attached to. The longest beam spanned the maximum width of the ship.
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Building Ways

Inclided slides leading into the water upon which a ship is built. When it is time to launch her, the regular supports under the hull are replaced with skids designed to slide down the inclination and support the hull upright until she enters the water. The ways are carefully greased, and at the last moment, just after the christening ceremony, the final holding devices are cut and down she goes, sliding into the water.
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Commissioned

To put a ship into active service with the Navy.
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Displacement

The weight of water displaced by a vessel, expressed in long tons (2,240 pounds ).
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Draft

Depth of a ship beneath the waterline, measured vertically to the keel.
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Homeport

A coastal city on which a ship normally bases.
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Keel Laid

The keel is the central, longitudinal beam or timber of a ship from which the frames and hull plating rise. Therefore, when the keel was laid marked the date the physical contruction of the ship began.
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Launched

The floating of a ship upon completion of building. Traditionally, a ship was launched by sliding her down the building ways. Currently, due to the large size of modern ships, they are now floated out of drydocks in which they are built.
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Submarine

A warship designed for under-sea operations. Missile submarines primary mission is to attack land targets with their intercontinental missiles.
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TRIDENT

A sea based weapon system that consist of a three stage, solid propellant, multiple warheaded missile. The missile platform is the "Ohio Class" nuclear submarine.
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