Ship’s Pivot Point

Controllable Forces

Pivot Point

 Is the point where the ship turns around.

 Imaginary point on the ship’s centerline about which the ship pivots.
Forces which affect location of the Pivot Point

 Headway or Sternway
 Ship’s Speed

 Anchors
 Mooring Lines
 Tugs
 When the ship is dead in the water, the pivot point is generally in the center
if the ship.
 When initially ordering engines ahead, the pivot point shifts forward as the
speed increases. Once the ship is steady steaming, the pivot point settles
back at about 1/3 from the bow.
 When ordering engines astern, the opposite takes place; the pivot point shifts
aft and settles at about 1/3 from the stern.
Wind

 Acts on the freeboard or sail area of the ship

 Exposed superstructure
 Hull structure

 Ships tend to back into the wind

 30kts of wind = 1kts of current

 Uncontrollable Forces
Current

 Acts on the underwater part of the ship.

 Creates set and drift.

Wind and Current Effect
on Vessels
The following figures illustrate the position of the Pivot point as a vessel moves
from a position of stop to one moving ahead and astern,
 The pressure of the water that acts on the bow or at the stern brings about a
shift in the position of the Pivot point.

 In this situation no forces are involved and the ship has a pivot point
coinciding with its centre of gravity approximately amidships.
 Making Headway
 Two forces now come into play. Firstly, the forward momentum of the ship
and secondly longitudinal resistance to the forward momentum created by
the water ahead of the ship. These two forces must ultimately strike a
balance and the pivot point moves forward. As a rough guide It can be
assumed that at a steady speed the pivot point will be approximately 25% or a
1/4 of the ship's length from forward.
 Making Sternway
 The situation is now totally reversed. The momentum of sternway must
balance longitudinal resistance this time created by the water astern of the
ship. The pivot point now moves aft and establishes itself approximately 25%
or a 1/4 of the ship's length from the stern.
 Although not intended some publications may give the impression that the
pivot point moves right aft with sternway. This Is clearly not correct and can
sometimes be Misleading. It should also be stressed that other factors such as
acceleration shape of hull and speed may all affect the position of the pivot
point. The arbitrary figures quoted here however, are perfectly adequate for
a simple and practical working knowledge of the subject.
 Vessel stopped
 his is an example of a ship of 160 metres. It is stopped in the water and two
tugs are secured fore and aft on long lines through centre leads. If the tugs
apply the same bollard pull of say 15 tonnes (t) each. It is to a position 80m
fore and aft of the pivot point. Thus two equal turning levers and moments
of 80m x 15t (1200tm) are created resulting in even lateral motion and no
rate of turn.
 Making Headway
 With the ship making steady headway however, the pivot point has shifted to
a position 40m from the bow. The forward tug is now working on a very poor
turning lever of 40m x 15t (600tm), whilst the after tug is working on an
extremely good turning lever of 120m x 15t (1800t-m). This results in a swing
of the stern to port.
 Making Sternway
 The efficiency of the tugs will change totally when by contrast the ship
makes sternway. Now the pivot point has moved aft to a position 40m
from the stern. The forward tug Is working on an excellent turning lever
of 120m x 15t (1800tm) whilst the after tug has lost its efficiency to a
reduced turning lever of 40m x 15t (600tm). This now results in a swing of
the bow to port.
Wind

