#精品长文创作季#
On the boundless ocean, the ship sails day and night like a lonely traveler.
When night falls, we will find that many ships would rather "touch the dark" than turn on their headlights.
On land, whether driving a car at night or taking any means of transportation, we are accustomed to relying on lights to illuminate the road.
Many people are perplexed by this, believing that it is completely counterintuitive for a ship to "turn off all lights as if it were going in the dark" when sailing at night.
In fact, the practice of choosing not to turn on the lights when the ship sails at night actually contains a profound truth.
The use of these lights is not only to dispel the darkness, but more importantly, they carry an important mission to ensure the safety of navigation and protect the lives of the crew.
This seemingly unusual practice is actually aimed at reducing visual distractions during night voyages, ensuring accurate communication and identification with other vessels, thus ensuring the safety and smoothness of the entire voyage.
Today, we will explore the mystery behind the ship sailing at night without turning on the lights.
1. The challenges of night sailing
Whenever the night comes, the sea sails in the dark, and every step is full of unknowns and challenges.
For captains and crews, safety is like a beacon of navigation, always guiding them in the right direction.
When night covers the sea, the difficulty of navigating rises dramatically.
The limitation of sight makes the world around us hazy, and the sea conditions and the dynamics of nearby ships become difficult to capture.
Reefs, buoys, and the unknown are like lurking dangers, which can pose an unpredictable threat to navigation at any time.
In this endless darkness, the captain and crew must be more vigilant to ensure the safety of the voyage.
Add to that the unpredictable nature of the weather, such as sudden fog or wind and waves, which makes sailing even more risky.
In order to avoid accidents such as ship collisions and groundings, the emphasis on safe navigation has attracted the attention of captains and crews.
During the voyage, the captain and crew need to constantly monitor the dynamic changes in weather and sea conditions so that they can flexibly adjust their sailing strategy.
At this time, the ship lighting system has become an important tool in navigation, and its role should not be underestimated.
They are not only the "ID card" of the ship, showing the real-time position, direction of travel and status of the ship, but also provide key reference information for other ships and observers on the shore.
However, due to the limited irradiation range, the visibility of the lighting system is reduced, which can lead to collisions with other vessels.
Therefore, the crew must always be vigilant and cautious in the use of the ship's lighting system.
And continue to observe and evaluate the effect of the lighting system during the voyage to ensure that every voyage is safe and smooth.
Second, the reason for not turning on the lights
When sailing at night, ships sometimes choose to move forward with their lights out, and one of the key considerations is to avoid disturbing the lighthouse, which is an important guiding tool.
The lighthouse, known as the "navigator" of the sea, is especially important in the dark.
Not only do they provide stable guidance for ships under sail, but they are also potential warning signs to ensure safe navigation.
Therefore, the purpose of moving forward is to ensure that the ship can rely more accurately on the guidance of the lighthouse to avoid misleading or confusion.
But if the ship turns on its own lights, especially near the lighthouse, it may interfere with its glow.
As a result, the guiding effect of the lighthouse is weakened, and even misleads other ships, increasing the risk of navigation.
On night cruises, choosing a strategy of turning off the ship's lights is not only environmentally friendly and helps to reduce light pollution, but also to ensure the safety of the crew.
This greatly reduces the interference of glare on the crew's vision, allowing them to see their surroundings and navigation equipment more clearly, thus ensuring a smooth voyage.
When night falls, the reflection and scattering of strong lights on the sea surface often becomes an obstacle to the crew's vision.
Prolonged exposure to such light can also cause visual fatigue, which in turn can affect their operational accuracy.
Especially in bad weather, the lights are easy to blur the crew's vision, resulting in the crew's visual judgment error.
So at this point, reducing or turning off some of the lights is the best thing to do.
This measure of turning off the lights helps the crew to more accurately perceive and assess potential risks.
When sailing at night, choosing not to turn on the lights can also effectively reduce the risk of misjudgment and collision.
If the lights are used inappropriately or too harshly, other vessels may misinterpret the course, speed, and intent of the boat
Therefore, ensuring the proper use of lights is essential to ensure the safety of navigation.
Especially in the case of severe weather conditions such as dense fog and heavy rain, visibility is greatly reduced.
At this time, if you continue to turn on the lights that are too bright, it may interfere and mislead other vessels, increasing the uncertainty and risk of navigation.
In these complex situations, it is important to choose to turn off some or all of the lights appropriately, not only to reduce interference to other vessels, but also to maintain the smooth and orderly flow of maritime traffic.
