The welding distortion of a hull structure in the shipbuilding industry is inevitable at each assembly stage. This geometric inaccuracy caused by the welding distortion tends to preclude the introduction of automation and mechanization and needs the additional man-hours for the adjusting work at the following assembly stage. To overcome this problem, a distortion control method should be applied. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop an accurate prediction method which can explicitly account for the influence of various factors on the welding distortion. The validity of the prediction method must be also clarified through experiments. For the purpose of reducing the weld-induced bending deflection, this paper proposes the plastic counter-deforming method (PCDM) using the line heating as the optimum distortion control method. The validity of this method has been substantiated by a number of numerical simulations and actual measurements.