Titanic's hull plating that joins the front

[uly]

Good day gentlemen, I must admit I need help.

I am unsure if this is a good place to post this but here we go;
As of this moment I am designing and planning to create a mini 14' ship styled in the H&W ship building, (antique looking ship) and I've been looking at the titanic for reference. She's going to look like an adorable little tender.

I need to know since her hull is "In and Out" I was thinking of simply making a ship with the same thing and instead of rivets, using bolts and nuts to fasten the strakes between each other. The hull will be comprised of 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch aluminum sheets, to which i will make strakes. My only issue is, how is it that between the long pieces of shell, that the pieces are sealed preventing leakage? does it not seem like the overlapping method would spring a triangular leak between the cracks of the shell? Should I put these plates to fasten the two pieces together? Or should I just put caulk in between the plates? I need photographic help, or a guide for this accomplishment. My next concern, would be how I'm going to get these "In and Out" shells
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To neatly connect into one line and attach to the stem of the ship. How can I possibly create a watertight seal and have this overlapping method, if it will just spring a leak because of the gap the "out" plate leaves when pressed against the "In" plates against the stem? To be quite honest I have no experience or idea how i'm going to get the plates to connect with the stem and make a sealed bow at all. What i'm trying to say is how does the alternating plates connect together to make the bow?

 

[Jim Currie]

As you can see below, the filler piece allows you yo have a watertight, vertical seam at the stem bar connection.

 

[uly]

I have the raised and sunken design for my ship, because its simple.What I need to know is if you were to put, for example, Fig. 32. back to back together, and the plate ends, how do I fill between those vertical gaps? And assuming this filler piece is just metal fit between metal how will that sufficiently close the small gap between plates? I can't "Buttweld" plates together I'm not sure how. I Need to know how to join 2 plates together at the ends to waterproof them. Yet now that I think about it, if i place caulking between the in plates and the filler plate, I just might be able to. Though I'll still need advising though for this project..

 

[Aaron_2016]

There is a replica of Titanic's bow here in Belfast. Perhaps its design and construction might help with your project?

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[Jim Currie]

If you want to be authentic, look carefully at some of the photographs of Titanic on the launch ways. You will see that the aft edges, butts, of the shell plates were joggled. I.e., the rear vertical edge of the plate was bent over the forward edge of the next plate. These joints would be double rivered and caulked.
Where a filler plate was used, they6 would possibly have incorporated a vertical, triple riveted butt strap on the outside. Then the plate edges would as, usual, be caulked using an hydraulic caulking gun.

 

[B-rad]

These references may help.

A Handbook of Practical Shipbuilding: With a Glossary of Terms : James Douglas MacBride : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Practical Shipbuilding: A Treatise on the Structural Design and Building of ...
A text book of naval architecture : for the use of officers of the Royal Navy

 

[uly]

I appreciate the help, All of you. But here is a demonstration:

Fig. 1.

In this illustration you can see the top view of what I am seeing as the hull plate arrangement. Question No. 1 is wouldnt there be this small gap between joggles? and 2. On the very sides of titanic, her panels are flat and flush, so this is how I see those gaps between shells. I'd like to know how I might seal that between thin aluminium sheets, 1/4 in. thick, as I am unsure how.

And then the actual titanic with these highlighted areas.
Fig. 2.

I also need to know how to seal the very front end of the ship together with "in n out" plating as shown On Fig. 2.

 

[uly]

I hate to bump but i need assistance on understanding this..

 

[Nautiluskirk]

When one shell plate would ride over and be riveted to the end of the next to create a joint a triangular void would need to be filled. A piece of steel called a 'tapered liner' was used in these areas - see green in this diagram. Hope this helps some. Also see page 94 here A Handbook of Practical Shipbuilding: With a Glossary of Terms : James Douglas MacBride : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[uly]

Thank you so much for solving that mystery. Sadly theres one last question and this is the only post on this topic. Your diagram seems to brilliantly solve the issue but doesnt depict something commonly found, the in plates joggle outward, not inward. Do they cut into the surrounding plates or are they cut on the outsides to fit joggled out inbetween the plates? Here is a stock photo of the queen marys joggled plates;