What is a 'wash bulkhead' on a ship?

The bulkheads are the walls within the ship that separate the different rooms or compartments. Bulkheads are designed to block fire and water from going to other compartments. The outer skin of the ship or boat is called the hull.

Bulkheads in a ship serve several purposes:

• increase the structural rigidity of the vessel,
• divide functional areas into rooms and
• create watertight compartments that can contain water in the case of a hull breach or other leak.
• some bulkheads and decks are fire-resistance rated to achieve compartmentalisation, a passive fire protection measure; see firewall