Boatnerd Discussion Forum

From Know Your Ships

I don't recall the barge Chief Wawatam ever having the symbol painted on, but that was quite a while ago. It did have a bow thruster installed in 1999.

Guest wrote:I assume its not required as some ships don't have the symbol but have bow thrusters

I seem to recall these beginning to appear at some point during the 1990s. I'm assuming that it was due to some type of regulation requirement or liability reasons. Which ships with bow thrusters don't have the painted symbol?

Guest wrote:I assume its not required as some ships don't have the symbol but have bow thrusters

Do you have any examples.

I assume its not required as some ships don't have the symbol but have bow thrusters

Thanks for that!

It means they have a bow thruster to help maneuver they front of the ship.

It designates the location of the bowthruster.

Bow thruster.

custom500 wrote:Many of the ships have what looks like a four-spoke wheel painted on each side of the bow. What does this denote?

Indicates the presence of the bow thruster.

custom500 wrote:Many of the ships have what looks like a four-spoke wheel painted on each side of the bow. What does this denote?

A bow thruster. If they have a stern thruster it will have the same symbol.

This symbol shows where bow/stern thrusters are. Helps make boaters, dock workers, etc. aware of where they are to avoid any accidents from the wash/suction.

This a the symbol for a bow thruster, the bow thruster is directly underneath that symbol. It helps tugs when docking a freighter to know where it's safe to push from.

I believe what you are referring to is the hull marking for the bow thruster location. It's a similar concept to naval jets having the "caution: intake" warning painted on the front sides of jets.

custom500 wrote:Many of the ships have what looks like a four-spoke wheel painted on each side of the bow. What does this denote?

These symbols are there to bring attention to the fact that the ship has a submerged thruster unit. Ones at the bow denote a bow thruster while those at the stern a stern thruster unit. Many ships now have both.

I'm not a sailor but believe you are referring to the indicator of the bow thruster location below the water-line...

(image in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manoeuvring_thruster)

It indicates there is a bow thruster so stay clear

I believe you may be referring to the ship’s bow thruster symbol as most all ships have what you described. Some even have a stern thruster as well thus the symbol would also appear both at the bow and the stern. Hope that this helps to answer your questions.

Bow Thruster! It is a safety notification to all those who could be effected by the bow thruster when in use. The bow thruster could quickly draw or send water in different directions when it is used to nudge the bow of the boat to the left or right.

Many of the ships have what looks like a four-spoke wheel painted on each side of the bow. What does this denote?