Green Options » ship propulsion http://greenoptions.com/tag/ship-propulsion Posts tagged 'ship propulsion' Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:20:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Should Ships Slow Down, Go Back to Sails, or Use Nuclear Fission? http://cleantechnica.com/2008/06/17/should-ships-slow-down-go-back-to-sails-or-use-nuclear-fission/ http://cleantechnica.com/2008/06/17/should-ships-slow-down-go-back-to-sails-or-use-nuclear-fission/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:20:16 +0000 Rod Adams http://cleantechnica.com/2008/06/17/should-ships-slow-down-go-back-to-sails-or-use-nuclear-fission/ There was a time when commercial shipping was an emissions free transportation mode that required little or no fuel. Inventors, craftsmen, and engineers all worked to refine the hulls, sails and control systems and skilled people spent their entire careers figuring out weather patterns, determining efficient loading schemes, and recognizing opportunities for transporting goods with a long shelf life. When things went well, owning sailing ships was a lucrative investment.
Full Sails on the Chesapeake
Of course, there were some limitations of that technology that encouraged a number of very smart, number crunching businessmen and engineers to look for a better way. Sailing ship limitations included time consuming voyages, space and weight constraints, inability to maintain a schedule, dependence on poorly paid or forced labor, vulnerability to numerous natural hazards, and a high mortality rate caused by lack of good nutrition and clean water.

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