Keel Laying Ceremony

One of the milestones in the building of a new cruise ship is the keel laying ceremony. But what exactly is that?

Maybe you have heard the term “keel” before, but unless you read classic literature or just have a fascination with ships, it’s very possible that you are unfamiliar with what the keel of a ship is.

The keel of a ship is the “primary fore-and-aft part of a ship’s frame. It runs along the bottom connecting the stem and the stern.” In a wooden or older steel ship, the keel extends the whole length of the vessel. I like to think of the keel as the spine of the ship; it’s where the rest of the important bones of the ship branch out of. 

Today’s modern cruise ships are a composite of modules built in construction yards, not in the shipbuilding dock. The modules are fully formed sections of the ship that already contain much of the internal components, not just the plumbing and electric, but sometimes even down to the furniture! The keel laying ceremony is held when the first module is placed in the dock in which the ship will be built as the modules are joined together and from which the completed ship will eventually be floated out.

The laying of a keel is an important date in the life of a ship. It essentially marks the birth of a new ship as it signifies the beginning of a new ship build. Traditionally, after a short ceremony that includes representatives from the ship line and builders, a section of keel is lowered into place onto a cradle. A keel-laying ceremony traditionally invites good luck in the construction of the ship and throughout her life. Oftentimes clergymen will be invited to bless and pray over the ship as part of the short ceremony.

During a keel-laying a ship is referred to by her builder’s hull number in instead of a name, as the ceremony at which the ship is named occurs later with the launching of the ship. Typically, a plaque with the builder’s name and number is affixed to the back bulkhead of the ship’s bridge. This may seem odd when it comes to cruise ship builds since the lines start advertising ships, and using their eventual ship name, long before the keel laying ever even occurs. But tradition is tradition when it comes to ship builds!