What may ships need? Oh, towing, perhaps!
1. The boat may need some repairing. 2. They may need some more money.
3. The tug may need additional towing tiawsers. 4. You may need a good length of manila rope for towing.
III. Listen to the short dialogues, repeat each sentence during the pauses and learn the dialogues by heart:
"Can you manoeuvre your ship to our stern?" "Yes, we can. Get the towing line ready."
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"Ask them if they can provide hawsers for towing."
"They say they can. They'll pass you a heaving line first. Get ready to pick
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the line up!"
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"Pay out some more cable to avoid jerks." "О. К. Will that much of cable suit you?" "Yes, that'll do. Start towing."
IV. Listen to each of the long dialogues again and retell briefly their contents from the point of view of: (a) one speaker, (b) the other speaker, (c) an onlooker.
Make your partner ask you questions about some details which you missed.
V. Write the dictation:
Very often ships need towing. In many cases they need tugs to take them into or out of port. They may also need tugs for shifting from one berth to another. As a rule, port tugs are well equipped and use their own lines and hawsers for towing. In such cases masters of ships arrange with the tug's captain how tow-lines should be secured, which side should the tug approach the ship, what signals should be used, and so on. Things are quite different when a ship becomes disabled at sea. She may then have to ask the nearest vessel for assistance and such a vessel may not be specialized in towing. In such cases the masters of both vessels will have to settle -many problems before the actual towing can begin. They must discuss what tow-lines should be used, how the distressed vessel should be approached, how the lines should be brassed over and secured, and how long the tow-lines must be.
Towing a disabled vessel a long way is a very difficult task because the weather may suddenly change and make the towing extremely dangerous.