Large ships - what weather do they carry on into, in the Channel?

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Thinking of the terrible weather lashing the Western Approaches made me wonder....

What do large commercial ships do in these weather conditions? e.g. VLCCs, large cruise liners, RoRos, coasters, etc.? Do any of them carry on when they face this sort of thing in the Channel or do they take shelter at anchor? Obviously in the open ocean they have to stay out there but presumably even then, they take appropriate action?

I remember seeing a bent and crumpled door ex one of the lighthouses in the Western Approaches, on display at the Penzance lights exhibition. The power of the sea is awesome - that door was several feet thick and bent like a piece of plastic.
 
Lemain, have a look at some of pictures on the Ships Monthly forum - I forget which thread - but "awesome, phenomenal" are words that come to mind !
 
recent MAIB safety digest gives the result of damage to diggers that broke free in the hold of a 38,000 tonne vehicle carrier approaching the Engish channel in heavy weather. case 6 page 20
 
I don't know witch one it was, but one of the commador clippers came in to St Helier tonight, and it was like this at 1600,
PC090005.jpg
 
When I was at sea on box boats 18 years ago the ship cost $30000 a day to run, in heavy weather we 'might' slow down abit, in serious weather we would heave to and ride it out but otherwise the comfort of the crew is not all that important.

Mike
 
Most ships will slow down when plugging into extreme weather, maybe even heave to, but very few actually run for cover, cos time is money to all the commercial ships. Even in the RN, ships will tend to stay out: in 17 years I can only remember running for shelter once: we were running downwind at 28knots, the anemometer was hard up against the stops at 70kts.
The one that always makes me smile was my time onboard a helicopter carrier, with some RAF Chinooks onboard. We ran into a bit of a deep depression one night, winds 60-70kts, ship (22,000 tons) rolling 25 degs both ways. The sight of matelots calmly sitting down eating their dinner, while the RAF guys were screaming and running round wearing their lifejackets, pleading for us to make it stop, is one which makes me smile even now. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
The sight of matelots calmly sitting down eating their dinner, while the RAF guys were screaming and running round wearing their lifejackets, pleading for us to make it stop, is one which makes me smile even now.
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Matelots are not always such 'good sailors', in '50, when he Navy used the Princess Victoria as a leave ship for the 2000 odd from Gannet (RNAS Eglinton) and a few RAF people from Ballykelly. we filled the restaurant and most ordered mixed grills. As soon as we left Larne lough and she rolled, the restarant cleared and only 3 or 4 of us were left to try and make an impression on a vast quantity of mixed grills that wrere being served.
Incidentally it was only a year or two later that the Princess Victoria foundered near Donaghadee with a great loss of life.
 
Size has a lot to do with it, obviously the bigger ships (VLCC size etc.) will simply slow down to stop the pounding and, if space allows, may detour to avoid the worst of it. But it is a very costly business and cargoes have to be at their destination with little leeway in time without a financial penalty, so pressure on the skipper to get her there is enormous. The small coastal type ships will often have to seek shelter due to their size and you know when things are bad in the North Sea, 'cause Aberdeen is full of ships, as it Leirwick, and the rest are on their way in too!
 
Yesterday afternoon there was a Russian trawler hanging about a couple of miles east of the Lizard; the NCI watch man said there were two VLCCs well off the Lizard just going round in circles.
 
In part two, the pilot boat at Falmouth was called the 'Harry Slater', identifiable on the VT which I have. Louis 'Chink' Jane, who more recently lived near me, was her crew. She was still in Falmouth in the seventies.
 
A few years back my brother got 'caught' on a ferry from Rosslare-Fishguard (i think) in the Irish Sea, and they just ran northwards for 24 hours then turned round and bashed their way back down into wind until it was safe to head for port.

I remember being very ill stuck outside Boulogne in rough seas in 1961 when I was small. The ferry was a British Railways ship The Invicta. My first time on a ship as well..mind you I get seasick looking at photos of waves.

Tim
 
About 25 years ago I made the trip back to Harwich from Hoek van Holland on the regular ferry. It was very windy - probably 50knots+. Many of you may know the exit from the Maas - there is a long wall to the north. As we progressed off the dock I was on the lee deck watching the shipping ahead heading out to sea. I could see boats a mile ahead beginning to make open waters and start to hobby horse.

As we made it out to sea, we joined the hobby horsing. There was spray of course, but the thing I shall never forget is the tremedous vibration / shock that rang through the boat (20,000 tonnes) every time we dipped into a wave. You wonder how the boat can take such punishment.

It was fun for perhaps an hour. After that I remember wishing it all over, the bashing was so heavy - the boat shimmied as it rose to every wave. Luckily, I suppose, we only had a heading sea.

I guess it comes down to a question of control. If you're the skipper and still progressing, so be it. If you encounter a beam sea and the clinometer shows dangerous rolling, you have to head up and put a stop to it. A ferry is a much more versatile boat of course, than a large carrier loaded to the water line with cement etc.

PWG
 
Thinking of the terrible weather lashing the Western Approaches made me wonder....

)******************************************

Many moons ago my brother and I were deposited on board a pleasure boat at Torquay for a trip up the Dart. The weather in Torbay was interesting however we sailed on time in the lovely vessel which had ben bitl as a private yacht and I seem to remember Glennifer engines.

Lots of motion crossing Torbay however once past BErry head things got very interesting and with the vessel on her beam ends once or twice the skipper decided to just head into the seas on a south westerly course and not head for the River Dart.

This of course led to some concern of parents who had driven to BErry head....No sign of the ship in what looked like tempestuous seas.

The skipper watched the weather for well over an hour before plucking up the courage to turn around. He wasn t impressed either with the two teeneagers huddled behind the bulwarks on the steeply flared bow:)


The run back to Torquay with an angry following sea was interesting and we actually docked about on time....The bonus for us two boys was they even gave us our money back /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Hoped to do the same thing the following year but the old lady had gone and been replaced by an even older ex MTB.
which made the Dart with very wet decks.

Following this we both went to sea and can cofirm as others have said that ships may delay a sailing however once at sea it is only the most severe of typoons that action might be taken to take the ship to less tempestuous seas. On other occasions it is quite normal to "bring the job back" as they say and settle down for a more comfortable time rather than let the bosses find stove in bottom plating at the next dry docking. My record for reduced speed is almost a total PAcific crossing from Portland Oregon to Southern JApan. A twelve day passage which took 21 days.

There are many photograps of such weather including this on the web..The picture of CArdiff City during this passage has adorned more than one brochure over the years.

Cardiff City 5th one down
 
First thought.

In '67 I was aboard the MV Fairsky (12000 grt) making passage from Capetown to Fremantle and 2 days out we hit a full on typhoon. Every day the passengers had a sweep for the nm covered (normally about 400) for those 24 hrs we covered 27nm ~ interesting to say the least. I'll never forget the second meal sitting when the whole of the main course ended up on the deck and we scrabbled around trying to find a newly wed couples wedding ring ~ fell off her finger during a particularly serious roll ~ we found it.

Second thought

I was a passenger on board a Larne - Stranraer ferry, we arrived in Stranraer to find the wind blowing a hoolie at almost 90 degs to the berth, the skipper drove her in and got the bow lines on but just couldn't get the stern lines on. After 3 attempts and 3 broken bow lines he gave up and went and sat in the fairway for 30 (or so) minutes ~ not easy as there's very little water or room there. He had obviously been speaking with the shore crews and on his next attempt we succeeded in getting tied up.

I took my hat off to the guy because that was good seamanship.

Peter.
 
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