Abstract: A bearing assembly for supporting a drive shaft as of a ship wherein the shaft is generally to be supported by such bearing assembly in a horizontally extending position. The bearing assembly has a housing with a cylindrical shell mounted therein having a central bore with a longitudinally extending central axis. The shell may either have a first set of circumferentially spaced staves that are not evenly spaced circumferentially to support the drive shaft, or have a first set and a second set of staves that are circumferentially spaced such that the first set contact the drive shaft while the second set do not contact the drive shaft under normal conditions of load. All of the staves have resilient elastomeric strips that project into the central bore of the shell.