Category Transport

The oil tanker Jahre Viking is the biggest ship ever built. It is 458 metres long and 68 metres wide. Four football pitches would fit on its deck. Fully laden, it weighs 564,000 tonnes.

What is a ro-ro?

A ro-ro is a type of vehicle ferry. Ro-ro is short for roll-on, roll-off. It means that vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks drive on to the ferry at one port and drive off again when the ferry arrives at its destination.

Is it true? Some ships break ice.

Yes. Ice breakers are ships that can break through thick ice. They help to keep routes open for other ships in the winter. An ice breaker has powerful engines and a very strong hull.

Amazing! Some ships sink on purpose to rescue other ships. A semi-submersible ship sinks slowly down until its deck is under the water’s surface. Then it moves beneath another ship and rises again to push the other ship up.

What is a container ship?

A container ship is a cargo ship that carries metal boxes called containers. The containers are piled on its deck and sometimes in its hold, too. Each container carries a different sort of cargo.

Picture Credit : Google

About 1,000 years ago, Viking warriors rowed their longships when the wind blew from the wrong direction, or stopped blowing altogether. Longships were sleek wooden ships with a single square sail, used for exploring and launching raids.

Is it true? Boats can be rowed with one oar.

Yes. Some boats, such as gondolas in Venice, are rowed with a single oar. The rower stands at the boat’s stern (back) and rows by sweeping a long oar from side to side.

Who rowed in battle?

The Ancient Greeks fought in warships called galleys that they rowed into battle. Slaves did the rowing while soldiers fought on deck. Galleys had a sharp ram at the bow (front) to sink enemy ships. A galley with three banks of oars on each side was called a trireme.

Amazing! Many people have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean. And some have done it solo (on their own). The journey across the Atlantic takes two months or more, and across the Pacific four months or more.

Who steers an eight?

An ‘eight’ is the crew of a racing rowing boat. The ninth member, the cox, tells the rowers what pace to row at, and steers with a small rudder at the back of the boat.

Picture Credit : Google

A clipper was a fast-sailing cargo ship. Clippers were built in America and Europe in the 19th century to carry important cargoes, such as tea from China, quickly around the world. Clippers had three or four tall masts with five or more huge sails on each mast.

Is it true? Sailors had to climb the masts to change sails.

No. Sailors had to ‘go aloft’ to change the sails, but they climbed rope ladders instead of the wooden masts themselves. And there were no safety ropes in case of a fall!

Amazing! Large sailing ships often had a carving called a figurehead at the bow. Some figureheads were gods or saints, some were mythical sea creatures such as mermaids, and some were real people. Viking longships had frightening dragon or snake figureheads.

What was a galleon?

Galleons were trading and fighting ships used in the 15th and 16th centuries. The galleon Mayflower took the first pilgrims to America in 1620.

Who went to sea on a junk?

Chinese sailors have been going to sea in ships called junks for more than a thousand years. Junks have cloth sails strengthened with bamboo poles. Large junks have five masts. Junks were the first ships to have a rudder to help them steer.

Picture Credit : Google

A steam liner was a steam-powered passenger or cargo ship that crossed oceans on set routes at set times. In the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of people emigrated from Europe to America on steam liners, taking their own food and bedding.

Is it true? Anchors are used to slow ship down.

No. Anchors stop ships from floating away with the wind or tide. Anchors catch in rocks or sand on the seabed.

Amazing! Modern cruise liners are like huge floating hotels. There are cabins for thousands of passengers, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and lots of swimming pools.

Which modern liner has sails?

The luxury cruise liner Club Med has sails as well as an engine. Using the sails when the wind blows saves fuel for the engine.

What does a tug do?

A tug is a boat with very powerful engines that pulls or pushes large ships. Tugs help to move ships in and out of port. They also go to the rescue of broken-down ships, and tow them back to port to be repaired.

Picture Credit : Google

American Gee Bee planes raced during the 1930s. The company which made them was called Granville Brothers (G. B). These short, fat planes used to race at speeds of nearly 480 kph, in 8,800 kilometre-long races! Plane races were run to show how reliable the aircraft were.

What was the longest air race?

The longest air race was the MacRobertson race from Mildenhall, England to Melbourne, Australia in 1934. It was won by the crew of a de Havilland in a time of 70 hours and 54 minutes.

Is it true? The first non-stop flight around the world was made in 1933.

No. Wiley Post did make the first solo round the world flight in Winnie Mae in 1933, but he had to stop several times to refuel. It was a 25,000 km journey, and it took him just over a week.

Amazing! The first non-stop around the world flight wasn’t until 1986. It took Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager nine days to make the 40,000 kilometre journey. Their lightweight aeroplane Voyager had just 68 litres of fuel left when it landed at Edwards Airforce Base.

When was the first air race?

The first air race was in 1909, near Reims in France. It took place only six years after the very first flight by the Wright brothers.

Picture Credit : Google

The three-hulled Yellow Pages Endeavour broke the sail-powered water speed record. With an aerofoil sail perched on its tiny hulls, Endeavour had a speed of 46.53 knots and a crew of just two who travelled in a closed cockpit.

