FACT: large passenger ships have stabilizers for rough seas

I have just returned from a lovely cruise down the Pacific coast line aboard the Norwegian Pearl. (which explains the absence of posts last week) The cruise was great, and for the most part smooth sailing, but one night in particular I felt like a slow-motion bronco-rider as the room wobbled back and forth. It was pretty severe. I know of at least one birthday cake that ended up on the floor. (for the record, that was an as-of-yet un-eaten cake.)

The next day I heard that the ship’s stabilizer was not working. I had no idea what that really meant, so today I’m here to assauge my curiosity.

“Roll” is the most noticeable movement on a ship. That’s the side-to-side tilting from left to right. (pardon me… port to starboard) The basic stabilizers are big wings that stick out from the side of the ship, under the water. These simply add more resistance to moving through the water. The high tech ones are controlled with a gyroscope to tilt and turn in response to the ocean for maximum effectiveness, which also perfectly describes my dancing on board.

These wings are retracted or folded into the side of the ship when not required. Apparently, ours wouldn’t come out.

There’s also another stabilizer system that is less common, but can help with smoothing out the ship’s rocking. It’s basically two big water tanks, with a powerful pump in the middle. By moving large quantities of water from side to side, the shifting weight works against the ocean waves to prevent jerky movements. Again, going back to the dance floor, that also explains why you can’t do “the robot” after drinking a lot.

• Source: http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/non_aviation/read.main/1995959

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