🔍 Key Concepts

• Behavior of a tow when the tug reduces speed or stops engines • Effect of momentum and inertia on the tow relative to the tug • Relationship between strain on the hawser and the actual distance between tug and tow

💭 Think About

• When the tug suddenly slows, what does the tow’s momentum make it want to do relative to the tug? • How does reduced speed affect the catenary (sag) of the towing hawser in the water? Could it change the risk of bottom contact? • Does ‘shortening the tow’ always physically pull the tow closer, or can it mainly affect the strain and catenary shape instead?

✅ Before You Answer

• Compare what happens to tow momentum versus tug speed • Visualize the shape of the hawser at high strain vs. low strain (more straight vs. more sagging) • Check if being "in irons" is a realistic condition for a tug on a hawser under power or if that phrase usually applies to a different type of vessel/condition