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Flywheel Stabilized Cruise Ship

Stop all that pesky rolling around..
 
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Cruise ships have progressively become less ship-like. Nowadays they're a sort of mobile hotel complex, with casinos and water slides and whatnot. Clearly people don't actually like being on ships. So, let's take it a step further... and take away all that pesky ocean induced movement. You're going to need massive flywheels. MASSIVE ones. Once you spin them up, the ship is going to maintain the same pitch and roll attitude throughout the voyage. Now, seasickness will be a thing of the past and the ship may host a more competitive snooker club.

Problems: The ship is going to have to be a lot stronger. In rough seas it is going to want to be completely level, when the ocean is at 45 degrees.

bs0u0155, Apr 21 2014

Gyros for pitch, roll, and list http://www.gyrogalestabilizers.com/
[the porpoise, Apr 21 2014]

Anti-rolling gyro http://en.wikipedia...i/Anti-rolling_gyro
[xaviergisz, Apr 22 2014]

[link]






       So the idea is to use gyros bigger than the ones they already use? How about we do a little searching before we post?
the porpoise, Apr 21 2014
  

       The thing you'd have to watch out for here is rumble from the flywheel. Especially if it's just out of audible range you'll induce some strange murders.   

       It might be cheaper to airlift people out to a drilling platform, but that's another day's idea, I suppose.
skoomphemph, Apr 21 2014
  

       // use gyros bigger than the ones they already use //   

       Aren't existing gyro systems mainly used to control roll, but not pitch? If you try to control pitch (as proposed in this idea), that is a much more challenging task structurally (as noted).   

       Solution: To avoid having to make it strong enough to handle 45 rough seas, you can just turn the gyros off if the seas get too rough. I think cruise ships try to avoid rough seas anyway, so in such an emergency situation, plan on giving all passengers a refund based on how long you need to run with the gyros off.
scad mientist, Apr 21 2014
  

       If the starting point was roll gyros and the novelty is "use them for pitch too", then that isn't clear from the idea. Plus, I'm pretty sure pitch gyros have been done [link]. Not "MASSIVE" ones, but whatever, that's just making known tech bigger.
the porpoise, Apr 21 2014
  

       This would eliminate the natural wave effect in the pool. The one cruise my wife and I took was mostly on the Inside Passage, not in open ocean, but one of the days on the open ocean we discovered that the swimming pool on the top deck was sloshing very nicely. We spent hours there until my wife got seasick, probably largely from dehydration since we were having so much fun we forgot to stop for a drink.   

       I guess loosing this feature is easy enough to deal with by simply intalling a wave pool. That way waves in the pool aren't dependent on sea conditions.   

       [neutral] for continuing to insulate people from the real world.
scad mientist, Apr 21 2014
  

       Just build the cruise ship like a catamaran, with two well-separated hulls, and a major connection section between them (definitely worthy of being called a "bridge", hah!). At least one large ship has been built on such a design plan, but I think it was for cargo or oil-drilling or something else besides cruising around.
Vernon, Apr 21 2014
  

       The above is [marked-for-tagline].
normzone, Apr 21 2014
  

       Make the whole thing fully submersible*. When the sea state is rough, submerge.   

       It would probably need to be nuclear-powered, though,   

       *Not "Costa Concordia" semi-subersible; capable of surfacing without assistance.
8th of 7, Apr 21 2014
  

       regarding the link... that's gyroscopes being used as reference points for moveable fins which stabilize the boat using standard hydrodynamic forces. I'm having none of that. Think multiple, 5000 tonne flywheels.
bs0u0155, Apr 21 2014
  

       You could solve the entire problem with a small disc of a dense, non-corrodible alloy.   

       Simply engrave the words "In the event of the ship sinking, advise the passengers to leave" and put it on a chain around the captain's neck.
MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 21 2014
  

       //I'm having none of that. Think multiple, 5000 tonne flywheels.//   

       Oh, so instead of 1931 you're at 1920. What's next, buckets for bailing water from the hull?
the porpoise, Apr 21 2014
  

       //buckets for bailing water from the hull?// wouldn't hurt.
MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 21 2014
  

       Flywheels - that's an excellent idea! Just like hamster wheels, only smaller.
normzone, Apr 21 2014
  

       It 'is' an excellent idea, just... incomplete and can be taken so much farther.   

       //Flywheels - that's an excellent idea! Just like hamster wheels, only smaller.   

       Hmm, would them having six legs mean fewer slats (rungs?) for the wheel, or more?   

       Flywheels in the ship didn't work out too well in the 2012 film "Battleship"...
not_morrison_rm, Apr 22 2014
  

       //Flywheels in the ship didn't work out too well in the 2012 film "Battleship"... //   

       Yes well, that just proves that they did it wrong then doesn't it?   

       On the other hand, the captain could really have some fun in calm waters, by utilising the same gyros.
Ling, Apr 22 2014
  

       If the flywheels were properly massive, you could use the energy stored within them to run the ship's vital systems following the near inevitable engine sabotage carried out by a norovirus-crazed crew member.
bs0u0155, Apr 22 2014
  
      
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