The forward part or section of a ship's keel, the long timber or beam running along the bottom of a vessel.
From fore- (front) + keel (from Old Norse kjölr, the bottom timber of a ship). A nautical term for the front section of a ship's structural backbone.
The forekeel had to be the toughest part because it hit underwater rocks, ice, and debris first—shipbuilders would reinforce this section with extra wood and metal.
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