Why Are Ship's Portholes Always Round?

[@saintnik.]

"what were you doing up at 2am lastnight?" "portholes"

[@TheManLab7]

4am here

[@FasterRepair]

Pushing midnight here 🙋

[@raflamar4146]

I love this trend where Oceanliner Designs have made it their mission to explain every tiny piece of ships designs

[@Archeantusable]

The common man: you cant make boat windows interesting! Our friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs: hold my steam boiler

[@Emily_M81]

hold my steam boiler sent me LOL

[@TheManLab7]

😂 steam boiler

[@Godric_71]

I've always been amazed at the engineering that goes into allowing such large, steel ships like aircraft carriers to float.

[@obelic71]

Keeping things afloat is the easy part solong the displacement of water is bigger then the mass it floats. Making those floating things a usable ship as your mentioned aircraft carrier thats the challenge.

[@Godric_71]

@obelic71 I'm 53 and have a basic understanding of how it works. It's still amazes me. Like a kid seeing a fire truck. Lol

[@obelic71]

@@Godric_71 Not knowing how we made it home after a good night drinking in our youth still amazes me today 😁

[@Godric_71]

@obelic71 Amen Obelic

[@Godric_71]

@obelic71 I didn't always make it home safe. Sometimes I'd wake up and find out that I crashed into a dirty slot. Lol

[@DerekPetersonLives]

Yes, yes I was excited to see a video about portholes Thanks Mike Brady, this is where our friendship has lead us.

[@TheTransporter007]

This is definitely one of the best best maritime channels on the internet, right up there with Drachnifel and BBNJ.

[@robbielee2148]

One of few worth watching, absolutely.

[@l00k69]

Portholes are round so the water doesn't hit you square in the face!

[@303AF]

😂😂

[@BadgerOfTheSea]

The darkness of below deck on ships pre-electricity often goes unthought of in modern media depiction but if you go below deck of HMS Victory it is really dark, even with the lights they have now installed so tourists can see where they are going.

[@codedinfortran]

I always enjoy your content, on any given topic. And I really admire the creativity you display in selecting those topics. One of my favorite channels, sir. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

[@hamaljay]

I know you said that portholes don't get their name from being on the port side of the ship but the first sailing boat I was ever on only had a porthole on the port side of the boat. This is how I have remembered the port side on a ship my entire life. I can only imagine if it'd been on the wrong side how confused I'd be when people start talking ship.

[@Mr_Bute]

This video has dozens of fantastic historic naval artworks, paintings/drawings/engravings/sketches. Excellent work team.

[@mikebaginy8731]

An interesting video, Mike. Reminds me of a journey from Bremerhaven to NYC on the USS Simone B. Buckner in Apeil 1965. On the Atlantic my father opened the porthole of our cabin briefly to allow fresh air in. A wave spilled large amounts of water in too, so the porthole remained closed for the duration of the 7-day journey. Exciting times for an 11-year old Army Brat!

[@beneddiected]

I’m immediately reminded of that video explaining Titanic’s breakups and how most of the area of the breakup are huge gaping holes that have *corners*. That’s why the breakup is centered there

[@zinniagarden]

Fun topic! And really great explanation of portholes.

[@darrellbedford4857]

I worked on an older, smaller Canadian laker in the early 1980's. It had two portholes in the steering compartment that needed to be closed when it was loaded as they were just under the water level to prevent water ingress.

[@cyrilio]

That reddit anecdote is amazing. I've read it multiple times and it always brings a smile to my face.

[@CrispyCircuits]

Thanks for the rare to see space portholes. Those pictures never get broadcast here.

[@acomingextinction]

i don't think i've ever seen that ISS area before

[@davidjolley1339]

Another great job by our friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs.

