Editing Dock

{{short description|Human-made structure involved in the handling of boats or ships}}
{{About|the infrastructure used for berthing watercraft|other uses|Dock (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Cruise ship dock in St Maarten.JPG|thumb|Dock for cruise ships in [[Sint Maarten]] in the [[Caribbean]]]]
[[File:StPetersburgDocks.JPG|thumb|right|Docks in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg, Russia]]]]
[[File:Vuosaari shipyard 20160316.jpg|thumb|Partially backfilled dry dock of the former Valmet Vuosaari Shipyard in [[Vuosaari]], [[Helsinki]], Finland]]

The word '''dock''' ({{etymology|nl|{{Wikt-lang|nl|dok}}|}}) in [[American English]] refers to one or a group of human-made [[structures]] that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a [[shore]]). In [[British English]], the term is not used the same way as in American English; it is used to mean the area of water that is next to or around a [[wharf]] or quay. The exact meaning varies among different [[variants of the English language]].

"Dock" may also refer to a dockyard (also known as a [[shipyard]]) where the loading, unloading, building, or repairing of ships occurs.

==History==
The earliest known docks were those discovered in [[Wadi al-Jarf]], an [[ancient Egypt]]ian [[harbor]], of  Pharaoh [[Khufu#Wadi al-Jarf|Khufu]], dating from c.2500 BC located on the [[Red Sea]] coast.<ref>{{cite news|last=Boyle|first=Alan|title=4,500-year-old harbor structures and papyrus texts unearthed in Egypt|url=http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/15/17767610-4500-year-old-harbor-structures-and-papyrus-texts-unearthed-in-egypt?lite|newspaper=[[NBC]]|date=15 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=Marouard>{{cite journal |last1=Marouard |first1=Gregory |last2=Tallet |first2=Pierre |year=2012 |title=Wadi al-Jarf - An early pharaonic harbour on the Red Sea coast |journal=[[Egyptian Archaeology]] |volume=40 |pages=40–43 |url=https://www.academia.edu/1819574 |access-date=18 April 2013}}</ref> Archaeologists also discovered anchors and storage jars near the site.<ref name=BritishMuseum>{{cite journal|title=Ayn Sukhna and Wadi el-Jarf: Two newly discovered pharaonic harbours on the Suez Gulf|journal=British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan|last=Tallet|first=Pierre|volume=18|year=2012|pages=147–68|issn=2049-5021|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/Tallet.pdf|access-date=21 April 2013}}</ref>

A dock from [[Lothal]] in [[India]] dates from 2400 BC<ref>{{Cite web|title=ARCHAEOASTRONOMICAL SURVEYS IN LOTHAL (INDIA)|url=http://www.archaeoastronomy.it/Lothal.htm|last=Codebò|first=Mario|date=2013|website=www.archaeoastronomy.it|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Frenez|first=D.|title=Lothal re-visitation Project, a fine thread connecting Intis to contemporary Raveena (Via Oman)|publisher=BAR|year=2014|isbn=9781407313269|location=UK|pages=263–267}}</ref> and was located away from the main [[current (water)|current]] to avoid deposition of [[silt]].<ref name="RaoQ"/> Modern [[oceanographers]] have observed that the ancient [[Indus Valley civilisation|Harappans]] must have possessed great knowledge relating to [[tides]] in order to build such a dock on the ever-shifting course of the [[Sabarmati]], as well as exemplary [[hydrography]] and [[maritime engineering]].<ref name="RaoQ"/> This is the earliest known dock found in the world equipped to berth and service ships.<ref name="RaoQ">Rao, pages 27–28</ref>

It is speculated that Lothal engineers studied tidal movements and their effects on brick-built structures, since the walls are of [[kiln]]-burnt bricks.<ref name="Rao2819"/> This knowledge also enabled them to select Lothal's location in the first place, as the [[Gulf of Khambhat]] has the highest tidal amplitude and ships can be [[sluiced]] through flow tides in the river [[estuary]].<ref name="Rao2819"/> The engineers built a [[trapezoidal]] structure, with north–south arms of average 21.8&nbsp;metres (71.5&nbsp;ft), and east–west arms of 37&nbsp;metres (121&nbsp;ft).<ref name="Rao2819">Rao, pages 28–29</ref>

==British English==
[[Image:GlosDryDock2.JPG|thumb|150px|A small [[dry dock]] in [[Gloucester]], [[England]]]]
In [[British English]], a dock is an enclosed area of water used for loading, unloading, building or repairing [[ship]]s. Such a dock may be created by building enclosing harbour walls into an existing natural water space, or by excavation within what would otherwise be dry land.

