Re tying up to docks

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[william_webb]

To all those  mariners out there.
Just what are a stern and bow spring lines and where are they located on a ship?.
I docked a ship (Oceana ) in Sanfran. and could not tie it up properly as I could not find the proper lines.

Bill Webb

[JamesS1941]

Hi Bill,Spring lines are mooring lines that you tie up from bow or stern and run them to midships to secure vessel.they help to stop ships from further moving forward or aft.
Regards Jim.

[Traddles]

Hi Bill,
A bow spring is a mooring rope which is led from the bow towards the stern of the ship. A stern spring is a mooring rope leading from the stern towards the bow of the vessel. Breast ropes are those moorings from bow or stern which go as near as possible straight to the quay from the ship. A head rope leads from the bow ahead of the ship and a stern rope leads from the stern to a point behind the ship.
I have added a picture of the various ropes taken from a mission in SS 2008.

Regards,
Angus.

[william_webb]

Thank you for replies, no wonder I was having problems tying up that ship although I thought I had tried all the angles, I also wonder if I should have tied it up according to the order that was in the window bow rope, bow spring, stern rope, stern spring.

Good picture Traddles

Bill Webb

[Traddles]

Hi Bill,
Possibly one reason for a spring being so called is that such a mooring can be used to "Spring" a vessel off her berth. In the above picture for example. if all moorings are cast off except the for'd spring (Bow spring) and the rudder put hard over to port & the engine put to dead slow ahead, the spring will hold the bow onto the quay and the stern, and thus the propeller, will come clear of the quay. In an old fashioned single screw ship with no bow thruster this method was, and is, regularly used to take a ship off her berth without the aid of a tug. We always called the springs the for'd and aft backsprings. The addition of the "back" is self explanatory.
Sadly the mooring set up in SSE makes it difficult to do this sort of thing, but SS 2008 was excellent for doing such things.
Regards,
Angus.

[william_webb]

Thanks again for the new information, I still can not get the mooring of my ship that I outlined in the original posting
but I will try it again.

Bill Webb

[Traddles]

Hi Bill,
I think this is the mission you are concerned with. "MS "Oceana" visits San Francisco." My picture shows her moored at pier27 with a head rope, for'd spring, stern rope & aft spring. There are only the four bollards on the quay so you should not have a problem with mooring her. It makes no difference which rope you make fast first, so long as you moor with all four lines.

Regards,
Angus.