On the Tension in the Towing Rope

Abstract

In the present paper the authors calculate briefly the tensile force in the towing rope of harbour tugboat due to sudden velocity increase of the tug relative to the ship towed, and discuss the effect of the buffer spring of towing hook. The conclusion drawn is as follows; the shorter and stiffer the towing rope is, the more effectively the buffer spring operates, for the tension in the towing rope varies proportionally to the square root of the effective spring constant of the rope.