Kentledge Ballast

Kentledge is permanent ballast, pig iron cast in blocks and stowed low against the keelson to give a ship lasting stability without taking up usable hold space. East Indiamen and other deep-water sailing ships carried kentledge so the hull stayed stiff even when cargo was light or shifting. The pigs were laid over the limbers and floors as fixed weight, distinct from shifting ballast such as shingle, sand, or water that crews trimmed or discharged from voyage to voyage.