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

Hi Mike, I've got a random question for you. 😉 Came up at a party, and I can't answer it. Guys got excited, started doing calculations, arguing. Do you think attempts to lighten the bow of the Titanic could have bought her some time? As the front filled with water, it became heavier, tilted, - and water then flowed over the top of bulkheads, one by one. The water out-raced the pumps, correct? Attempts to make rafts were thwarted by the tilting. If the tilt was delayed, perhaps the deck chairs / dining tables could have been tied together with bedsheets. Molotovs of liquor bottles could have kept wet, but out of the water survivors alive long enough for the Carpathia to arrive in 1 hrs, 40 mins. People - were alive IN the water, for an entire hour after the sinking. So: They needed to buy about 1 hour for many more survivors to have made it. What was the weight of the front anchor, alone? Could immediately cutting and "shedding" the anchor have changed her trim? Was the coal loaded with a conveyor belt system - that could have been reversed, shedding coal out many doors? What about the fresh water on board? How much did it weigh? Could the firehose system be activated to dump it? Could the toilets be put on permanent flush, with a valve or button press? I don't know. You pointed out toilets flushed "waste" off the side in one video. ☺ You may have access to some answers like max rate of fresh water feasibly shed. Seems there must be a way to drain all pipes for maintenance. It's heartbreaking - cries were heard in the water for an hour. That means there was about 40 mins of silence before Carpathia arrived...just 40 mins...if they only could delay the tilt and get more life boats and rafts going...alas.

[@markdoldon8852]

Large ships are designed for a level trim. Nothing the crew could do in an emergrncy would alter the trim compared to MILLIONS of pounds of water entering through a huve gash, especially when most movable ballast is located down near the keel, which within minutes was filled with inrushing water.

[@russellgxy2905]

Around the height of ocean liners, portholes started turning up on trains as well. Many diesel streamliners in the US had the locomotives use rectangular portholes on the carbody sides, but a select few had a distinct array of 7 or 8 circular ones. In a bit of foreshadowing, the diesel set in charge of the City of San Francisco gained the nickname “Queen Mary!” They also appeared on the Pennsylvania T1 steam engines, which already looked the part for a newspaper to call them “Land Dreadnaughts.” Not sure the portholes had much purpose on them besides style, though they could have something to do with air circulation as there were a lot of components mounted on the front

[@christophpoll784]

That story about the officer changing the heading to enjoy his food without too much light made me giggle.😂 Reminded me when I was at see during the football-championship 2006. We called it "football navigation" to get at least some signal while off shore Brazil heading north 😂

[@RG-Models86]

Fantastic work, as always, Mike 👍.

[@Shadooe]

I scrolled thru the comments, even did a Ctrl+F for the punchline and didn't find it, so... Why are portholes round? So the water doesn't hit you square in the face.

[@DeanStephen]

To prevent metal fatigue and stress cracks. Also, that shape provides the strongest uniform framing strength (for the glass). I’m not sure this all was scientifically understood prior to the deHaviland Comet air crash investigations, but the maritime industry had clearly intuited it from experience.

[@mfree80286]

@@DeanStephen Given the technology of the time when dogged glass portholes were introduced, it was a LOT easier to create a mass produced uniform item with a sealable surface if it was round, as all of them could be put through lathes for facing and gasket surfacing. You could even design conical surfaces that would more evenly capture a cork or dead metal seal, which would be impossible to do with corners in your frame. Cutting the port would be easier as well, only requiring a pilot hole and a rod or spike and thin chain to serve as a guide.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

If they weren't around, you'd not be able to look out onto the ocean! ;) .

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Never thought too much about portholes before. Been on a couple cruises where our cabin was close to the waterline. In storms our cabin window was under water as much as above it. Not scary; but thought provoking.

[@Whalerguy]

The oldest Navy anecdote still has life. Thanks my friend Mike Brady!

[@Msbrowneyes114]

A subject I never thought about…..Very interesting thanks Mike 😀

[@unionmaster]

This video has sparked a curiosity within me for finding out more about the daily life upon ships back in the 15 and 1600s, I would love if you made a few videos delving into such a topic!

[@ahoannon5711]

The tall ship Alexander von Humboldt 2 also has classical potholes (where you can't open the glass, she has a perfectly good ventilation system). When she heels over in a good wind the lee-side portholes are washed by the waves or underwater altogether.

[@Bobbymaccys]

I didn’t know how much I wanted to know this until I saw the title

[@garywhite2050]

You're a wonderful educator! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@AngelGoddess44]

Another banger, My good friend Mike Brady... *cough* I feel closer & closer to a Ship Bridge Construction video... 😅

[@ronmars901]

High quality stuff as always Mr. Brady!

[@epicepic8489]

Thanks for another great vid (as always), Mike!

