Which statement correctly defines beam on a ship?

• A. The ship's length along keel.
• B. The widest horizontal width of the ship.
• C. The height from keel to top.
• D. The distance from bow to stern.

Answer: (B)

Beam is the ship’s widest horizontal width, measured across the hull at its widest point and perpendicular to the keel. This dimension helps describe the overall shape of the hull and has a big impact on stability—the wider the beam, the greater the initial stability. It’s not the ship’s length along the keel, which is how long the vessel is front to back, nor the vertical height from keel to top, which describes how tall the ship is. It’s also not the distance from bow to stern, which is another way to phrase length.