If every boat had the lights on at will, it would not only look cluttered but also make sailing chaotic and inefficient.
It can also pose a serious safety hazard, threatening the safety of navigation of all vessels.
Therefore, choosing not to turn on the lights during night navigation is responsible for the entire system and the safety of each participant.
Although ships choose to turn off their lights for various reasons when sailing at night, the development of modern technology also provides more options for ships to sail at night.
High-tech equipment such as radar, marine night vision devices, etc., enable boats to sail safely in the dark.
These devices detect and identify surrounding objects and dangers through electromagnetic waves, infrared and other technical means, providing more accurate and timely navigation information for the crew.
3. Turn on the lights under special circumstances
Although ships usually choose not to turn on their lights when sailing at night, there are some special situations where it is necessary to turn on the lights.
For example, in the middle of the night, the sea is shrouded in thick fog, and a freighter is quietly moving forward.
With many years of sailing experience, the captain knows that in this kind of weather, too strong lights are not a good thing.
The light is refracted and scattered in the dense fog, blurring the otherwise bright light.
This not only makes it difficult for the captain himself to see the road ahead, but also for other vessels to accurately determine the exact position and direction of the vessel.
Based on this deliberate judgment, the captain acted decisively: he temporarily turned off most of the lights on the ship, leaving only the necessary navigation lights.
This not only reduces the interference to other vessels, but also ensures that other vessels can clearly see the position of the vessel, thus effectively reducing the risk of collision.
This case shows that whether or not a ship sails at night is not a matter of rash decision.
It requires the captain to make a comprehensive and deliberate consideration based on the specific weather conditions, the sailing environment and the condition of the vessel.
For example, when in distress, the crew will turn on all the lights to attract the attention of nearby ships and speed up the rescue.
In waters where pirates are common, the ship will also turn on powerful lights to warn and buy time for the crew to escape.
And when performing special tasks such as law enforcement patrols and military exercises, ships may also need to turn on their lights to convey identity and intentions and avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.
In addition, when sailing at night, the ship does not completely turn off all lights.
In addition to the basic lighting that meets the needs of daily life on board, there are specific lights that are indispensable when sailing at night.
These lights play a key role in navigation, such as the portholes, which are used to show the side profile of the ship and ensure that other vessels are clearly recognizable.
The foremast light is located in the bow and the rear mast is located in the stern, and their main function is to tell other ships the direction in which the ship is sailing and its current position.
These two lights are very important safety when sailing at night, they help avoid collisions between ships and ensure safe navigation.
Among them, the function of the portal light is similar to the turn signal when we drive, it is located on the left and right sides of the boat, and the colors are red on the left and green on the right.
When pilots sail at night, the lights become an important reference for them to identify the ships around them.
Once they see the red light on, they can quickly tell that there is a ship approaching on the left; A flashing green light means that there is a boat moving on the right.
These light signals not only help the driver accurately grasp the dynamics of the surrounding vessels, but also greatly enhance the safety of navigation.
These lights are cleverly designed and moderately strong to provide adequate warning at night without disturbing the driver's line of sight, thus ensuring safe navigation.
In order to ensure the safety and orderliness of sea navigation, the mainland has also formulated clear rules to regulate the configuration and use of lights on ships.
These rules specify in detail the colours, brightness, and frequencies of the lights that need to be used by different types of vessels when sailing.
to ensure that other ships can quickly and accurately identify their course, speed and intentions.
Such regulations help reduce the risk of misunderstandings and collisions, ensuring that ships can navigate safely in busy waters.
epilogue
The ship's choice not to turn on the lights when sailing at night was not a blind "dark" move, but a wise move based on navigation rules and safety considerations.
This is designed to avoid unnecessary light interference, which can cause confusion and danger to other vessels.
This strategy is actually a reflection of a wealth of navigational wisdom and practical experience, which ensures smooth and safe sailing during the voyage, so that all ships can sail safely on the sea.
It also reminds us to be vigilant and cautious in navigation, respect the laws of nature and the power of science and technology, and jointly maintain the safety and harmony of the ocean.
References:
Why do ships prefer to "touch the dark" rather than turn on the lights when sailing at night? It turns out that there is a lot of exquisiteness"2024-03-12 Jin Yunzhi
Why do ships prefer to "touch the dark" rather than turn on the lights when sailing at night? It turns out that there is a lot of exquisiteness"2024-03-12 Quietly said
Why do ships prefer to "touch the dark" rather than turn on the lights when sailing at night? It turns out that there is a lot of exquisiteness"2024-03-15 Zhang Shouxiao popular science