 In meteorology, winds are often referred to according to their strength, and

the direction from which the wind is blowing. Short bursts of high speed wind
are termed gusts. Strong winds of intermediate duration (around one minute)
are termed squalls. Long-duration winds have various names associated with
their average strength, such as breeze, gale, storm, hurricane, and typhoon.
Wind occurs on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of
minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a
few hours, to global winds resulting from the difference in absorption of solar
energy between the climate zones on Earth. The two main causes of large-
scale atmospheric circulation are the differential heating between the
equator and the poles, and the rotation of the planet (Coriolis effect). Within
the tropics, thermal low circulations over terrain and high plateaus can drive
monsoon circulations. In coastal areas the sea breeze/land breeze cycle can
define local winds; in areas that have variable terrain, mountain and valley
breezes can dominate local winds.
 General effects.
 In most ships the pivoting point is well forward when moving ahead, so that
the pressure on the greater exposed area abaft this point tends to turn the
ship into the wind. When going astern, the pivoting point moves aft and the
stern tends to fly into the wind. The degree to which these effects are felt
depends largely on the shape and disposition of the ship’s superstructure. For
example, a ship with a very high forecastle is not affected a great deal when
going ahead, but her stern seeks the eye of the wind rapidly as soon as she
gathers sternway.
 The effect on the ship’s turning circle usually is to expand the curve in the
two quadrants in which her bows are turning away from the wind, and to
contract it elsewhere. When turning away from the wind the ship is sluggish
in answering her rudder. She may be carrying lee rudder already to keep her
on her course, so that in order to start the turn more wheel than usual must
be applied. When avoiding a danger ahead remember that the advance will
be greater’ when turning away from the wind.
 Wind effects are felt more strongly when speed is slow, and when she is
lightly laden. As ahead speed is reduced the bow usually falls off the wind
more and more rapidly until, when the ship has lost all way, she lies
approximately beam-on to the wind
Effect when turning at rest

 Effect when turning at rest. When turning at rest in calm weather a ship
pivots about a point somewhere between her centre of gravity and the centre
of area of her underwater profile. This point is normally somewhat forward
of amidships, but it moves forward or aft with trim by the bow or stem
respectively. Under the influence of wind the attitude of a ship when stopped
depends on the relation between the area exposed to the wind before and
abaft the at-rest pivoting point. Usually a warship lies with the wind within
20 degrees of the beam, and when settled there she requires a greater
turning moment than normal to start her turning at rest.
Drift

 Drift. Any ship drifts to leeward under the influence of wind, the rate
increasing progressively with loss of headway or sternway and with an
increase in the angle of wind from the fore-and-aft line. When stopped and
beam-on to the wind, the ship, as she drifts to leeward, begins to transmit
her motion to the water surrounding her. The rate of drift increases up to a
point at which both the ship and a body of surrounding water are moving
bodily to leeward. Immediately the ship moves ahead or astern she will then
enter water that is not drifting and so will reduce her own rate of drift to
leeward.
 EFFECT OF WIND ON A SHIP

EFFECT OF WIND ON A SHIP

 Once a ship has been obliged to reduce to slow speed in a storm the pressure
of the wind on her hull will have an increased effect on her handling
qualities. The effect is greater if the ship is lightly laden, or is of shallow
draught, or has large superstructures. When going very slowly or when
stopped, most ships tend to lie broadside on to the wind, and in exceptionally
strong winds it may be difficult to turn them up into the wind, though it may
be possible to turn them away down-wind. In a typhoon or hurricane it may
be impossible to turn certain ships into the wind, which is one good reason
why any seaman avoids such conditions with land or dangers to leeward.
Leeway caused by the wind

 The amount of leeway a ship makes in a gale depends on her speed, draught
and freeboard, and on her course in relation to the direction of the wind and
sea. In winds of gale or hurricane force the leeway with the wind abeam can
be very considerable, and may amount to as much as two knots or more,
particularly if the ship is steaming at slow speed.
 It is a common mistake among inexperienced seamen to make insufficient
allowance for leeway, particularly in a prolonged gale when, in addition to
the wind, there will be a surface current caused by it. The amount of leeway
made by a ship in various circumstances can only be judged by experience,
but it is wise to allow a liberal margin of safety when passing dangers to
leeward, because cases abound of ships having gone aground through failure
to make sufficient allowance for leeway in the course steered.
Leeway

