Abstract Within this work the sideways launching process of ships is investigated based on different approaches. Many different ship types were successfully launched in the past using a sideways launching process as the method of choice. Although different shipyards have a lot of experience, publicly available literature regarding insights about the mechanics of sideways launchings is scarce. This is especially true for loads resulting on the ship hull at the moment of impact with the water surface. No knowledge regarding load mechanism acting upon a hull structure as well as the subsequent hull structural loads during a sideways launching process can be found in literature. The same is true for the influence of different parameters relevant for a safe sideways launching process.weiterlesen