My father was in the Navy before they had radar. These big ships don't turn easily and the officers had to worry about worry about running into other ships. My dad taught me a trick about avoiding collisions.
Just using eyesight and knowing where the other ship was in relationship to their bow, how could they tell if they were on a potential collision course?
2007-12-28 04:52:04 · 3 answers · asked by Frst Grade Rocks! Ω 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Check to see if the other ship is staying at a set angle relative to your own ship. If it is, look out!
This can be "eyesighted" by picking out a couple of reference points on your own ship that lines up with the other ship. If the other ship stays in alignment with those points, it will hit.
I don't steer boats much, but I do ski, and that's what I go by.
2007-12-28 05:59:17 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
They use the running lights, if they saw different combinations of green and red they knew which way the ship was pointing
2007-12-28 12:56:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
No change of bearing would suggest it is moving parallel, diverging, or converging.
2007-12-28 12:57:07 · answer #3 · answered by Mark 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