Wale

A wale is a thick plank of wood fastened to the side of a ship to provide protection from wear. The garboard is the wale next to the keel; the gunwale is the top such plank and covers the heads of the timbers between the main and fore drifts.

Wale is also a term for a horizontal member of a tieback wall which transmits the force from the tieback to the beams.

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