Some Hydrodynamic Measurements on Sharks.

A series of experiments were performed to determine the average horsepower of brown sharks at their average swimming speeds. This was done by measuring the drag forces on the shark and their average swimming speeds. Measurements were also made on the effect of water temperature on swimming speed and the effect of increased underwater weight on swimming performance. The results indicate that sharks have a hydrodynamic drag eight to ten times greater than a Pacific white-sided porpoise of approximately the same size. Load tests on lemon and brown sharks indicate that they could not tolerate loads equal to their unloaded underwater weights. Author