Category Science

Lifeboats are rescue boats that don’t sink even if they capsize (turn upside down). A lifeboat has a watertight cabin that makes it bob back upright. It has a strong hull and powerful engines for travelling quickly through rough seas.

Amazing! The famous passenger liner Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. But it sank on its maiden (first) voyage after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.

What is a lightship?

A lightship is a ship with a lighthouse on its deck. Lightships are anchored near shallow water or dangerous rocks to warn sailors to keep clear. Most lightships have no crew because they are controlled automatically from shore.

Is it true? Life savers row through surf to rescue people.

Yes. Lifeguards row boats designed to break easily through surf near the beach. When they’re off duty, lifeguards also race their boats.

Which boat puts out fires?

Fire-fighting tugs are like fire engines at sea. They’re designed to put out fires on ships, oil rigs, or in buildings on shore. They have powerful pumps which pump water from the sea to spray at fires.

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Fishermen use boats called trawlers to catch fish and other sea creatures such as shrimps. A trawler moves slowly through the water, pulling huge fishing nets behind. Every few hours the nets are pulled in and emptied. Trawlers have to be very strong and seaworthy because they often fish in stormy seas.

What is a factory ship?

A factory ship is a huge fishing ship where fish are prepared for market. The catch can even be frozen and stored on board. Factory ships sometimes catch their own fish, but normally they store fish caught by a whole fleet of much smaller fishing boats.

Who hunted whales?

Whalers were men who hunted whales for the oil in their blubber and also for their meat. When a whale was spotted, the whalers went after it in small boats and threw or fired spears, called harpoons, to kill it.

Is it true? People go fishing in kayaks.

Yes. Kayak is the proper name for a canoe with a deck on top and a small cockpit where the paddler sits. In the Arctic, Inuit fishermen hunt in kayaks made from wooden frames covered in seal skin.

Amazing! Fishing boats called long liners catch fish on a fishing line up to 50 kilometres long. Hooks with bait are attached all the way along the line. Floats on the line have beacons that show where the line is in the dark.

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The oil tanker Jahre Viking is the biggest ship ever built. It is 458 metres long and 68 metres wide. Four football pitches would fit on its deck. Fully laden, it weighs 564,000 tonnes.

What is a ro-ro?

A ro-ro is a type of vehicle ferry. Ro-ro is short for roll-on, roll-off. It means that vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks drive on to the ferry at one port and drive off again when the ferry arrives at its destination.

Is it true? Some ships break ice.

Yes. Ice breakers are ships that can break through thick ice. They help to keep routes open for other ships in the winter. An ice breaker has powerful engines and a very strong hull.

Amazing! Some ships sink on purpose to rescue other ships. A semi-submersible ship sinks slowly down until its deck is under the water’s surface. Then it moves beneath another ship and rises again to push the other ship up.

What is a container ship?

A container ship is a cargo ship that carries metal boxes called containers. The containers are piled on its deck and sometimes in its hold, too. Each container carries a different sort of cargo.

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About 1,000 years ago, Viking warriors rowed their longships when the wind blew from the wrong direction, or stopped blowing altogether. Longships were sleek wooden ships with a single square sail, used for exploring and launching raids.

Is it true? Boats can be rowed with one oar.

Yes. Some boats, such as gondolas in Venice, are rowed with a single oar. The rower stands at the boat’s stern (back) and rows by sweeping a long oar from side to side.

Who rowed in battle?

The Ancient Greeks fought in warships called galleys that they rowed into battle. Slaves did the rowing while soldiers fought on deck. Galleys had a sharp ram at the bow (front) to sink enemy ships. A galley with three banks of oars on each side was called a trireme.

Amazing! Many people have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean. And some have done it solo (on their own). The journey across the Atlantic takes two months or more, and across the Pacific four months or more.

Who steers an eight?

An ‘eight’ is the crew of a racing rowing boat. The ninth member, the cox, tells the rowers what pace to row at, and steers with a small rudder at the back of the boat.

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A clipper was a fast-sailing cargo ship. Clippers were built in America and Europe in the 19th century to carry important cargoes, such as tea from China, quickly around the world. Clippers had three or four tall masts with five or more huge sails on each mast.

Is it true? Sailors had to climb the masts to change sails.

No. Sailors had to ‘go aloft’ to change the sails, but they climbed rope ladders instead of the wooden masts themselves. And there were no safety ropes in case of a fall!

Amazing! Large sailing ships often had a carving called a figurehead at the bow. Some figureheads were gods or saints, some were mythical sea creatures such as mermaids, and some were real people. Viking longships had frightening dragon or snake figureheads.

What was a galleon?

Galleons were trading and fighting ships used in the 15th and 16th centuries. The galleon Mayflower took the first pilgrims to America in 1620.

Who went to sea on a junk?

Chinese sailors have been going to sea in ships called junks for more than a thousand years. Junks have cloth sails strengthened with bamboo poles. Large junks have five masts. Junks were the first ships to have a rudder to help them steer.

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A steam liner was a steam-powered passenger or cargo ship that crossed oceans on set routes at set times. In the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of people emigrated from Europe to America on steam liners, taking their own food and bedding.

Is it true? Anchors are used to slow ship down.

No. Anchors stop ships from floating away with the wind or tide. Anchors catch in rocks or sand on the seabed.

Amazing! Modern cruise liners are like huge floating hotels. There are cabins for thousands of passengers, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and lots of swimming pools.

Which modern liner has sails?

The luxury cruise liner Club Med has sails as well as an engine. Using the sails when the wind blows saves fuel for the engine.

What does a tug do?

A tug is a boat with very powerful engines that pulls or pushes large ships. Tugs help to move ships in and out of port. They also go to the rescue of broken-down ships, and tow them back to port to be repaired.

Picture Credit : Google