 Leeway is the amount of drift motion to leeward of an object floating in the

water caused by the component of the wind vector that is perpendicular to
the object’s forward motion.[1] The National Search and Rescue Supplement to
the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual
defines leeway as "the movement of a search object through water caused by
winds blowing against exposed surfaces".[2] However, the resultant total
motion of an object is made up of the leeway drift and the movement of the
upper layer of the ocean caused by the surface currents, tidal currents and
ocean currents.[3] Objects with a greater exposure to each element will
experience more leeway drift and overall movement through the water than
ones with less exposure.
Current and Tidal Stream

 Clearly the ship’s handling qualities are not affected in any way if the whole
body of water covering the area in which she is manoeuvring is moving at a
constant speed. In narrow waters, allowance must be made for the distance
the ship will be moved by the stream during a manoeuvre. But it frequently
occurs in confined waters that the stream differs considerably within a small
area, so that the bows and stern may be exposed to quite different currents.
Shallow water

 When a ship is moving in shallow water the gap between the ship’s hull and
the bottom is restricted, the streamline flow of water past the hull is altered
and the result is seen as a greatly increased transverse wave formation at the
bows and again at the stern. In fact, the increased size of the stern wave is a
sure indication of the presence of shallow water. The energy expended in the
waves formed by the ship is a loss from the power available to drive her, and
therefore in shallow water her speed is reduced. Furthermore, the restricted
flow of water past the stern reduces propeller efficiency, which also tends to
reduce her speed. Usually, the higher the speed the more pronounced is the
reduction of speed. In extreme cases, and particularly in ships of low
freeboard aft, the deck aft may be flooded by the stern wave.
 The effects of shallow water on the speed of the ship and on the flow of
water past the hull when moving ahead have already been described. These
effects may become excessive if the depth of water is less than one-and-a-
half times the draught, particularly if the ship enters such water at high
speed. She may become directionally unstable and fail to answer her rudder
at all, and the draught aft may increase so greatly as to cause the propellers
to touch bottom.
 The effects are likely to be particularly pronounced in ships where the
propeller slipstream does not play directly on to the rudder. The effects of
shallow water on steering in restricted waters such as canals or rivers are
usually worse than in the open sea, and are more likely to have dangerous
results. The only way to regain control is to reduce speed drastically at once.
Slipstream

 A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid

(typically air or water) is moving at velocities comparable to the moving
object (in comparison to the ambient fluid through which the object is
moving).[1] The term slipstream also applies to the similar region adjacent to
an object with a fluid moving around it. "Slipstreaming" or "drafting" works
because of the relative motion of the fluid in the slipstream.
 When manoeuvring at slow speed or turning at rest in a confined space in
shallow water, the expected effects from the rudder and the propellers may
not appear. Water cannot flow easily from one side of the ship to the other,
so that the sideways force from the propellers may in fact be opposite to
what usually occurs. Eddies may build up that counteract the propeller forces
and the expected action of the rudder. If the attempt to turn at rest in
shallow water with ahead revolutions on one shaft and astern on the
other fails, or the turn is very sluggish, the situation will almost certainly
become worse if the revolutions are increased. Stopping the engines to
allow the eddies to subside, and then starting again with reduced revolutions,
is more likely to be successful.
Passing through canals and narrow
channels
 The effects of shallow water on the speed and steering of a ship, are intensified in
a canal or similar narrow shallow passage, because the movement of water around
the ship is confined. A ship moving along a canal pushes ahead of her a volume of
water proportionate to her size and speed. A lateral wave is formed just ahead of
the ship, constituting a zone of increased pressure, just astern a similar but
smaller wave travels along with the ship. Between these two waves there is a
trough along the length of the ship constituting a suction zone. Anything floating
is repelled by the wave at the bows, and similarly the bows of the ship itself are
repelled from anything solid such as the canal bank. The suction zone tends to
attract any floating thing towards the sides and quarters of the ship, and also to
cause the after part of the ship to be attracted towards the bank. The water level
in the canal ahead of the ship is raised; while astern of her it is lowered. If speed
is increased and the depth and width of the canal are little more than the draught
and beam of the ship, the effects are noticeable a long way ahead and stern of the
ship.
Effect of canal on ship’s speed

