{{short description|Structural member in a boat or ship}} {{for|the community|Kelson, New Zealand}} thumb|Kelson marked with 17 {{wikt | keelson}}
The '''keelson''' or '''kelson''' is a reinforcing structural member on top of the keel in the hull of a vessel.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.dictionary.com/browse/keelson|title =keelson|publisher = Dictionary.com|access-date = 2016-05-07}}</ref> Originally used on wooden ships, in modern usage a keelson is any structural member used to strengthen the hull or to support any heavy weight.<ref name=Cutler126>{{cite book|last=Cutler|first=Deborah W. and Thomas J. Cutler|title=Dictionary of Naval Terms|year=2005|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland|page=126|isbn=978-1-59114-150-1}}</ref>
Wooden vessels may feature both '''main keelson'''s and '''sister keelson'''s.<ref> {{cite book |last1 = Curtis |first1 = W. H. |year = 1918 |chapter = Keelsons |title = The Elements of Wood Ship Construction: Part I |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=px4xAQAAMAAJ |publication-place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |publisher = Education and Training Section, United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation |page = 11 |access-date = 1 March 2026 }} </ref>
In part V of "Song of Myself", American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892) uses the phrase: "And that a kelson of the creation is love" to imply that love is akin to a keelson, or backbone, that supports humanity.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026|reason=Support for the analysis of the quotation, who says this is implied?}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Sailing ship elements}}
Category:Nautical terminology Category:Shipbuilding