# Ships in gravy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398 "2012-02-10T11:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/1 "2012-02-10T11:23:26Z")
If all the water in the oceans was replaced with gravy, what type of seafaring vessel would most ably handle the gelatinous sludge through which it would now have to travel? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/2 "2012-02-10T11:36:33Z")
IANA Marine engineer… Boat and ship design already has to take into account the viscosity of water - this would just make it a more extreme design criterion. All displacement vessels would be worse off, but probably more so at the flatter, blunter end of the hull shape spectrum. Hovercraft, largely unaffected. Planing hulls less affected than displacement, but still impacted by viscous drag (some might not be able to sustain planing speed) Hydrofoils largely unaffected, except that they might need tougher engineering of pylons, etc. All bets are off on day 2, when the gravy has formed a thick skin. Except for hovercraft. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/3 "2012-02-10T13:27:30Z")
Mmmmm, eels with gravy. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/4 "2012-02-10T13:30:50Z")
What about ships in curry sauce? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/5 "2012-02-10T13:38:27Z")
If it’s onion gravy, then I’d recommend an airboat, to prevent prop tangles. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/6 "2012-02-10T13:46:54Z")
“Somali pirates attempted to board an American freighter in the Gulf of Tapioca today. They were repelled when the crew of the freighter opened fire with whipped cream cannons, and sank the pirates boat with a maraschino cherry bomb.” ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/7 "2012-02-10T14:15:28Z")
a gravy boat. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/8 "2012-02-10T14:20:50Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/9 "2012-02-10T14:27:04Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > a gravy boat. Applause. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/10 "2012-02-10T15:32:59Z")
An ice breaker. Or possibly a biscuit cutter. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/11 "2012-02-10T15:34:52Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > a gravy boat. Part of the Gravy Navy, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/12 "2012-02-10T15:35:30Z")
**CheeseDonkey** , time to cut back on the drugs, dude. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/13 "2012-02-10T15:36:18Z")
Why not an Amphirol or other screw-drive based design? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/14 "2012-02-10T15:41:32Z")
I believe ships take on seawater to use (after desalinizing it) as steam in the turbines, for those that use steam turbines. Dunno if seawater is taken on board and desalinized to use for other purposes. (Cooling the engines? Drinking water? Air conditioning via chilled water?) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/15 "2012-02-10T15:50:31Z")
The wake that the ship leaves would be wavy gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/16 "2012-02-10T17:20:36Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > I believe ships take on seawater to use (after desalinizing it) as steam in the turbines, for those that use steam turbines. > > Dunno if seawater is taken on board and desalinized to use for other purposes. (Cooling the engines? Drinking water? Air conditioning via chilled water?) If you run most boat engines without them being immersed in water, you can seriously damage the engine- they use it for coolant. Can’t imagine that working with gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/17 "2012-02-10T17:26:33Z")
I don’t know, but I want beaches of mashed potatoes and islands of dumplings. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/18 "2012-02-10T17:46:05Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > **CheeseDonkey** , time to cut back on the drugs, dude. 😉 No, no, no! He probably hasn’t even peaked yet! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/19 "2012-02-10T18:00:27Z")
I’m beginning to roux reading this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398/20 "2012-02-10T18:03:46Z")
I used to have a gravy boat, now I’m on the gravy train. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-in-gravy/612398.md?page=2)