🔍 Key Concepts

• Shoring basics: purpose of shoring in damage control and why a tight, solid fit is critical • Use of wedges in shoring: how we create pressure and adjust final length once the shore is in place • Wood behavior: how wood reacts when it gets wet (swelling) and why that matters for cutting length

💭 Think About

• When you install a wooden shore against a bulkhead, do you usually want it to fit exactly as measured, or do you need room to create pressure and adjust? • How do wedges work in a shoring system, and what do they need in order to be driven in properly? • If wood swells when wet, would you normally cut it longer or shorter to prevent it from becoming too tight or impossible to set?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm how wedges are normally used with shores in standard USN/USCG damage control practice • Think about whether a shore cut too long can even be positioned and wedged safely • Recall that shoring should be tight but adjustable, not already at maximum compression before wedges are applied