Investigation of Towed Vessel Trajectory in Shallow Water

Abstract

Results of systematic model tests of a towed ship in deep and shallow water are presented to illustrate the influence shallow water has on the towed vessel trajectory, resistance, and towed vessel course stability. It is shown that towing in shallow water results in an amplification of the towed vessel trajectory resulting in larger offset and longer response period. This amplification appears to be the same when the vessel is towed at different speeds in shallow water. These experimental results provide guidance on estimating the towed ship path in shallow water from deep water tests.