Careening

Careening (also known as "heaving down") is a method of gaining access to the hull of a sailing vessel without the use of a dry dock.

The ship would have been lightened beforehand by removing all stores, and a careening wharf would have had large sheds available to protect them from weather and theft.

[6] In early 1843, HMS Formidable was careened at Malta Dockyard to carry out repairs after the ship had grounded a few weeks earlier.

[7] In the 18th century, careening wharves existed at overseas Royal Navy dockyards such as Port Mahon and Halifax.

[3] Careening placed a hull under a considerable strain and even a strongly built ship could be structurally weakened or damaged by the procedure.

[6] At the end of the 18th century, the Royal Navy had 24 dry docks available in Britain, so careening was not usually necessary for ships stationed in British waters.

A secluded bay would suffice for necessary repairs or hull cleaning, and such little "safe havens" could be found throughout the islands in the Caribbean and nearly around the world.

Famously, HMS Royal George sank at Spithead off Portsmouth while undergoing a Parliamentary heel in 1782, killing hundreds of people on board.