File talk:BEAM-draft.PNG

Problems

This diagram is wrong in two respects.

Depth is measured from the underside of the highest continuous watertight deck to the top of the plating above the keel. Thus, in a cargo vessel, it is the available vertical space that can be used for carrying cargo.

This drawing shows its upper measurement from the top of the gunnels, well above the deck. The drawing is in error this way by around 20%.

The lower measurement is shown at the same place as the draft measurement -- the underside of the keel. Even in vessels that have no keel, the measurement points differ by the thickness of the hull and in large vessels, where the term "depth" is usually used, the difference will be significant, usually several percent of the length of the vessel.      Jim . . . . Jameslwoodward (talk to me) 12:27, 10 June 2012 (UTC)