Bow wave

[1] As the bow wave spreads out, it defines the outer limits of a ship's wake.

Therefore, ship hulls are generally designed to produce as small a bow wave as possible.

A ship with a large draft and a blunt bow will produce a large wave, and ships that plane over the water surface will create smaller bow waves.

Bow wave patterns are studied in the field of computational fluid dynamics.

A major goal of naval architecture is therefore to reduce the size of the bow wave and improve the ship's fuel economy.

Bow wave of a canal barge
Bow wave of the USS Connecticut , on her speed trials in 1906 or 1907
USS Northampton wearing a painted fake bow wave used to give the impression of high speed at all times (1941)