[@Ember3221]

Thank you! Very well done!

[@emryspaperart]

it's always so bewildering to see people in the comments going on about how you can answer the title question with what ammounts to a tweet: you're on the video website, learn to enjoy listening to people talk about their passions, even if the leading title question is a simple one.

[@teddyboragina6437]

I can't speak for others, but when I see titles that feel "too clickbaity" I'll often answer the question myself in the comments, due to my hate for clickbait. this title does not cross that line as far as I'm concerned.

[@j_taylor]

It puzzles me too. I remember advice I got as a kid: you have one mouth but two ears for a reason. I guess some people come here to talk, not to learn. Their loss. These videos are great.

[@Sassymouse88]

I think its similar to people who let slip spoilers for tv shows & movies.

[@julieputney4317]

Thanks, Mike!

[@Seegras]

The deadlight has a another very important role on warships: not to let out light, obviously, so as not to be easily spotted at night.

[@dorislyons6223]

Thanks Mike. I have never ever considered starboard holes. 😂. Really interesting video 👍

[@martinschnelle3077]

Mike Brady manages to take something simple as a porthole to make an interesting and funny video!

[@cheesyllama]

Once again, a fascinating topic that I never thought about until this video. Portholes. Who knew?!

[@NicholasTaylor-y4v]

Thank you for the vids. 😊

[@aliasove-iv4oi]

Love you Mike Brady! I love the level of detail here. Never thought I’d be fascinated by portholes, but here we are. God bless you all!

[@colinleat8309]

I love these mini doc's. There fascinating. Thanks Mike! 🇨🇦✌

[@Emily_M81]

thanks for sharing, Friend Mike Brady®

[@joãoAlberto-k9x]

Very interesting history.

[@joãoAlberto-k9x]

All our holes are round.

[@Alrakis_Draconis]

Fun fact. Many of the first dobsonian telescope mirrors were hand made with discarded porthole glass.

[@brucermarino]

Another video well-researched and presented! I'm reminded of the Comet, that early British airliner powered by jet engines. It failed because of breaking up in flight due to the stress fractures that occurred over time at the corners of the square portholes from the expansion and compression of the fuselage as it ascended and descended. Thanks again!

[@Strunz2224]

Beautiful quality video, as always. Thank you mike.

[@Dakiraun]

Ha... you did it again; who'd have thought portholes could be so interesting!

[@BNuts]

Always remember to close your windows when you plan to leave them unattended.

[@HistoryNut-1701]

Thank you for that fun video.

[@TWX1138]

I can answer without even looking at the video. The two reasons are 1) the round shape means that there's no weird corners to fail with less pressure, and 2) like a manhole cover, it should not be able to pass through the opening while it is intact.

[@j_taylor]

Why post here to say you didn't watch the video?

[@georgemccune2923]

But the glass in the porthole is sometimes smaller than the hole and that's how they flip open, others swing open so it really wouldn't make a difference.

[@mfree80286]

It's a lot easier to seal a round hole than one with corners, and initially it was MUCH easier to machine a round item on a dedicated lathe. It's also a lot easier to torch cut holes with consistency than it is to get square ports correct every time (pilot hole and a circular jig is all you need)

[@mariavasilenko9863]

What a great idea for a video! Really interesting stuff

[@terikronberg8291]

Proof that everything has a story, and a good teller for it.

[@Hothrax]

great video

[@DebraJean196]

Thanks Mike!

[@D7g8d]

Thank you for this excellent episode.

[@kylesteele3936]

I wish I had Mike's hair, so dapper.

[@barbecueman6352]

Hey Mike I’m a big fan of your work are you planning on doing any fan meet ups soon?

[@Person4772]

The thing about circular and rounded windows equalising pressure and preventing the window from shattering is very important. Because [From what I recall] the windows on the De Havilland Comet jet aircraft were rectangular at first. these windows would shatter when in flight due to stress building in the corners over decompression cycles and caused the aircraft to be banned from service until these issues were resolved. Its amazing how the lesson had to be relearned after so much time

[@nmccw3245]

Close. It was the stress fractures that concentrated at the square corners of the window frames that led to the structural failures. 👍🏻

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

For the same reason why airplanes have rounded windows. No corners that can allow for stress cracks to form.

