[WAD-CLARIFICATION] Fuel and the SPEED of SHIPS

[DWReese]

We all know that the faster that a plane flies, the more fuel that it uses. But, is the same the case for SURFACE SHIPS?

Looking at a ship, the info box may state that it has 16 hours of fuel left, and it may have 500 miles next to that. Figuring that that is how far that the ship CAN GO, I lowered the speed from 15 knots to 5 knots. I expected to see the amount go up (less burn/more distance). Instead, it went down, and it now states just 81 miles. I then lowered it to 3 kts, and it further dropped to 54 miles. Obviously, the info box is telling you how far you will travel in the allotted amount of time.

Is this how it is designed to work? It seems odd that the speed of the ship has no bearing on the fuel regardless of how fast the ship is traveling, I was expecting to info to increase with slower speeds, and to decrease with higher speeds. Why is it important to know how far it can travel at the given speed, as opposed to how much fuel you have left?

Thanks

[Redeye43]

We all know that the faster that a plane flies, the more fuel that it uses. But, is the same the case for SURFACE SHIPS?

Looking at a ship, the info box may state that it has 16 hours of fuel left, and it may have 500 miles next to that. Figuring that that is how far that the ship CAN GO, I lowered the speed from 15 knots to 5 knots. I expected to see the amount go up (less burn/more distance). Instead, it went down, and it now states just 81 miles. I then lowered it to 3 kts, and it further dropped to 54 miles. Obviously, the info box is telling you how far you will travel in the allotted amount of time.

Is this how it is designed to work? It seems odd that the speed of the ship has no bearing on the fuel regardless of how fast the ship is traveling, I was expecting to info to increase with slower speeds, and to decrease with higher speeds. Why is it important to know how far it can travel at the given speed, as opposed to how much fuel you have left?

Thanks

This is normal behavior. Ships have a best speed where the ratio of fuel consumed to distance traveled is ideal; same for planes. Less fuel is consumed at lower speeds, but once you go below cruise speed, you're starting to lose efficiency again.

[Horchata]

We all know that the faster that a plane flies, the more fuel that it uses. But, is the same the case for SURFACE SHIPS?

Looking at a ship, the info box may state that it has 16 hours of fuel left, and it may have 500 miles next to that. Figuring that that is how far that the ship CAN GO, I lowered the speed from 15 knots to 5 knots. I expected to see the amount go up (less burn/more distance). Instead, it went down, and it now states just 81 miles. I then lowered it to 3 kts, and it further dropped to 54 miles. Obviously, the info box is telling you how far you will travel in the allotted amount of time.

Is this how it is designed to work? It seems odd that the speed of the ship has no bearing on the fuel regardless of how fast the ship is traveling, I was expecting to info to increase with slower speeds, and to decrease with higher speeds. Why is it important to know how far it can travel at the given speed, as opposed to how much fuel you have left?

Thanks

This is normal behavior. Ships have a best speed where the ratio of fuel consumed to distance traveled is ideal; same for planes. Less fuel is consumed at lower speeds, but once you go below cruise speed, you're starting to lose efficiency again.

It also differs based on ship engine types and configuration.
This is why most ships have CODAG with diesel engines for normal cruise and gas turbines for boosting to flank speed.