BTW, Bilge Keels are great additions .... funny part is, that their best
reduction in rolling ( note I said "rolling" ) is a mere 10%.

The way I understand it, bilge keels -increase- the rolling period (the time
from heeling on one side to the other), and I'd guess that 10% is about
right. I've never worked (or sailed for that matter) on a cruise ship
(well... not entirely true... I was a cadet aboard a retired US Lines ship),
but I understand their "active stabilizers" do a better job at keeping the
vessel flat.

Incidently (and we're way off topic), the most comfortable riding ship I
ever worked on was the RV Kilo Moana, a SWATH (Submerged Waterplane Attached
Twin Hull). You could literally leave your cup of coffee on a table in 20
foot seas and it wouldn't budge. SWATH's are actually -more- comfortable
with seas on the beam, we frequently lied abeam to do scientific work.

As for blowing out windows/portholes.... heading is immaterial, vessel
size is immaterial.... the right sea at the right moment, now, THAT'S
important.

Good point. Mother Nature is rarely nice enough to give us seas from
only -one- direction. Depending on your vessel's heading, your wake can
reflect or refract off the side of your hull, interact with a sea and send
it in nearly any direction at all.

On the ships I've served on, all portholes up to the main deck had
"deadlights", heavy, solid metal covers for when the weather gets nasty.
When it got nasty, we just dogged them down. Never had one fail (not to say
it isn't possible though).

But things are probably different on the modern cruise ships. I've berthed
near a number of cruise ships, and one I remember in particular had "sliding
glass doors" to cabins above the main deck! You wonder what the designer
was thinking...


All the best,

--
Paul

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