[@stevethegreasemonkey]

That was the reason for several comet crashes

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

@ Yes it was. And by the time they fixed the windows and returned the Comet to production, it was too late as the 707 had been launched and was taking over. Perhaps if the Comet had been more successful the world would be flying British planes, rather than American ones.

[@kikuaviation3878]

But ships are not pressurised…stress cracking in airliners results from repeated pressurisation cycles.

[@bjorntorlarsson]

Because they are cut out of metal. Easier to vut a round hole than a rectangular. And it has all other kind of advantages too. The mystery is why digital screens on for exampel smartphones are not round.

[@andrefiset3569]

The de Havilland Comet had square windows at first but it resulted in catastrophic failure.

[@hollykacz1958]

It was a great video and explained about portholes and I had no clue as to all this information. Thank you.

[@gpu_collector]

hi mike love your content

[@Dayandcounting]

What trips me out are the video of the larger windows on modern cruise ships going below the waves during extreme seas. I want to say I even saw one where it was leaking a little.

[@valdeingruo]

It is canon in my head that Mike says hello to a different individual each time he says "Hello, its your friend Mike Brady"

[@donaldbotsai5799]

Would you be insulted to know that o rewatch your videos and your mellow voice almost never fails to send me to dreamland?

[@TheHylianBatman]

I think of the story you told at the end frequently!

[@Tantalis77]

my god, mike brady's done it again

[@Flies2FLL]

Dean, some woman in California bought the house that was used for the exterior shots in the Brady Bunch TV show and HGTV helped her turn the inside into a replica of the sets that were actually used in the series. Right down to every picture, every nicknack, basically everything. The attention to detail is insane~

[@karengarrison3666]

Yet another cool discovery! I love to understand the reasoning of a thing ~ enquiring minds need to know! Thank you, Mike Brady! 💙

[@rajoba7981]

Fun fact about the story you told in the end: I heard it first at the YT channel MrBallen, who is great at telling strange, dark and mysterious stories.

[@davinp]

On the HMHS Brittanic, they opened the portholes to let in air because it was hot inside. This was against the rules and contributed to her sinking as water was able to go into the open portholes

[@pop5678eye]

8:30 While many people cite the crashes of the Comet as the reason airplane passenger windows are rounded at the corners it is often misstated that the square corners were the cause of the explosive decompressions. The primary reason for the failure was due to manufacturing defects because the perimeter was riveted instead of bolted causing micro-cracks from the beginning. It is true however that the corners were the weaker failure points as a result. Notice however that cockpit windows on airliners have barely rounded corners as are most of the windows on the ISS and military jets with quite complex looking canopies definitely still have sharp corners.

[@Sashazur]

The location of the fatigue failure in the comet was an opening for an antenna in the top of the fuselage.

[@Chelshenderson]

I can just picture Mike being up at like 3 in the morning just doing this. What is sir Mike Brady up to you ask?? PORTHOLES IS WHAT

[@xiaoka]

because it looks cool!

[@toddkurzbard]

One thing not mentioned here, is that portholes were enlarged after the Hoboken Docks Fire of 1900. Three of the 4 German liners at berth (only the KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE escaped most of it; she too had fire aboard, but she was able to escape the piers, and the fire aboard was pretty easily put out) caught fire, and crew aboard the ships were unable to escape, due to the portholes being too small. It was said that the firemen (Fire Dept.) could see the panicked, terrified crewmembers' heads sticking out of the portholes, unable to escape as the flames consumed them. The death toll aboard those 3 ships (if I remember correctly) was between 200 - 250 souls. After this tragedy, regulations were passed that REQUIRED porthole diameters to all be AT LEAST 1 foot in diameter, so that those in danger could escape through them. (EDIT: I just looked it up for review. My "death toll" figures were WAY off: according to Wikipedia, it was AT LEAST 326.)

[@whiteonggoy7009]

5:34 heavy deadlight . The brass port holes remind me of brasso cleaner and ages to get a shine

[@SirDinoTheFirst]

Who knew potholes could be so complicated and interesting 🪟

[@jamest2401]

It was following the Hoboken Docks Fire of 1900 that larger portholes were mandated. The fire engulfed several ships, including the SS Saale, where many passengers, particularly women visiting the ship, were trapped and burned alive because they couldn't fit through the small portholes. This disaster led to significant changes in maritime safety regulations, including the mandate for larger portholes to facilitate easier escape in emergencies.

