# Overgrown Cigar Tubes for Bulbous Bows



## barnsey (Apr 19, 2007)

There is a posting today of Neverita's bow on the building slip with what I call a Cigar Tube Bulbous Bow. http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/405026/title/neverita/cat/503

Those bulbs .....??? British Diplomat had one added in dry dock afew years after she was built, in fact Esso went through a stage too of adding them at the same time.

I joined British Diplomat as Mate and ballasted her to the required draft for sailing. Next morning the sea got up just a tad and the ship reverberated with some pretty big bangs. I went up forward to have a look at what was going on. The wave action caused by the bulb was creating havoc so I bunged a few thousand tons more ballast in and that sorted the problem.

I hunted through all the do***ents but nowhere could I find any papers to describe the designed use of the bulb. I came to the conclusion it was someones great idea .... can't see it did any use and there were no requirements for trials, bunker records to see if it was worth it.

Anyone in SN got any information on these cigar tubes???


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