20 EKMAN. ON DEAD-WATER. [norw. pol. EXP. 



old sailor of great experience did not remember any other similar occasion. Our teacher 

 of Navigation — the late Admiral v. Krogh — always told us that a ship sailing at a rate 

 of 5 knots was sure not to take dead-water, and on this occasion we were making even 

 more speed. 



"In the summer of 1857 I was a young officer on board H. M. Schooner Sleipner. She 

 was a large, finely modelled, sailing schooner with an uncommonly large sail-area (610 m.-) 

 and famed for her capability of beating to windward. Her principal dimensions etc. at 

 the time were: 



Length on water line 28 m. j Draught aft 415 m. 



Breadth moulded 81 m. - forward 2'95 - 



Displacement 280 m. 3 Drag . . 1"2 - 



"On the morning of the 3rd of July we were lying at anchor in South Varanger in 

 the Bog Fjord (see map at right hand upper corner of Fig. 1, PI. Ill), at the outlet of the 

 Pasvik River, south of Reno; the place is indicated on the map by an anchor. At 6 - 30 a.m. 

 we weighed anchor. From 4 a. m. to 2 p. m. the wind was blowing from the north (strength 

 = 2, perhaps a little more). The log for the preceding day states gentle breezes, (strength 

 = 1) southwesterly in the forenoon, veering to north in the evening. So far as I remember 

 there was no indication of dead-water before we weighed anchor ' ; had that been the case 

 we should scarcely have sailed at all, because with the wind dead against you, it is rather 

 a difficult task to beat out of the Bog Fjord. To accomplish this a strong breeze and other 

 favourable circumstances are needed. 



"We had main, top, top-gallant sail and jib set, and we soon made quite a good speed, 

 to the WNW., sailing close to the wind towards Skoger Island. The sails bellied out in 

 the fresh breeze, and I remember for certain that the ship, though rather stiff, heeled some- 

 what. A little after starting, however, the ship all of a sudden, lost her headway without 

 any perceptible external cause, and the turning power of the rudder became nil. 



"We then perceived that the ship had taken dead-wakr. From about amidships, and 

 outwards to boLh sides and to a considerable distance aft, she was surrounded by a mass 

 of dead-water, smooth as glass, as if the surface were covered with oil. The line between 

 this smooth surface and the water farther out, looked like boiling "rips" 2 and, was quite 

 distinct, the outer surface being strongly rippled by the breeze 3 . The roar caused by 

 the dead mass of water which, clinging to the ship, was dragged along through the 

 water outside, was so loud that it might well have been deemed we were in the vicinity 

 of a rapid. I do not remember the appearance of the wake, nor I believe, was there 

 anything remarkable about it. The rudder was of no use; we were forced to handle the 

 ship by means of the sails and our two boats towing from the bow, and thus we proceeded 

 at a speed of one or two knots. 



"In this manner we went on for a couple of hours. All of a sudden, without any 

 known cause, we were set free from the dead-water. The wind had been very steady the 

 whole time, and we had constantly endeavoured to keep the ship in the same course. After 

 being freed from the dead-water the ship got headway, and after a while we logged 7 knots, 

 going close to the wind. 



1 At the author's request, Mr. Kboepelien explains the meaning of this statement in the 

 following manner: "As far as could be seen from the ship, the surface oftheseawas 

 evenly rippled by the breeze, without being broken at different spots by smooth, oily 

 areas; as far as I know, seamen have no other indication of dead-water." 



2 See the note at the bottom of p. 2. 



3 This is illustrated by two free-hand sketches made by Mr. Kroepelien. The position 

 of the lines of distinction was, according to the remembrance of the narrator, something 

 like that on Fig. 10, PI. IV. The appearance of the whole phenomenon would be best 

 illustrated by Fig. 1, PI. V. 