There are specific types of dock structures where the water level is controlled:
* {{anchor|wet dock}} A wet dock or [[impounded dock]] is a variant in which the water is impounded either by dock gates or by a [[canal lock|lock]], thus allowing ships to remain afloat at low tide in places with high [[tide|tidal ranges]]. The level of water in the dock is maintained despite the rising and falling of the tide. This makes transfer of cargo easier. It works like a lock which controls the water level and allows passage of ships. The world's first enclosed wet dock with lock gates to maintain a constant water level irrespective of tidal conditions was the [[Greenland Dock|Howland Great Dock]] on the [[River Thames]], built in 1703.  The dock was merely a haven surrounded by trees, with no unloading facilities. The world's first commercial enclosed wet dock, with quays and unloading warehouses, was the [[Old Dock]] at [[Liverpool]], built in 1715 and held up to 100 ships.  The dock reduced ship waiting giving quick turnarounds, greatly improving the throughput of cargo.
* A [[drydock]] is another variant, also with dock gates, which can be emptied of water to allow investigation and maintenance of the underwater parts of ships.
* A [[Dry dock#Floating|floating dry dock]] (sometimes just ''floating dock'') is a submersible structure which lifts ships out of the water to allow dry docking where no land-based facilities are available.

Where the water level is not controlled [[Berth (moorings)|berths]] may be:
* Floating, where there is always sufficient water to float the ship.
* {{anchor|NAABSA}} '''NAABSA''' (Not Always Afloat But Safely Aground) where ships settle on the bottom at [[low tide]].  Ships using NAABSA facilities have to be designed for them.<ref name=NYPE>{{citation |author1=Baltic and International Maritime Council |author-link1=BIMCO |author2=ASBA |author3=SML |title=NYPE 2015 Time Charter Party, explanatory notes |at=Clause 1(d) |url=http://www.smf.com.sg/pdf/NYPE%202015%20Explanatory%20Notes.pdf |access-date=31 March 2017 |archive-date=31 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331210356/http://www.smf.com.sg/pdf/NYPE%202015%20Explanatory%20Notes.pdf |url-status=dead }}.  NYPE is the [[New York Produce Exchange]] form, a standard charter agreement for shipping.</ref>

A [[dockyard]] (or shipyard) consists of one or more docks, usually with other structures.

==American English==
In [[American English]], ''dock'' is technically synonymous with ''[[pier]]'' or ''[[wharf]]''—any human-made structure in the water intended for people to be on. However, in modern use, ''pier'' is generally used to refer to structures originally intended for industrial use, such as [[seafood]] processing or [[shipping]], and more recently for [[cruise ship]]s, and ''dock'' is used for almost everything else, often with a qualifier, such as [[ferry dock]], swimming dock, [[ore dock]] and others. However, ''pier'' is also commonly used to refer to wooden or metal structures that extend into the ocean from beaches and are used, for the most part, to accommodate fishing in the ocean without using a boat.

In [[American English]], the term for the water area between piers is ''[[slipway|slip]]''.

===In parts of both the US and Canada===
In the [[cottage country]] of [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], a dock is a wooden platform built over water, with one end secured to the shore.  The platform is used for the boarding and offloading of small boats.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
Image:Zoom Dock Chicago.jpg|A boat dock on [[Lake Michigan]] in [[Chicago]].
Image:Mohonk Mountain House 2011 Boat Dock Against Reflection of Cliff FRD 3029.jpg|[[Floating dock (jetty)|Floating dock]] at [[Mohonk Mountain House]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Dry dock]]: a narrow basin that can be flooded and drained to allow a load to come to rest on a dry platform
* [[Ferry slip]]: a specialized docking facility that receives a ferryboat
* [[Floating dock (impounded)]]
* [[Floating dock (jetty)]]: a walkway over water, made buoyant with pontoons
* [[Harbor]]
* [[Jetty]]: a landing stage or small pier at which boats can dock or be moored.
* [[Marina]]: a boat basin offering dockage and other service for small craft
* [[Mole (architecture)]]
* [[Ore dock]]
* [[Pier]]: a raised walkway over water, supported by widely spread pilings or pillars
* [[Pontoon (boat)]]: a buoyant device, used to support docks or floating bridges
* [[Quay]]: a concrete, stone, or metal platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships.
* [[Slipway]]: a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water
* [[Wharf]]: a fixed platform, commonly on pilings, where ships are loaded and unloaded

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* Rao, S. R. (1985). ''Lothal, a Harappan Port Town (1955–62)''. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. {{oclc|60370124}}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Docks}}
{{wiktionary|dock}}
* ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', [https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031272/dry-dock "dry-dock"]

{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

[[Category:Coastal construction]]
[[Category:Maritime transport]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian technology]]
[[Category:Docks (maritime)| ]]
[[Category:Port infrastructure]]

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