Shipfitter

Shipfitter

What. A shipfitter turns steel plate into a hull: cuts, fits, tacks and lines up the pieces so the welders can join them. The shipyard's carpenter, working in tons.

Tools. Oxy-fuel and plasma torches, come-alongs, wedges and dogs, levels and plumb bobs, the lofted template, the ship's lines drawing.

A day. Pull the unit drawing. Cut and bevel plate. Fit stiffeners to the shell within the tolerance. Tack. Check fairness with a batten. Turn the unit over to the welders. Log the joint.

Pay. $42k entry to $82k experienced; supervisors and marine surveyors beyond.

Path. Universal core → hull construction → steel and aluminum welding → shipfitting layout → marine coatings → outfitting. Credentials: NCCER Shipfitting, NCCER Maritime Welding, AWS D1.1/D1.2, ABS/USCG weld test.

See it. Hull cross-section in G1; the hull mold and lifeboat in Gallery G6.