How do ships orientate themselves?

Question

Which instruments or techniques do they use, to move from one point to another?

Be as precise as you can.

(I need this information for this particular reasons).

Answer 1

The most common navigational tool used today is obviously a GPS chart plotter, however you will still find a compass and paper charts available on most vessels. Radar and LORAN are still in use and the ancient art of celestial navigation is still REQUIRED of most captains. How detailed an answer you'd like will probably take more room to write than is available here- countless FAT volumes have been written on each particular method. There is also the matter of the ships power-engine or sail. Sail power requires more work to plot a course because of the variations in wind direction. If your destination is upwind of your vessel, you'll be required to "tack" (plot a zig-zag course) into the wind in order to reach it. If this answer is too broad, go here:

http://www.irbs.com/bowditch/

http://www.chapman.org/

There's a lot to learn if you really want to know this. Navigation in most of it's forms is an art. Even with GPS, you still have know how to read a chart and to pilot a vessel.

Answer 2

Boat have a rudder. Located the stern it pushes water to the side, but this only works if the ship is moving. It is like a car that has to move in order to turn, but a car steers in the front while a boat steer in the back. The rudder is not so efficient on very large boats, that is why when moving slow at the docks, they have tug boats to push them to the side when needed. In order to eliminate the tugs, some cruise ships have side thrusting propellers to do the work of the tug boat.

Answer 3

Small ships use rudders to orientate themselves. Large ships use the thrust from variable positioning engines to orientate themselves. GPS, sonar, radar and wether forcasts also are involved in the orientation of ships.

Answer 4

These days ship and airplane navigation is primarily by GPS. Every other navigation system such as stellar navigation or solar navigation is used primarily as backup.

Answer 5

Ships ORIENT themselves primarily by
magnetic compass, even in this day and age.
(It's cheap, simple, and it works.)

Most NAVIGATION is by GPS or radio beacon
systems.