Longitudinal Oiled Slideway Launching
The longitudinal oiled slideway launching is one of the oldest forms of launching systems.
Using this system, the ship slides on a slideway and under its own weight enters the water. Oil or wax is used to assist in the sliding process.
The main advantage of this method is that it uses simple equipment and can be used for vessels with different tonnages and types. However, the coating of oil which is used to slide the ship smoothly can pollute the water. There is also danger of huge pressure on the front part of the ship during the launching.
Longitudinal Steel – Roller Slideway Launching
In this type of ship launching method steel rollers are used instead of oil to reduce friction during sliding. This method uses high-intensity steel rollers, security devices, and steel board for the launching. The steel plate on the wooden slide helps in the sliding process and the slide rails help them to protect from steel balls.
Net bags are used at the end of the slide to collect the steel balls so that they can be used again. This method is more effective and easy to start. However, the initial installation charges are high.
Side Oiled Slideway Launching
The side oiled slideway launching system is also one of the most widely used ship launching systems. This type of system is mainly of two types.
In the first type, the slideway extends into the water and the ship slides into the water using the slideway. In the second method the slideway doesn’t go until the water and the ship along with the frame slides into the water. The ship then becomes steady based on its own buoyancy and stability factors. Such launching requires the ship to have great stability and strength.