Wake wash characteristics of high speed ferries in shallow water

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Wake wash characteristics of high speed ferries in shallow water

Doyle, R. / Whittaker, T.J.T. / Elsäßer, B.

The characteristics of the critical and supercritical wake wash generated by fast ferries in shallow water have been studied using a combination of model tests and field measurements. Measured data are used to validate a simple mathematical model. The mathematical model gives only the positions of the crests and the troughs, but no information regarding the amplitude of the waves. The decay rate of the waves in critical and supercritical wash with distance from the ship's track is also investigated. A typical longitudinal wave cut is shown to consist of various wave frequencies whose different characteristics can pose a varity of problems to other users of the marine environment. Since the decay rate of shallow water waves is a function of their frequency, a measurement of the maximum wave height alone, is an insufficient representation of the problems associated with the waves. The importance of the maximum wave energy as an additional parameter in describing wake wash characteristics is discussed.