• DamarcusArt@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 months ago

        Would that not be a bit slow and potentially dangerous in storms and things? I don’t know much about modern sailships.

        • wopazoo [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          11 months ago

          Cargo ships already run very slowly in order to save fuel. In a storm where the winds are so strong that the ship risks capsizing, the sails can simply be retracted. Also, if the time spent not moving when there is no wind is a concern, sails can be combined with diesel (or even nuclear) propulsion in a hybrid setup.

          Also see: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/05/how-to-design-a-sailing-ship-for-the-21st-century

          • huf [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            11 months ago

            eeeh, yeah but if you want to effectively use sails, you need to take specific routes with good reliable wind. modern cargo ships can go in a straighter line.

            so it’s not as easy as that, but yeah, they should bring back sailships even if that makes the transit times longer

        • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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          11 months ago

          Nah, since the advent of compressed wood we’ve had the ability to build massive, lightweight and ultra strong sailing ships

          It’s just not profitable to do so

        • LeZero [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          11 months ago

          I know the standards of construction between civilian and military shipping are pretty different, but we have had nuclear powered ships for a while now (nuclear aircraft carrier notably) and they sail pretty fine

          Actually there are civilian nuclear powered ships, the USSR and the Russian Federation have built nuclear powered icebreakers (shoutout the Lenin ) which have had accidents but as far as I can tell, no human losses occurred

          So I’d say building nuclear cargo ships isn’t really in the realm of science fiction, as long as proper construction standards are applied