ANGLE OF HEEL WHEN TURNING

Consider a ship turning to starboard.

The sequence of events is as follows:

1. Rudder put over to starboard.

2. The athwartships component of thrust (F) acts on the

face of the rudder at P, P being the centre of pressure
which coincides with the geometric centre of the
rudder face.

SHIP’S FORWARD MOTION

Thrust acting normal to

rudder face at P
P
Athwartships component F
of thrust

Angle of heel when turning 1

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3. An equal and opposite reaction (F1) resists the
athwartships motion at the centre of lateral
resistance (CLR).

(The CLR is at the centroid of the ship’s longitudinal

area below the waterline.)

OUTWARD INWARD

F1 CLR
Q
P
F

4. An inward heeling couple is set up for which the

heeling moment is:
F  PQ
F1 Q

P F

Angle of heel when turning 2

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5. When the ship achieves a steady rate of turn the
inward heel is overcome by the effect of centrifugal
force acting outwards through the ship’s centre of
gravity (G).

Centrifugal Force = WV2 tonnes

gR

where: W is ship displacement;

V is ship speed in metres per second;
g = 9.81 m/sec2;
R is the radius of the turning circle.

The centrifugal force is opposed by an equal and

opposite centripetal force which acts through the
CLR.

The CLR is assumed to be at the same height above

the keel as the centre of buoyancy (B).

Consider the diagram.

Angle of heel when turning 3

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 OUTWARD INWARD

Centrifugal force
G WV2
gR
Centripetal force
WV2 CLR
B
gR

The original inward heeling moment is overcome by this

outward heeling couple which develops in the steady turn state.

In the turn the ship will settle at an angle of steady heel when
the outward heeling moment balances the normal righting
moment (RM = GZ  Displacement).

At small angles of heel: GZ = GM  Sine 

Angle of heel when turning 4

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 OUTWARD INWARD

HEEL

Z G WV2
gR
d
WV2 B
gR CLR B1

B and B1 are assumed to be at the

same depth.
Z G
HEEL
Cos  = ADJ = d
HYP BG
d
Therefore: d = BG Cos

(At small angles of heel)

B1 B

Angle of heel when turning 5

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At the small angle of heel shown:

RIGHTING MOMENT = HEELING MOMENT

Therefore: W  GZ = WV2  d
gR

If: d = BG Cos  and: GZ = GM Sin 

then: W  GM Sin  = WV2  BG Cos 

gR

Transposing gives:

gR  W  GM Sin  = WV2  BG Cos 

Divide both sides by Cos :

gR  W  GM Sin  = WV2  BG
Cos 
Gives:
gR  W  GM  Tan  = WV2  BG

Thus: Tan  = WV2  BG

gR  W  GM

Finally: Tan  = V2  BG
g  R  GM

Angle of heel when turning 6

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Note
In practice the outward angle of heel will be slightly less than
that given by the formula because of the small inward heeling
moment set by the athwartships component of thrust on the
rudder.

However, if the rudder is returned quickly to the amidships

position, the outward angle of heel due to turning will
instantaneously increase. If the rudder is suddenly reversed
i.e. put hard-a-port on a starboard turning circle, an even
more serious outward angle of heel would arise (albeit
temporarily) which could cause excessive heeling and in
extreme situations cargo shift or even capsizing!

Angle of heel when turning 7

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