🔍 Key Concepts

• Reserve buoyancy: what parts of the ship provide it and where they are located relative to the waterline • Effect of flooding on displacement, draft, and freeboard • Relationship between intact watertight volume and a vessel’s ability to float safely

💭 Think About

• Visualize a side view of the vessel: before and after a compartment floods, what happens to the waterline and how much of the hull remains above water? • Ask yourself: does flooding add weight or remove weight from the vessel, and how does that affect how low it sits in the water? • Think about which spaces contribute to reserve buoyancy: do flooded compartments still count as providing buoyancy?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on the definition: reserve buoyancy is the volume of the ship above the waterline that can be made watertight • Consider that flooding usually means more water inside the hull: does this make the ship float higher or lower? • Verify whether a flooded compartment still provides reserve buoyancy, or if only dry, watertight spaces above the waterline count