I've wondered for a while what these "frames" (for lack of a better word) on the sides of some ships are for.
My buddy reckons they're like bumpers, to keep the ship's screws from breaking off if it were to scrape against a wall or side of a port. That seems pretty reasonable to me- the Clemson's screws jut out quite a long way from the hull, and these things are enormous on her,- but I was hoping one of y'all might know for sure.