Which structural weakness most affected 18th-century timber ship wall construction during sustained broadside cannon fire?

💡 Explanation

During broadside cannon fire, the hull experiences intense racking stresses; shear failure along the plank seams occurs because the wooden pegs and caulking could not adequately transfer the load between the planks. Therefore, seam shear was the issue, rather than fastener failure, buckling of frames, or sheathing delamination which involves fundamentally differing failure mechanisms.

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