Latest news with #AgeofSail
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Sail ships in the 21st century: Why ancient technology remains relevant today
Two people were killed and at least 19 others were injured after ARM Cuauhtémoc, a sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy, collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Sunday (May 18). In the age of mechanised propulsion, sail ships are somewhat of a novelty today. But modern navies — including the Indian Navy — continue to retain such vessels in their fleets. And amid growing concerns about climate change, they may actually make a triumphant return in the world of shipping. Unlike the great ships of the line during the Age of Sail, sail ships today are not meant to participate in naval battles. They lack the speed, endurance, manoeuverability, and resilience to participate in modern maritime warfare. That said, sail ships are excellent platforms to train naval cadets. 'Sail training ships are increasingly being used as basic seamanship and character building platforms by Navies the world over,' according to the website of Goa Shipyard Ltd which has built two sail ships — INS Tarangini and INS Sudarshini — currently in service with the Indian Navy. This is because sail ships are thought to provide the 'purest' experience of the seas possible. 'In an age of electronic navigation and advanced bridge simulators, nothing can replace the experience of going to sea under sail and feeling the power of the wind and waters that shape one's voyage and sharpen the senses,' wrote Captain Lawson W Brigham (retd). ('Training Under Sail in the 21st Century', Proceedings of the US Naval Academy, 2020). 'Sailing is transformative; it enhances environmental awareness and develops in a person a respect for the sea — fundamental lessons that will last a lifetime,' the former US Coast Guard officer wrote. According to a 2018 press release by the Indian Navy, 'the primary role' of sail training ships like INS Tarangini 'is to develop character and professionalism, as well as inculcate the qualities of initiative, courage, resilience and esprit-de-corps (meaning group spirit) amongst the Sea Trainees and also impart practical training to them, primarily on navigation, sailing and seamanship.' These ships also go on lengthy 'goodwill trips' — voyages to foster cooperation and improve relations between different nations. For instance, last November, INS Tarangini conducted a joint sailing exercise with the Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci off the coast of Kochi. Tarangini has also gone on extensive voyages in the past, most notably a circumnavigation of the globe in 2003-04. Sail ships — wind-propulsion, to be specific — may soon make a big-time comeback in commercial shipping. Cargo ships, which carry more than 80% of the world's goods, are mostly propelled by diesel engines. By some estimates, shipping alone accounts for roughly 3% of annual climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions, similar to the contribution of the aviation sector. Scientists have long been looking to improve fuel efficiency of cargo ships. And a return to sail has been heralded as one of the most practical ways to cut ships' emissions. This is because unlike other cutting-edge technologies in the play, wind propulsion is tried and tested, and thus significantly more economical to be widely adopted by profit-driven merchant shipping companies. That said, do not expect modern cargo vessels to suddenly morph into the great Age of Sail-era counterparts. For one, wind propulsion will not replace but simply augment a ship's mechanical propulsion system. This alone can lead to significant emission reductions by allowing the crew to turn the engine down while still maintaining speed, and thus, meeting critical deadlines. For instance, in 2024, shipping company Cargill reported that its vessel the Pyxis Ocean, a diesel-powered cargo ship retrofitted with two 'WindWings' — solid sails installed to vertically catch the wind and propel the ship forward — used three tonnes less fuel each day on average, equating to '11.02 tonnes of C02 emissions' saved each day when sails were up. Moreover, the 'sails' on 21st century cargo ships will look very different from traditional sails. Some designs look more like power kites used in kite surfing. Others, like Pyxis Ocean's WindWings, may resemble airplane wings. Still others may not be 'sails' at all. One viable, century-old design is the Flettner rotor, designed by German engineer Anton Flettner in the 1920s. Essentially a revolving cylinder mounted on a ship's deck, the Flettner rotor utilises the Magnus effect — same principle that makes a cricket ball swing — to propel a ship forward. 'As the wind flows around the revolving cylinders, the rotation creates an area of high air pressure on one side and lower pressure on the other… [This] pressure differential creates a force at right angles to the wind direction… On a vertical rotor, it helps push a ship forward,' a 2024 article in The Economist explained. While improvements in the fuel-efficiency of conventional diesel motors and the falling prices of oil had put the development of Flettner motors on the backburner, multiple companies are now looking at this technology to cut their cargo ship emissions. While widespread adoption of such technologies might still be years away, stricter emission rules in many ports is forcing shipping companies to change as fast as possible. As the article in The Economist put it: 'If their vessels continue to belch fumes then shipowners will soon find themselves unable to operate within many ports. Though the number of vessels returning to wind power remains small for now, this technology clearly has the wind in its sails.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Feeling Blue' And Other Terms We Regularly Use From The Age Of Sail
