Which specific lines plan view shows the exact cross-section shapes of a ship's hull at different points along its length?

The lines plan is a fundamental engineering drawing in naval architecture that graphically represents the molded shape of a ship's hull. It comprises three principal orthographic views: the sheer plan, the half-breadth plan, and the body plan. Orthographic views are two-dimensional projections of a three-dimensional object, displaying its form from different perpendicular angles without perspective distortion.

The specific lines plan view that shows the exact cross-section shapes of a ship's hull at different points along its length is the Body Plan.

The Body Plan illustrates a series of transverse sections of the hull. A transverse section, also known as a cross-section, is the precise shape of the hull if it were cut perpendicularly across its length at a specific point. These sections are typically depicted at predetermined, equally spaced positions along the ship's length, which are referred to as stations or frames.

In the Body Plan, these cross-sections are drawn as if an observer were looking directly at the ship from either its bow (front) or its stern (back). By convention, the right-hand side of the Body Plan typically displays the cross-sections of the after (stern) half of the ship, while the left-hand side displays the cross-sections of the forward (bow) half. Each individual line on the Body Plan precisely outlines the contour of the hull at a particular station, providing an accurate and detailed representation of its shape at that specific point. This view is indispensable for naval architects to understand the three-dimensional form of the hull, to perform calculations related to hydrostatic properties such as displacement and stability, and for shipbuilders to accurately construct the structural frames that form the ship's skeleton.