-----If someone falls off a large ship while it is going full speed, will the propellers ever chop them up?

Question

-----In books and movies, they seem to be never sucked into the propellers. Is that realistic? I am watching "Ship of Fools", 1965, where both a man and a dog go overboard but the propellers do not get them. I am talking ocean liner. ---Jim

Answer 1

The wash pushes you away? Duh...yeah, go try that.

A displacement hull..Ocean Liner...can pull you in and under.

Depends on where you go in and how close to the hull. Forward of of the last quarter of the boats length (in front of stern wave) and closer than 20 feet...I'd say you're a gonner. It is well documented that pleasure craft buzzing around cruise ships and freighters have been drawn in and crushed.

The water is pushed away at the bow(the bow wave)...between there and the stern wave...it is rolling under the boat.

Answer 2

it is possible to be sucked into the prop it would depend on the speed i think and where you fell of the ship. i spent 2 1/2 years on a aircraft carrier you would think i woul know the answer but that was 23 years ago so i may have forgotten the answer

Answer 3

A persdon can get caught pulled into the prop if the are in the right position in the water. The force of the water being pushed past the prop causes a vacum effect in front of the prop which can drag you in.

Answer 4

IF you are asking if it is possible to get sucked into the props, then yes, I have seen Styrofoam coolers sucked under and through, and they float better than humans do.

If you are asking if it is probable then no, most of the the time the flow through the props is a laminar flow and the water comes from underneath the hull and not the sides.  where you will see the surface eddies and vortexes formed is when the ship is making a drastic speed change causing turbulent non laminar flow.  ie going from reverse to foward.

While working on tugboats, was more afraid of the tugboat props because they was closer to surface and had greater horsepower to displacement ratio than the ocean liners.

Answer 5

Depends on where you are at on the ship when you go overboard.

Answer 6

It is a good idea to swim away from the wash as fast as you can your life depends on it. It has happened in real life both ways....

Answer 7

NO becouse the wash from the boat pushes you away from the boat and the boat is not out of control ! so it can,t come back to get you !