The etymology, or origin, of words and phrases we say every day come from all over the place. What's really surprising is how often the things we say all the time can trace the roots back to the sea and ships, specifically. I recently learned that the phrase 'feeling blue' actually has nautical origins. Basically, when a ship's captain died in ye olden times, the crew would fly a blue flag, leading to the word 'blue' because synonymous with being sad. Anyway, this led me down quite a rabbit hole, not dissimilar to the one our Brad Brownell went down last year, of phrases that come from the sea. If you're wondering why this strange phenomenon has happened, don't worry, I've got you covered. It's because England is a) an island and b) had a knack for spreading its culture far beyond its tiny rock in the Atlantic. During the height of the Age of Sail in the early 1800s, the number of sailors in the Royal Navy was equivalent to about two percent of the British male population, according to the CBC. 'Sailors' talk,' wrote merchant seaman and nautical novelist W. Clark Russell in 1883, 'is a dialect as distinct from ordinary English as Hindustani is, or Chinese.' At sea even familiar words took on new meanings, making the speech of sailors almost incomprehensible to landsmen. [...] Besides navy men, merchant sailors and fishers, longshoremen and dock workers, coast dwellers, sailors' families, and anyone who travelled by sea would have been exposed to this Jackspeak — the lingo of British Jack Tars. Another factor that popularized this jargon was the pop culture proliferation of sailors, as the CBC explains: The heyday of sailing happened to coincide with a boom in English literature. Over the course of the 18th century, newspaper and magazine publishing flourished, and the novel came into its own as a literary genre. The romance and perils of life at sea provided rich source material for authors, and tales like Robinson Crusoe (1719), The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748), and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) were met with a groundswell of popular interest. Authors peppered their prose with nautical terms to add realism to their work. For readers, the strangeness of the language seems to have been part of the appeal. Jackspeak was like a riddle to be solved. It could hide thrilling racy undertones or dangerous criticism of authority. It could also be used to comedic effect, as it was in satirical cartoons of the day. As nautical language became more recognizable ashore, it lent itself to metaphor. Landlubbers couldn't use the terms in their original context and so applied them to new situations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a list of some other extremely common phrases that have nautical origins. Here are some of my favorites. I'm sure quite a few of these are things you hear nearly every day but never thought twice about: Long Shot An occurrence that would take a great deal of luck. Early ships' guns tended to be inaccurate. If a shot made impact from a great distance, or a 'long shot,' it was considered out of the ordinary. Tide Over Make a small amount last until a larger amount is available. Not to be confused with 'tied over,' this phrase has its origins in seafaring. When there was no wind to fill the sails, sailors would float with the tide until the wind returned. They would 'tide over.' Taken Aback Startled or surprised. The sails of a ship were described as 'aback' when the wind blew them flat, or back, against their supporting structures. The Cut of His/Her Jib A person's general appearance. A jib is a type of sail. At one time countries would display their own unique jibs, allowing outsiders to instantly know the ship's origin, and form an impression of it by the cut of its jib. Pipe Down A request or command to be quiet. Ship crews received a variety of signals from the boatswain's pipe. One signal was 'piping down the hammocks,' which instructed the crew to go below decks and prepare for sleep. Toe the Line To conform to the policies of a group. Members of the British Royal Navy were required to stand barefoot and at attention for inspection. While at attention they lined up along the seams of the planks of the deck with their toes touching the line. This became known as 'toeing' the line. Take the Con To take control of. To take over, or control, the navigational duties on the bridge of a ship. If that isn't enough for you, don't worry at all. I've got even more fun little tidbits from the Royal Museums Greenwich in London. Loose cannon: If a cannon on board a ship broke free from its securing ropes, it would pose a danger to both the ship and its crew. Nowadays we might describe someone as a 'loose cannon' if they are known to be dangerous and unpredictable. Son of a gun: Rumour has it that a 'son of a gun' was a baby born on board a ship, perhaps between the guns of a gun deck. Now 'son of a gun' is an insult; on rarer occasions you may even hear someone exclaim it in surprise! Flake out: This phrase comes from when a crew would 'flake out' an anchor chain (lay it out flat) on the deck to check the chain links for signs of wear. Today, to 'flake out' is to be completely worn out or fall asleep. As the crow flies: If you travel 'as the crow flies' then you travel in a straight line, avoiding any obstacles. One theory for the origin of this phrase is that Vikings released land-loving crows or ravens from a ship to help find a route to the nearest shore. Legend has it that this is also why the lookout point at the top of a ship was called the 'crow's nest', named after the place where Viking sailors kept their crows or ravens in a cage. The bitter end: The bitter end is the final part of an anchor chain or rope that secures the anchor to the ship. To reach the bitter end was to have the chain or rope extended as far as it can go. Similarly, if you say you've reached the 'bitter end' today, it means you've gone as far as you can, often in a difficult situation. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
