Recently I did an undistinguished rendition of Flyhawk's 1/700 Derfflinger. I spent some serious time looking aids to creating a decent water base. I was really taken by the photo below from Gary Staff's "German Battlecruisers". Here is the text and photo:
�SMS von der Tannn trials. The four propellers create a powerful suction ahead of themselves, manifested as the low water halfway along the hull.� (Staff p. 4) Staff notes that at the time von der Tann was the world's fastest dreadnought.
Obviously it would be nice to have a picture from above, but from what I can ascertain the photo is of a capital ship going full speed ahead through calm water. I had never seen a photo showing quite the same effect. As Jutland was fought at times at very high speed and (I stand correction) in uncertain weather but not high seas, I thought this might work.
Regardless I got interested in the subject and found a couple of very neat sources available on YouTube. Both deal with hull design testing. Both are from Germany. One examines how a large container ship with an 11 meter draft creates wave depending upon speed. No doubt larger than a WWI battle cruiser, but a large ship nevertheless. The difference in waver patterns between relative to speed is very interesting. The entire film is 7:00 minutes or so.
Check: "DSEC_Model Test_Postpanamax Containership" .
Below is one pic from the film:
The second is a variation on the same theme but illustrates the "hull speed" of a ship - what the wave will look like when the ship is going at it's maximum speed (or perhaps why the hull/wave shapes the top speed). Check "Hull Speed tank run of an AOE 6" . The pic below is from the short film.
Several others on the same theme. Neat stuff I think.
Eric