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Ben Franklin

Bulkhead (False)

Some credit Franklin with inventing the first bulkhead. What is true is that as early as 1784, he did recommend using the Chinese method, which had existed for centuries (Garden of Strange Things, written in the 5th century, by Liu Jingshu, makes a reference to it). A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull (body or frame) of a ship to increase the structural rigidity of the vessel and to create watertight compartments, in the case of an accident. The term "bulkhead" was later applied to aircraft, spacecraft, as well as to fuel tanks.


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