The structural cradle, usually built on a slipway, that holds a vessel's keel and hull in place while it is being built. The stocks bear the massive weight of the ship and keep it perfectly aligned until it is ready to be launched into the water. The term also refers to the crossbar of a traditional anchor that forces the flukes to dig into the seabed.
Heard on the job
The new ferry has been on the stocks for six months and is finally ready for painting.
Also heard as
- building stocks