Who races on a cat?

Catamarans, or ‘cats’ for short, are twin-hulled boats which can be raced, sailed for pleasure, or used as passenger boats. They travel through the water more easily than single-hulled boats, and are steadier in rough seas.

Amazing! Some boats race all the way around the world, using only wind power. The Round The World Yacht Race is held every four years. Highly skilled sailors can even race ‘the wrong way’ around the world, against the wind and currents.

Is it true? People race yachts on land.

Yes. Three-wheeled sand yachts race along beaches of about 125 kph. Other yachts race along disused railway tracks, and even across snow!

Which boats skate on ice?

Iceboats can reach speed of over 220 kph. They look like normal racing yachts, with tall sails and long ropes. But instead of hulls, they have skates which glide across the ice.

Picture Credit : Google

A demolition derby is not so much of race as a test of strength. Modified road cars deliberately smash into one another, and the winner is the last car to keep moving. It’s a dangerous sport, and drivers are protected by harnesses and safety cages.

Amazing! Some tractors are powered by aircraft engines! Tractor Tuggers have to drag a sledge weighing a hefty 100 tonnes, for 100 metres along a dirt track.

Which racing cars have no engines?

Gravity Formula One cars are downhill racers, which have no engines, just a steering lever and a small brake. Drivers skid them down steep mountain roads at speeds of around 100 kph!

Is it true? People race lawn mowers.

Yes. Some people really do take their lawn mowers racing. It’s cheaper than Formula One, and it keeps the grass down as well. It just goes to show that if it’s got wheels, someone out there will race it!

Are there races for trucks?

Yes. Specially tuned trucks compete on racetracks. They look like ordinary trucks on the road, but they’re a lot faster. Some even have jet engines, reaching speeds of over 605 kph!

Picture Credit : Google

There used to be a dangerous trend in America for racing at night through the streets in souped-up road cars, nicknamed ‘hotrods’. The official sport of hotrod racing was founded to put an end to racing on the road.

Is it true? Racing cars are not allowed to race in cities any more.

No. Several Grands Prix are still run on public roads. The event at Monte Carlo has been held on almost exactly the same circuit since 1929. The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne is another example. The streets are cleared of public traffic in advance and crash barriers are set up. Dozens of classic car rallies also run from town to town.

Amazing! In July 1924, Ernest Eldridge broke the World Land Speed Record on a French public road. He was driving a specially built 1907 Fiat called Mephistopheles and reached 234 kph!

What were café racers?

Cafe racers were specially modified bikes, which were raced to and from roadside cafes. This craze started in England in the 1960s. Not surprisingly, cafe racing on public roads is against the law!

Who wears a yellow shirt if he’s winning?

The overall leader in the exhausting Tour de France bicycle race wears a bright yellow shirt. Recently some stages of the race have been run in southern England, Spain and Belgium, as well as France.

Picture Credit : Google

Race officials aren’t allowed to talk with drivers during a race, so they communicate with flags. Different flags warn of danger, problems, or may order a driver off the track. The chequered flag is waved in front of the winning car.

Who wears fireproof underwear?

Underneath their overalls, racing drivers must wear fire-resistant ‘Nomex’ underwear, made up of a long sleeved vest, full length pants, socks and a balaclava. These protect the driver against a blaze of 700° C for twelve seconds.

Amazing! In dry conditions, bald tyres provide better grip than tyres with grooves. In the rain, cars switch to tyres with deep slots, to disperse as much water as possible and prevent skids. Each tyre can disperse 26 litres of water from the road per second!

Is it true? Racing cars could race across the ceiling.

Yes. The air pressure pushing a speeding racing car on to the track is so great that they could race upside down.

Who works in the pit?

About 20 mechanics work in the pits, where they make quick repairs and adjustments during a race. They can change a wheel in under five seconds!

Picture Credit : Google

Riders in motorbike Grands Prix take corners verb quickly by leaning sharply into bends, scraping their knee against the track. This is called the ‘knee down’ position. For protection, they have tough nylon knee pads sewn into their leathers.

Which motorbike racers have three wheels?

Sidecar racing bikes have three wheels. The sidecar isn’t powered, but the second rider provides vital balance. On corners, the sidecar rider leans out, for extra roadholding, and the driver hardly has to reduce speed.

Amazing! Some bikes have tyres with metal spikes sticking from them, for riding on ice. The spikes pierce the icy surface and stop the bike from skidding. Without them, both bike and rider would go flying!

Which motorbikes don’t have brakes?

Speedway racing bikes don’t have brakes. Instead, the bike slows to an almost instant halt, as soon as the throttle is released. Riders wear extra sturdy steel boots, which they grind into the dirt, to bring the bike to a final standstill.

Is it true? Motorbike races last only one hour.

No. Different races have different lengths. The famous Le Mans race in France, for example, lasts for an exhausting 24 hours, while speedway races are often run over just four laps (1200 metres) and last for about a minute!

Picture Credit : Google