UNIT 15.

STEERING GEAR

The "steering wheel," or rather the equipment which controls the direction the boat or
ships is heading, is called the helm. The person who controls the helm is called the
helmsman. Sometimes the helm is on the left or the right side of the vessel, usually on
small boats, and sometimes its right in the center of the bridge, the control center of
the ship. Some ships even have multiple steering stands, one in the center and one on
each bridge wing, to make it easier for the crew to moor and unmoor the vessel.

These are the ships wheels from USCGC EAGLE, a large three-masted barque sailing
vessel built in the 1930s. Sometimes it really takes six people to turn the wheels fast
enough to turn the rudder when navigating near land.

The man in the yellow coveralls is the one steering the ship using a small wheel.

When you drive a car, you turn the steering wheel, the front wheels turn and then the
car follows the path of the wheels.

With a vessel, one of several things will happen when the "wheel" (helm) is turned. If
the vessel has an inboard engine connected by a shaft to a propeller, there will be a
rudder behind the propeller. When the helm is turned, it turns rudder which acts much
like a sail on a sailboat. The rudder is also shaped much like an airfoil. A turn to port
creates a high pressure area on the port side and low pressure area on the starboard
side, pulling the entire back of the ship to starboard and thus turning the bow, or the
front, to port.

If the vessel has an outboard engine or an inboard-outboard engine where the

propeller itself can be turned, a turn to port means the propeller itself turns to port,
pushing the back of the vessel to starboard and the bow to port.

On a boat with a tiller, which is essentially a lever coming from the engine and
projecting forward, the helmsman must actually push the tiller to starboard in order to
turn to port.

Think about it: if you're the helmsman and you're ordered to turn to port, then easiest
way to remember which way to push the tiller is to look at the rudder and make it
move to the port side. You would push the tiller to starboard without hesitation
because it would make the rudder move to port. If you were facing forward and fairly
new at your job, you might push the tiller to port when ordered to turn to port. This
would actually result in going to starboard, which would probably end pretty badly
because ships back then generally hugged the shore and navigated very close to rocks
and shoals. Modern boats equipped with helms as opposed to tillers have gears and
levers that are designed to push the rudder to port if the wheel or lever is turned to
port so it is more like driving a car and you simply steer where you want the vessel to
go.

Complete the sentences with the words below. Not all the words
will be used.

Helmsmen Steering gear Gyropilots Wheel Has the conn

Rudderss Bow thrusters Iron mikes Pilot house Electrohydraulic

1. The ______________________ is so expert that it gives passengers a smoother

ride than can the pilot himself.
2. The _____________________ skillfully navigated the ship towards the
enormous docking bay doors which engulfed the view screen.
3. His crew knew when the captain wants to take the ______________________.
4. Steering is ‘Smooth’ due to power assistance via an ______________________
system that requires just three turns from lock to lock.
5. The ship has ______________________ and ______________________ for
harbour manoeuvring.
6. The captain was not near the ______________________ when the ferry
crashed.