Any ship experts here?

[kerbie18]

At the very front of the bow, built into the hull of the ship, are two hidden doors, one on each side. They are a good 80 feet above the water line, and they only open when the ship is tied up. Anyone know what they are for?

(I'm currently on a cruise, by the way)

[NPTim]

They must still use the plank for unruly passengers.

[M&P15T]

Ask the people that run the ship. 

[kerbie18]

3 minutes ago, M&P15T said:

Ask the people that run the ship. 

I could do that, it's more fun to bother you people.

[Cougar_ml]

might be so a member of the crew can view the bow of the ship when at slow speed going into dock?

 

Doesn't look like you could see down at the waterline from any other angle at the front.

[Eric]

1 hour ago, kerbie18 said:

At the very front of the bow, built into the hull of the ship, are two hidden doors, one on each side. They are a good 80 feet above the water line, and they only open when the ship is tied up. Anyone know what they are for?

(I'm currently on a cruise, by the way)

There looks to be a small vertical port with rollers for a line just forward of that hatch. I agree with Cougar that it makes a good observation point, but it may also be a point to deploy a bow line. 

[Gunboat1]

Three purposes.  When docking, you need to pass the mooring lines over to the line handlers on the pier.  You can't throw a big heavy mooring line.  You throw a light, flexible messenger line with a weighted end, usually a decorative knot called a monkey fist with a lead slug in it for mass.  That is tied to the mooring line.  You have to stand somewhere to throw it....the platform.

 

Also, when weighing anchor, someone needs to sight the anchor when it comes to the surface, to make sure it isn't snagged on anything...like another vessel's anchor chain, an underwater cable, or junk.  The big slot in the hull above the whale's tale is the hawsepipe, or recess where the anchor is stowed.  You have to be able to see the anchor, which is under the flare of the hull and invisible....except from the platform.

 

Also, the markings on the hull down low which look like little propellers indicate that the ship has three bow thrusters there.  These are transversely mounted propellers which let you push the bow sideways.  They suck a lot of water in and push a lot of water out and are dangerous to anyone or any small watercraft near them when they operate.  The platform lookout can tell the bridge when/if it is safe to operate them as the area is clear.

 

Now, please go buy a copy of my new book!  😹

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VWRWW6M/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_bibl_vppi_i2

[kerbie18]

Thanks man, I knew someone here would educate me. This ship is a friggin BEAST, something like 168,000 tons. When we first left port, we were docked next to the Battleship Iowa. This monster dwarfs the Iowa, I was looking way down on it from my room. Plus, the Iowa doesn't have laser tag or a go-kart track.

[Gunboat1]

Yeah, but 16" guns have a magic all their own.....

[tous]

I am not a marine architect or marine engineer, but those contemporary cruise ships look so damned top heavy that if they took a three foot wave beam on, they'd flop over.

Those doors can serve a number of purposes, depending on what is in the bow spaces.  I suspect that there aren't many staterooms and if there are, they're the cheap seats.  The bow of the ship is the most active under weather.  Even in moderate seas, your rack would be dancing.  If it is storage spaces, it makes sense to load stores as close to where they will sit rather than move them through the usually very cramped ship.  

Regarding observation from the bow, I suspect that there are cameras and sensors all over that ship for just that purpose.  Oh for the days of a wheel, a binnacle (a stand that holds the compass) and a sextant was all you needed.

A ship wouldn't drop anchor if it were moored to a pier, wharf or quay, but again I suspect that those ships have gotten so large that they may not be able to moor in some ports and must park, anchored in the bay.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

[kerbie18]

15 minutes ago, tous said:

I am not a marine architect or marine engineer, but those contemporary cruise ships look so damned top heavy that if they took a three foot wave beam on, they'd flop over.

 

You're right that they do appear to be top heavy. I think the same thing of aircraft carriers.

These ships carry all the heavy stuff below the water line. That would be engines, fuel, fresh water, etc. They can reach 40 feet deep below the water. They are designed to be bottom heavy. They have hydraulic stabilizer fins below the water to cancel the wave action. 

They also have the benefit of satellite weather reports, and they stay the hell away from bad weather. I was on a previous cruise that changed plans based on weather.

 

[Peng]

Forget the doors man.  Did you have a naked chick pop out of a cake yet?

