People are just finding out why tugboats shoot water in the air when towing big ships

Social media users were left stunned after realizing the real reason why tugboats spray water when towing some ships.

The internet is full of wonderful things including answers to the questions you only think about briefly while in the shower.

In the latest clip that is doing the rounds on social media, users admitted to being stunned at the reason as to the massive water display put on by a tugboat.

A clip of a tugboat leading the way for a huge cargo ship while blasting out water has been going viral on X this week, with over 50 million views.

Now, tugboats aren’t exactly glamorous and often do look quite insignificant when they are dragging along impressive and unique ships behind them.

But they fulfil an important role. They act as specialist boats to assist the other vessels in or out of port.

In certain situations, they can also be used to break up ice ahead of the larger vessel, for firefighting or even anchor handling.

But the reason why these boats spray water has nothing to do with their actual function.

X/@historyinmemes

It's known as a 'water salute' - a way for tugboats to either welcome or bid farewell to whichever large vessel is moving in or out of port.

Social media users admitted they had never considered this simple explanation.

“I never knew this was a thing,” one user remarked.

"Finally, an answer that makes sense,” added another.

The tradition reportedly originated in the US in the 1950s and would be performed when military ships planes departed or arrived.

Nowadays it's used to commemorate the first voyage of a vessel and some organizers even add a dash of color to the water to really make the display pop.

However, there were quite a few joke responses that are infinitely better than the actual reason.

X/@historyinmemes

“It's obviously a mating display, the smaller boat (male) is trying to woo the larger ship (female) by what is known as peacocking. It's such an impressive natural display and we're lucky someone caught this on camera!,” one user joked.

“They are trying to disturb the water around them making the creatures of the ocean think they are bigger, thereby avoiding attacks from larger creatures such as the Kraken, Devil Whale, Godzilla etc,” a second wrote.

And my personal favorite: "You have to water the ocean so that it grows.”

Topics: Social Media, Twitter

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.