Columbia River Entrance Channel Deep-Draft Vessel Motion Study.

Abstract : A prototype ship motion monitoring program was initiated by the Portland District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide design criteria for the entrance channel at the mouth of the Columbia River. The contractor's field team boarded deep draft vessels bound to or from the Columbia River and measured vertical acceleration (heave), pitch, roll, yaw, and position as the vessels transited the 5-mile entrance channel. Twenty-nine vessels were monitored in the period May 1978-March 1979, and twenty-four in the period October 1979-April 1980. The final report details the field work data reduction processes, analyses, and results. The raw data is used to calculate vertical motions at the bow, stern, and side of the vessel, and the horizontal motion as the ship transits the entrance. This information is evaluated with respect to environmental conditions and the channel. Results of statistical analyses are shown for characteristics of individual transits, and long-range entrance usage. Appendices A-K contain the tabulated and plotted motion data, environmental conditions, ship motion variables, and other information collected. (Author)