Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering

Military Institute of Science & Technology, Dhaka-1216

Ship motions: definitions

Ship motions are defined by the degrees of freedom
that a ship can experience.
Translational motions:
 
Surge : the linear longitudinal (front/back) motion
along x- axis (length of the ship)
Sway : the linear lateral (side-to-side) motion
along y-axis (beam of the ship)
Heave: the linear vertical (up/down) motion
along z-axis (depth of the ship)
Ship motions : translational
 Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Military Institute of Science & Technology, Dhaka-1216

Ship motions : rotational

Rotational motions

Pitch :the rotation of a vessel about its transverse

(side- to-side) axis (x-axis)

Roll : the rotation of a vessel about its

longitudinal (front/back) axis (y-axis)

Yaw : the rotation of a vessel about its vertical axis

(z-axis)
Ship motions : rotational