You fella's are both quite right in your corrections. My appologies.
Sometimes the connection between what my brain is thinking and what my hands
are typing is something less than 100% at 0230 in the morning. Nice to know
we have such a knowledgeable group here to keep things straight... ;-)
As for how a SWATH handles seas on the beam, bow and quarter: the only
SWATH I've sailed on was the KM, so my opinions are based on her. I'm
guessing she was designed for seas up to about 20 - 25 feet, as that's about
how high the bottom of the main superstructure is above the WL. One might
expect beam seas to be a problem, but in reality in that range they weren't
a problem, and when they were on the bow there was some pitching, but no
much. The only time I could feel any real motion (still nothing compared to
a conventional mono hulled ship) was underway with the seas on a quarter,
which gave the motion a wierd "cork screw" kind of feeling too it. Still
nothing compared to any other ship I've been on...
When the seas got bigger than that, it was a bit spooky, as the seas would
pound the unprotected superstructure (in our case, the mess area), and
continue pounding under the superstructure until they passed underneath.
Overall though, SWATH's make an ideal research platform as they are very
stable and maneuverable while lying a hull or station keeping. They do have
their weaknesses (most troublesome was her extreme sensitivity to any shift
or change in our carried load) but otherwise a very nice ride.
--
Paul
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