QE2 grounding
Subject: QE2 grounding
From: nigel_gardner (Nigel_Gardner@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Aug 30 2001 - 07:20:03 EDT
The MAIB report certainly pointed up the lack of detailed knowledge about
squat, although it has been known about for a very long time. For example,
Thames barges in the 19th and early 20th C. used to skate over large areas
of sand in order to beat tides and competitors, and spoke of the vessel
'smelling the bottom' as the change of trim caused by squat was felt by the
master. The amount of squat is a function of type of sea bottom, underbody
shape, speed of vessel, speed of tidal flow (and probably the price of lard
as well). If I remember rightly, what caught out QE2 was that the general
depth around Rude's rock was not particularly shallow and that the squat
was much more than had been anticipated
NG.