 To maintain the level of water in the canal an opposing current is set up that
flows rapidly past the sides of the ship. This current is strongest close to the
ship and near the surface, and weakest at the bottom of the canal and near
its sides. Combined with the shallow-water effect, this opposing stream
retards the ship’s progress. For example, a heavy ship passing through the
narrow sections of the Suez Canal may make good only 5 knots at revolutions
for 7 knots, while passage through the Gaillard Pass of the Panama Canal may
reduce the ship’s speed by as much as 40 per cent.
 To prevent damage to the banks and to craft moored, a speed limit is imposed
in canals and in many rivers, and this must be rigidly obeyed. If the draught
is such that there is only a little water under the keel, the ship’s speed should
be kept well down, and a careful watch kept on the state of the wave
formation caused by the ship’s passage. An increase in the bow and stern
waves indicates that the ship is going too fast. She tends to settle deeper in
the trough, and her speed may drop suddenly, causing the stem wave to
overtake the ship and render the steering uncontrollable. The same effect
may occur when the revolutions are reduced rapidly, so it is all the more
important not to go too fast, and if obliged to reduce speed, to do so
gradually if possible.
Correction of a sheer in a canal

 In a canal the use of the wheel alone may be quite insufficient to correct a
sheer, hence the ship handler should be ready to use the engines on the
instant, or to let go an anchor immediately, if the need arises.
 Experiments have further shown that it may be less effective to reverse the
engine or propeller pitch on the side away from the sheer than merely to stop
it. There is also the danger of damaging the propellers by swinging the stem
too close two the bank. Meanwhile the rudder may be entirely ineffective in
checking the sheer, and, if so, the anchor opposite the direction of sheer
should be let go and dragged at short stay.
 In a large ship, if prompt action with the engines and rudder as described has
failed to have any effect on the sheer, it is probably best to apply full astern
power in order to take the way off the ship, and if necessary also to let go
both anchors. If this is not done by the time the sheer has carried the bows
past the centre of the channel it is unlikely that the ship can be prevented
from striking the opposite bank.
 In smaller single-screw ships a sheer is best checked by full ahead revolutions
(or full pitch) and full rudder, but on occasions the sideways force of the
propeller when going astern may be used to prevent the stern swinging on to
the starboard bank.
 In any ship quick judgment is necessary when correcting a sheer, to ensure
that the correcting action is removed and possibly countered as soon as it
begins to take effect; otherwise it is quite easy to produce a sheer in the
opposite direction and ground the ship on the bank from which she was
originally swinging away.
 To sum up, a ship when in a canal has a critical speed above which her
steering becomes increasingly erratic because of the shallow-water
effects. This is known as the canal speed, which cannot be exceeded with
safety.
Smelling the ground

 The effect of water pressure against the bows from the presence of shelving
water on one side, causing the bows to swing away into deeper water, is the
phenomenon known as smelling the ground. In a narrow passage or canal it
can produce a dangerous sheer towards the opposite shore or bank, but it can
be beneficial if the water opposite the shoal is deep add safe. The effect is
most marked if the bottom shelves steeply.
Rounding a bend where there is little
current
 As the ship approaches a bend in a canal or river there will be a tendency for
the bows to smell the ground on the outer bank and so to be swung round the
bend. In negotiating a bend it may be found that it is unnecessary to use any
wheel towards the direction of the bend, because the water pressure on the
outer bow will be just sufficient to carry the ship round. In fact, if the ship
approaches the bend on the outer side of the channel it may be necessary to
use opposite wheel to keep her safely in the channel as she rounds the
bend. If she approaches the bend too close to the inner bank there is a
danger that she may take an uncontrollable sheer towards the outer
bank. Nice judgement is therefore required in selecting the best course to
follow and if there is little current it is generally advisable to keep to the
centre of the channel, but inclining slightly to the outside of the bend, when
it will often be found that very little rudder is required to negotiate the bend.