Three question for mariners

Discussion board focusing on Great Lakes Shipping Question & Answer. From beginner to expert all posts are welcome.
Odysseus
Posts: 76
Joined: December 7, 2014, 8:11 am

Re: Three question for mariners

Unread post by Odysseus »

One of the things that comes to mind is the dynamics of being on a shorter and narrower vessel vs. being on a footer. A vessel that is shorter and has a narrow beam is going to be able to follow the track of an ice breaker that we have available on the lakes. A vessel that is longer and with a wider beam is going to have a lot more trouble. Especially when it comes to turns. When a ship makes a turn, it's not like turning your car. Quite the opposite. It's like turning your car when going in reverse. The back end is what makes the turn to get the front end aligned to go forward. If the track the icebreaker has made isn't wide enough to make that turn, then the vessel gets stuck. Please think about is like parking a Ford Focus vs. a Ford Super Duty with a full 4 door cab and an 8 foot bed with dualies. I hope that makes sense. Respectfully yours....
Lakercapt
Posts: 554
Joined: July 19, 2010, 4:51 pm

Re: Three question for mariners

Unread post by Lakercapt »

There are many answers to the questions you pose.
The top is the HP of the boat as you need it to break though the ice.
Being loaded gives the extra inertia.
Shape of the bow is critical if you are an ice breaker but most lakers on the Canadian side push the water from lake Superior all the way down to the Welland Canal.. They are built to carry max cargo and ice breaking is only for a short spell.
Having spent some time sailing through ice in the Baltic, the St.Lawrence and lakes they all pose a different challenge.
But multi year ice in the artic is a dog with a different tail and that is a real scarey thing as the ice is as hard as concrete.
Bookworm

Three question for mariners

Unread post by Bookworm »

Watching vessels struggling through this heavy ice, several questions come to mind. 1. Does the shape of the bow (sharp vs rounded) make a difference in the ease with which they transit the track? 2. Does being "loaded" vs "in ballast" have any effect? 3. How much of a role does HP play? That last question is because the James R. Barker (loaded with coal) had a rough go of it in the Marine City area on its last trip, yet more recently one of the older ships spent a minimum of time in the troublesome lower river. TIA
Post Reply