Following a grounding, what would happen to...

🔍 Key Concepts

• Slack tank behavior – how liquid in a partially filled tank responds when the shell plating is breached below the waterline • Double bottom tank location – where it sits relative to the outside seawater and the ship’s baseline • Hydrostatic balance – relationship between tank liquid level and outside seawater level when there is a hole

💭 Think About

• Picture a side view of the ship: where is the double bottom tank, and where is the sea surface relative to the top of that tank? • If the tank is slack and holed to the sea, what drives water in or out: is it pump pressure, gravity, or difference in water levels (head)? • As time passes after the hole, would the liquid inside try to match the level of the sea outside, stay as it was, or do something random?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify whether the hole is below or above the outside waterline – this is critical. • Decide whether sea pressure at the hole is greater than, equal to, or less than the pressure from the liquid already in the tank at that depth. • Think about the condition after repeated soundings, meaning long enough for levels to approach equilibrium, not just the first few minutes.

Following a grounding, what would happen to the level of a slack double bottom tank if the tank was holed?

After repeated soundings, the indicated tank level would gradually drop.

After repeated soundings, the indicated tank level would gradually rise.

After repeated soundings, the indicated level would remain essentially constant.

The change of level in the slack tank cannot be predicted.

🔍 Key Concepts

💭 Think About

✅ Before You Answer