What Goes Wrong?
Mechanical Failures
However well the ship is maintained, failures of equipment can
still occur. Engine breakdowns Probably the most common cause of accidents to ships today is a
failure of their machinery. There can be a wide variety of causes
including water in the fuel, a bearing running hot or a fuel pump
failing. If this sort of problem happened in a car, it would just
stop by the side of the road. However, engine breakdown can make a
ship very vulnerable during storms or being blown ashore. Sails, masts and rigging Big sailing ships had very tall masts and huge areas of sail,
all held up by miles of rigging [ definition]. If the wind
suddenly changed its direction or increased in force before the
crew could reduce the sail area, the whole lot could come crashing
down. This was known as `dismasting`. Dismasting was a serious matter. The mass of rigging and sails
would drag in the water and make it difficult to steer the ship, so
it had to be cut away as quickly as possible. The ship obviously
relied on its sails to drive it along so, to make it to port, the
crew had to use what sails and masts were left. A ship in this
state was known as a `jury rigged`. Hull problems The hull of a ship needs regular surveys and maintenance if it
is to retain its strength. This is especially so as the hull gets
older. The plates of a ship`s hull are vulnerable to corrosion,
which could make them so thin that they no longer have the strength
to resist the force of the sea. Equally important are the frames
[definition] on which the
plates are fastened. If they are corroded or not firmly welded
together, the hull may not have the strength to survive a major
storm. Navigational equipment Today`s seafarer relies heavily on electronic aids to
navigation, including radar and satellite navigation systems. These
are far more reliable than the old methods of navigation. These
involved using a sextant to measure the angle of the sun or stars
and a chronometer to fix a ship`s position. However, like any
equipment, electronic aids can can go wrong. If the navigators
cannot then fall back on old methods, the ship may be in danger if
its position is uncertain, especially in bad weather.
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