Abstract: A method of distributing the loads generated between a ship and a supporting dry dock which comprises a platform comprising a number of articulatedly joined sub platforms and connected for lifting/lowering by opposed pairs of hoist winches, comprises moving certain combinations of the sub platforms by activating appropriate hoist winches, so as to alter forces to portions of the ship's hull, which forces may be evenly distributed, or concentrated so as to change the shape of local portions of the ship, or bring into alignment hatches and their covers.

Abstract: A method of assessing a ships weight so as to e.g. assist in its design and development, or to ascertain its actual center of gravity or its loaded state, comprises positioning the ship on a dry dock platform made up of a number of articulatedly joined sub platforms connected for lifting and lowerng by hoist winches. The hoist winches include signal devices which signal the load each is supporting, to a computer and visual display unit which displays the loads. The computer computes e.g. the center of gravity or the ships weight, in the displacement of the center of gravity from its designed position, the information then being passed to the designer.