 

[kerbie18]

On 3/31/2022 at 10:28 PM, Peng said:

Forget the doors man.  Did you have a naked chick pop out of a cake yet?

 

Given the fact that I brought along my 15 year old daughter, I haven't done anything naughty on this cruise.

[Batesmotel]

Since they got rid of topples decks my wife lost interest in cruising. 

[DAKA]

LOVE CRUISING 

Looking to book now that I feel safe again....

(till the next wave of variants)    Or is this just bulls**t to sell more injectible junk...drug companies gotta make more money for the Politicos

[kerbie18]

As explained earlier, this is mostly about mooring lines. I thought it was funny as hell that a hoard of sea lions hang out around them. The dock workers would just walk around the sea lions.

[janice6]

On 3/31/2022 at 9:46 PM, tous said:

I am not a marine architect or marine engineer, but those contemporary cruise ships look so damned top heavy that if they took a three foot wave beam on, they'd flop over.

Those doors can serve a number of purposes, depending on what is in the bow spaces.  I suspect that there aren't many staterooms and if there are, they're the cheap seats.  The bow of the ship is the most active under weather.  Even in moderate seas, your rack would be dancing.  If it is storage spaces, it makes sense to load stores as close to where they will sit rather than move them through the usually very cramped ship.  

Regarding observation from the bow, I suspect that there are cameras and sensors all over that ship for just that purpose.  Oh for the days of a wheel, a binnacle (a stand that holds the compass) and a sextant was all you needed.

A ship wouldn't drop anchor if it were moored to a pier, wharf or quay, but again I suspect that those ships have gotten so large that they may not be able to moor in some ports and must park, anchored in the bay.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

My rack was in the forward crews quarters just aft of the chain locker in the wooden 180 foot MSO Minesweeper Aggressive.  I actually got to like sleeping in the bow.  You could reach under the rack and lock your hands together in round seas an stop from being thrown up into the bunk above you.  Seems contrary to common sense but you could keep those fingers locked even while sleeping.

With calm weather the constant rocking and pitching was like being held in someone's arms and being rocked to sleep.  We has a revision of the crews quarters when we went into the "Yard" and they piped individual air vents to each rack so it wasn't too uncomfortable.

Our worst storm occurred while we were sleeping.  It got so severe that the aluminum lockers in the forward crews quarters broke loose from their mounts.  The supply locker was being thrown from port to starboard, forward and aft, slamming into the frame of the bottom bunks with enough force that it broke open a 5 gallon can of liquid floor wax which then washed all over the deck.  It was a mess with all the crews lockers broken free and flying all over on a deck awash with liquid wax.

We woke up obviously to the crashing of the lockers.  It was noon before we could get out of our racks when they finally secured the errant lockers.  One guy broke his leg trying to grab a locker to "save us"!

The two years I had on that ship were absolutely wonderful.  It was like a great beer party for the most part.  I did despicable things that seemed to always turn out for my benefit.  I would advise military service to each and every youngster leaving high school.  I went everywhere!

[railfancwb]

On one cruise the ship was anchored far enough out that several ship’s boats shuffled passengers who were interested to shore and later back.

Enjoying the book. Downloaded the Kindle sample then bought the full Kindle book.

Stories in the book make it an interesting counterpoint to the Hornblower series of novels. 

[Gunboat1]

Thanks so much!  That's quite a compliment.   GB1

[gwalchmai]

On 3/31/2022 at 5:10 PM, kerbie18 said:

At the very front of the bow, built into the hull of the ship, are two hidden doors, one on each side. They are a good 80 feet above the water line, and they only open when the ship is tied up. Anyone know what they are for?

(I'm currently on a cruise, by the way)

Kerbie, are you pulling a Columbo on The Love Boat?

[kerbie18]

Sea Lions are a real menace. Me, my daughter, and "Lucas". These sea lions were like stray dogs everywhere. The dock workers didn't mind them.

[tous]

Did you discover the purpose of the bow doors?

Good that you and your family had  fun.

[railfancwb]

Been years since I was on an ocean cruise. Memory says the performance theater and the movie theater were located on different decks in the bow. The wedge shape of the space made this a logical use with the stage or screen near the front with seats fanning as the rows moved toward the stern. 

[gwalchmai]

All the skrimps you can eat? I'm IN!

[kerbie18]

As usual, I posted a topic, and my boresite family provided me with meaningful discussion.