[@rebeccawilson2247]

Tell me why I nerded out about Mike talking about Oasis of the Seas - because for once it’s a boat I’ve actually been on 😂

[@michaelcosgrove5654]

I had a friend whose father was in the merchant marine in the 1920s. He was on the Liverpool - New York run during the prohibition era. They, of course, had alcohol with them and when they reached New York they would put the alcohol in a sack and hang it out of a porthole while the ship was 'inspected'. Yet another use for a porthole!

[@jimbutleryt]

If anyone was wondering, you can go and see the Mary Rose wreck at the Historic Dockyard museum in Portsmouth!

[@mirthenary]

Took the words out of my mouth! I was just wondering why there's no such thing as starboard holes😄

[@jusfrazier369]

So you're telling me ships have things that just make them ships?

[@landsgevaer]

Hmm, "water" would be my answer.

[@tallonmetroids271]

I actually have seen the porthole-bagel story before. Being a submarine veteran, myself, I can't say I relate, but it's still funny to imagine this happening.

[@perkinscurry8665]

When I was in Navy boot camp back in tht 1960's I was told that the proper name for a "port hole" was "air port" (not "airport"). Don't know if that's true or not but it always made sense to me.

[@TheSaneHatter]

I know about those "Deck Prisms"! Years ago, the annual merchandise catalogs for public TV and radio, here in the states, used to offer reproductions of those things as novelty gifts. (I don't know if they still do.)

[@Chadd7618]

Only you can make a video speaking about a window on a ship and it’s interesting.

[@PeterEdin]

They are round because star shaped ones would look stoopid 😂 I luv this channel 🚢

[@nathanhudson-young2460]

Small nitpick, but I counted 4 decks on the Titanic's superstructure. Boat Deck 1. A Deck 2. B Deck 3. C Deck 4. Still love the video tho.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

B-Deck and C-Deck were in the hull :) In fact B-deck was the very top of the hull and considered the 'strength deck' in her structure, like the top of a box girder.

[@nathanhudson-young2460]

@OceanlinerDesigns oh. The paint and how the section is shaped kinda does make it look part of the superstructure.

[@Uncle_Roadkill]

Last time I was this excited to hear something about windows, I was using DOS

[@cleverusername9369]

9:14 I love the implication that some people are unreasonably sized

[@chuckschultz7028]

Stress concentration factors and notch sensitivity are not just a concern on ships. An early jet passenger plane [de Haviland Comet] suffered structural failure due to the designer's choice to use square windows instead of round. Research on these topics was critical to understanding failures in welded structures in the 1930s and 1940s. Still a controversial topic in some fields; European and American engineers take different positions on its importance.

[@superyamagucci]

It’s like manhole covers. A circle can’t fall through a circle. Also stress is evenly distributed. Plus both frames are super easy to spin on a lathe if you manage to break one at sea somehow. Which you won’t, but better safe than sorry.

[@brianhudson8680]

Brillant😊

[@bradlevantis913]

The other thing that dead lights do is block out the light from inside the ship - they prevent light from interfering with navigation during nighttime sailing. On more than one occasion I’ve had to knock on a cabin door to remind the occupants to close the dead light once the sun went down

[@Phaaschh]

From early iron ships, to international space stations, portholes are tge true all-rounder.

[@mudman6156]

Round portholes are simply stronger. They prevent cracks from forming in the ship’s hull, which obviously could be tragic, especially when out at sea.

[@titanic.nerd401]

I have visited the Mary rose at Portsmouth and what a site she was

[@djp_video]

Is it a starboardhole if it's on the starboard side?

[@georgemccune2923]

You didn't watch the video did you? He answered this within the first two minutes. You LOOSE! You get NOTHING! Good DAY, sir!

[@TVdinnermasterchef]

​@@georgemccune2923 lose*

[@macmedic892]

@@georgemccune2923Jeez! Calm down. It’s not like he stole Fizzy Lifting Drinks.

[@georgemccune2923]

@@macmedic892 The Everlasting Gobstopper in his pocket suggests otherwise.