Factual error: In one scene they attempt to divert the ship by manually activating the ship's bowthruster. A thruster is a propeller in a transverse direction. This allows the ship to turn more efficiently when docking. However the thruster loses any efficiency above approximately 5 knots. In the film they use it at 17 knots. Secondly, a thruster is powered by an electric motor of at least 500 kW, yet they manage to turn it by hand. That handle does not exist in real life, and no one would be able to turn it anyway.
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
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Directed by: Jan de Bont
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Temuera Morrison
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More mistakes in Speed 2: Cruise Control
Alex Shaw: I gotta get my girl.
Trivia: At the end of the movie, the bus that Sandra Bullock nearly hits is numbered 2526. The bus in the first Speed movie was numbered 2525.
Answer: There is no logical reason for it and it is purely for cinematic theatrics. It's a movie myth that cars, boats, etc. immediately explode upon impact. In real life, explosions rarely happen that way.
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