# Going down with the ship - drowning question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025 "2007-09-21T20:07:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/1 "2007-09-21T20:07:16Z")
What is the SD on the forces at work when a large vessel sinks, specifically with respect to dragging people down to the deeps by some sort of suction - if that is the right term. Say I am standing on board the flight deck of the USS Nimitz. By ill-luck, the vessel is holed below the waterline by an enraged pod of warrior sperm whales and starts to sink rapidly. Once the water starts to lap at my shoes, could I break out the freestyle and swim away to safety? ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/2 "2007-09-21T20:18:00Z")
According to an episode of _Mythbusters_, a ship sinking under you won’t suck you down so that you can’t escape. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/3 "2007-09-21T20:20:39Z")
_Mythbusters_ ‘busted’ this. However they did not use an actual hundreds-of-feet-long ship. According to [this site](http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/moments.htm): > [@](#): > > Chief Charles Baker, who was standing on the very stern, said that he felt as if he were riding an elevator. As the ship went under he stepped off into the water without even getting his head wet. Edit: Quote is a _Titanic_ reference. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/4 "2007-09-21T20:24:38Z")
Let’s not cite Mythbusters for anything. They are a T.V. show, not a scientific outfit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/5 "2007-09-21T20:28:56Z")
[QUOTE=treis] They are a T.V. show, not a scientific outfit. [/QUOTE] > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > However they did not use an actual hundreds-of-feet-long ship. Fair enough? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/6 "2007-09-21T20:38:25Z")
Air bubbles escaping a large ship might displace enough water so that your body wouldn’t float in the bubble filled water and make it seem like you were being sucked down. (And it seems like Mythbusters did test the bouyancy of aerated water, but I don’t want to muddy the waters) ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/7 "2007-09-22T02:52:11Z")
I would expect that you should watch out for lines, equipment, etc, that might hit or snag you on it’s way down, though. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-down-with-the-ship-drowning-question/420025/8 "2007-09-22T14:19:40Z")
In _In Harm’s Way_, which is about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, several people did describe being taken down by the suction until their kapok life vests brought them back to the top.