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The biggest submarines are nuclear-powered naval submarines. The biggest of all are Russian Typhoon Submarines. They’re 171metres long (as long as two football pitches) and weigh 26,500 tonnes. They can stay under water for months on end and sail around the world without refueling.

What was a U-boat?

U-boats were German submarines used in World War One and World War two. U-boat is short for underwater boat. U-boats sank thousands of ships. They crept up silently, hidden under the water, and fired missiles called torpedoes. The torpedoes zoomed through the water and exploded when they hit the ships.

Amazing! The first working submarine looked like a wooden barrel. It was built in 1776 and was called Turtle. The operator sat inside and pedalled to make its propellers turn. Turtle was designed to attack ships by diving under them and fixing a bomb to their hulls. But it was never successful.

Is it true? Submarines use sound to see.

Yes. A submarine’s sonar machine makes beeps of sound that spread out through the water. If the sound hits an object in the water, it bounces back to the submarine and is picked up by the sonar machine. The machine works out how big the object is and how far away it is.

What is a periscope?

Submarine crews use their periscopes to see ships on the surface above them when submarines are submerged. The top of the periscope sticks just above the surface. It works using several lenses and prisms (triangular pieces of glass).

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A micro-sub (also called a submersible) is a small submarine, often used for exploring under the sea. One of the latest micro-sub is Deep Flight1, Which can dive to a depth of 1,000 metres.

Is it true? Submarines can dive to the bottom of the ocean.

No. The deepest a normal submarine can dive is about 700 metres. If a submarine went any deeper the huge water pressure would crush its hull and water would flood in.

Amazing! Divers who repair undersea pipelines and oil rigs wear strong diving suits, like mini submersibles. They can dive to about 300 metres. The divers have to breathe oxygen mixed with helium, which gives them very squeaky voices!

What are Alvin and Jason Junior?

Alvin is a submersible that carries a crew of three. Jason Junior is a robot submersible that can be operated from Alvin or from a ship on the surface. In 1985, Jason Junior discovered the wreck of the ocean liner Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

How deep can submersibles go?

Special, extra-strong-hulled submersibles called bathyscaphes can dive many kilometres under the sea. In 1960, the bathyscaphe Trieste made the deepest dive ever — an incredible 10,911 metres into the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

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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.

Picture Credit : Google