Ship floodability

Floodability is a characteristic of the construction of a ship to resist flooding.

Floodability is achieved by dividing the volume of the hull into watertight compartments with decks and bulkheads (which also increase the strength of ships), use of double bottom, and by other means.[1]

Watertight bulkhead compartments were written of by the Song Dynasty Chinese author Zhu Yu, in his book Pingzhou Table Talks of 1119 AD (written from 1111 to 1117 AD). Watertight compartments were frequently implemented in Asian ships, and had been implemented in the warships of Kubla Khan.[2][3][4] Chinese sea-going junks often had 14 crosswalls, some of which could be flooded to increase stability or for the carriage of liquids.[5]

Alexei Krylov and Stepan Makarov worked extensively on ship floodability in the early 20th century.

References

  1. ^ by Authority of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (June 1943). A Seaman's Pocket-Book. London: HMSO. pp. 11–12. 
  2. ^ Watertight compartments in Asia
  3. ^ Kabla Khan's warships having watertight compartments
  4. ^ Watertight compartments used by Zheng He
  5. ^ Colin Ronan; Joseph Needham (1986), The shorter Science and Civilisation in China, 3, C.U.P., pp. 70–77