A. This video is awesome.
B. The one towards the end where they are rolling the ship on inflatable tubes looks DANGEROUS!

^
A. Agree 100%
B. the one at the very end is the original failboat

Fascinating.

* Why are so many done side on? Seems to be fraught with great danger for the ship, the first one has a huge amount of water flow up onto its deck. The ones done front on seem much smoother
* The one on the tubes may look dangerous, but it worked very smoothly indeed compared to some of the others.
* The low quality of the front first one making the large wave... me thinks those people laugh just a little too damn much. And where the hell are the engineers etc. telling people NOT to stand there? (and the others with the same issue). Someone is going to get swept off and killed during one of those.
* How incredibly, incredibly heartbreaking must the last one have been. ALL that work by SO many people... gone, just like that.

Terrible.

But great video. Ships of that size fascinate me. I worked on the ANZAC frigates for a while as a student engineer, and I was in hog heaven being around all those MASSIVE bits of steel, and being able to climb around inside half finished ships. Amazing engineering.

If they launch a submarine and it sinks, does that mean the launch was successful?

I am sure the load the dishes and such on after its been launched.

And seriously people, what did you think would happen standing right by the boat while it was launching?

I wonder if the side launches is some ancient maritime ritual to prove it's properly buoyant from the start. Kind of like testing a jumbo jet for the first time by pushing it off a cliff.

Wow, the inflatable hot dog method was certainly a surprise. The backwards slide seems like a clear winner.

upvote for "massive virgin"

>> ^StukaFox:
If they launch a submarine and it sinks, does that mean the launch was successful?


it means it's not a witch

I don't think those tubes were inflatable, but rather filled with sand which would make them rather reliable and controllable.

As for the side-launch: takes less space and unless you need it to decelerate real quickly, it can be done just as smoothly as an end-on launch. See this one as an example.
I imagine the end-on launch puts quite a lot of stress on the keel, seeing as the whole ship basically rests on bow and stern and gets bend upwards when the stern hits the water. Not to mention the lack of lateral stability during that phase.

I think that the captain needs to be harnessed in during the side launches.

Water displacement is the foundation of naval travel, but in most of these videos it seems these people are taken by surprise when the big waves of displaced water wash over them.

actually the tubes are filled with air, not sand: http://www.qingdaoyongtai.com/en/cp/cpxx.asp?id2=12

i didn't know either so i looked it up, as well as why ships are launched broadside. apparently it's the preferred method for inland waters, rivers, etc

I watched this video 13 times and I did not see any virgins. I THINK I may have seen a fat guy on the port side of one of the ships. It's possible he's never been laid but, other than that....no virgins. I'll keep watching and report back soon!

HI I'M BILLY MAYS FOR INFLATABLE HOT DOG SHIP LAUNCHER

I live in one of the busiest port cities in the world, and I can't get enough of watching these big ships, even if they're just sitting there, not moving.

It's always been my understanding that sideway launches are just simpler and cheaper to do when you only have a canal at your disposal.

Are there people on those ships when they do the side launches? That looks like a rough ride!

Ships are supposed to self-right, so side launches shouldn't be any more dangerous than sailing rough seas. There must have been something wrong with that last ship.

The people laughing that hard at 03.30 do not necessarily laugh at the people getting wet.

I would say that they must be the ones pulling the enormously expensive and elaborate prank of LAUNCHING HALF A SHIP...

>> ^Smugglarn:
The people laughing that hard at 03.30 do not necessarily laugh at the people getting wet.
I would say that they must be the ones pulling the enormously expensive and elaborate prank of LAUNCHING HALF A SHIP...


Yay, I could've sworn it sounded like they were speaking in Polish, or failing that, another European language.

I love watching virgins get wet for the first time.

*water

Adding video to channels (Water) - requested by EDD.