# Ships and seaworthiness **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146 "2013-06-28T18:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/1 "2013-06-28T18:18:02Z")
Hello good people, What is the most sea-worthy ship we have designed or built. Is there a ship on the sea that could come through the worst of of storms that we know about. Submarines do not count, although I’d be fascinated to learn about sub surface hazards. Peter Cecil has probably lent his planetary sized brain to this subject before, but for us mere mortals… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/2 "2013-06-28T18:44:12Z")
Setting aside that this is a pretty complex question: Any modern warship would probably be one of the most seaworthy vessels out there for its size. Most are designed to tolerate a variety of sea states, and major surface combatants are equipped for a measure of self-repair and redundancy; they’re designed to remain not just afloat but _fighting_ after taking serious damage. Plus, modern warships were designed with all the collective ship-building history of thousands of years in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/3 "2013-06-28T18:45:40Z")
Cruise ships would be another good guess - sure, there have been well-publicized problems with power plant failure or incompetent piloting/command, but the industry is heavily regulated, and the sheer _size_ of the ships makes it hard for something to go fatally wrong without operator error. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/4 "2013-06-28T19:13:57Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > the sheer _size_ of the ships makes it hard for something to go fatally wrong without operator error. You mean like running into an iceberg? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/5 "2013-06-28T19:18:30Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Cruise ships would be another good guess - sure, there have been well-publicized problems with power plant failure or incompetent piloting/command, but the industry is heavily regulated, and the sheer _size_ of the ships makes it hard for something to go fatally wrong without operator error. Or an Italian captain. However, looking up cruise ship safety, I came across this splendid question on **[Wiki](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_a_shark_sink_a_cruise_ship)** Answers, which reaffirms my faith in the wisdom of the commons: _ **Can a shark sink a cruise ship ?** _ ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/6 "2013-06-28T19:18:53Z")
What about ships whose Captains have no choice but to take to take them into adverse sea conditions? Can we/have we designed a ship that really can ‘rule the waves’. My own personal thoughts veer between an Icebreaker type ship and a big f\*\*k off Aircraft Carrier. Shows you how much I know about maritime design! Peter ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/7 "2013-06-28T19:43:53Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Cruise ships would be another good guess - sure, there have been well-publicized problems with power plant failure or incompetent piloting/command, but the industry is heavily regulated, and the sheer _size_ of the ships makes it hard for something to go fatally wrong without operator error. Or extreme neglect of maintenance, as in the case of [the Oceanos,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanos) which sank off the coast of South Africa in 1991. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/8 "2013-06-28T20:18:25Z")
Coast Guard cutters are built to perform in seas that would founder almost any other vessel - which is kinda their _purpose_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/9 "2013-06-28T20:47:45Z")
Depends… there are also other conidtions to consider such as ice. In order to safely travel through an iceberg field you need ship deisgned for that. As far as US Navy ships go, the old battle ships, like the Wisconsin with it’s insane 16" hull would probably be the most seaworthy. But, I was on the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) in Katrina and Rita and we were in the Gulf of Mexico, riding huge-ass waves, both time. The pilot house is about 135’ off of the water and we had waves crashing over. So, hurricane force winds and massive waves. The damage? One of our UHF antennas suffered a fractured mount. The mount was made of fiberglass though. ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/10 "2013-06-28T21:44:51Z")
Hello Electronbee, Would your Captain have taken the Ship into _any_weather? As far as I know no commanding officer, with a very few exceptions, would take their vessel into a storm. Few exceptions include the RNLI, local lifeboats for UK seas, arctic and antarctic icebreakers/exploration vessels. P ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/11 "2013-06-28T23:22:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You mean like running into an iceberg? > 🙂 What if the ship [is an iceberg?](http://tostevin.net/?p=2897) ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/12 "2013-06-29T00:14:42Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Setting aside that this is a pretty complex question: Any modern warship would probably be one of the most seaworthy vessels out there for its size. Most are designed to tolerate a variety of sea states, and major surface combatants are equipped for a measure of self-repair and redundancy; they’re designed to remain not just afloat but _fighting_ after taking serious damage. For what it’s worth, the American _Iowa_-class battleships have been described as the likeliest man-made structures to survive a nuclear near miss. ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/13 "2013-06-29T00:37:12Z")
OK, apart from man made catastrophes, We have some data about tsunamis, methane up wellings and ‘stuff’. My point is still the same, have we constructed any vessel that could brave any ocean? Peter ---
**Author:** ![eltro102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@eltro102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eltro102)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/14 "2013-06-29T00:47:26Z")
I would suspect it would be one of those huge big hovercrafts, like the ones which used to cross the english channel, or possible the us navy ones ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/15 "2013-06-29T01:07:27Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Coast Guard cutters are built to perform in seas that would founder almost any other vessel - which is kinda their _purpose_. 🙂 The Coast guard does have some cutters that are design to survive a 360 degree roll. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/16 "2013-06-29T01:17:45Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > For what it’s worth, the American _Iowa_-class battleships have been described as the likeliest man-made structures to survive a nuclear near miss. Some survived the Bikini Atoll blast, did they not? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/17 "2013-06-29T01:18:45Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > The Coast guard does have some cutters that are design to survive a 360 degree roll. Holy shit! ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/18 "2013-06-29T04:32:29Z")
Big steel ships do really well. A ping pong ball is very nearly indestructible at sea. Sometimes very small is very safe. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/19 "2013-06-29T10:27:25Z")
I wouldn’t call them “ships”, but, in the wasteland of the West Oakland (CA) used-to-be-marsh, now junkyards. I have seen small (100’) steel “corks” - just a box for a pilothouse on a bathtub, looks to have been carved from a single block. Never did find out what they were called nor their use, but those things had no openings and (from rust lines) looked to have sat low in the water - think USS Monitor. It looked like you could try like hell to sink one, but it would just pop back up and right itself in the process. Pingpong ball is an apt analogy. And icebreaker hulls used to be wood - even when the battleships age came and went, massive laminated hulls (or at least the bow sections) ruled. As was said in the great “wood v metal” airplane debate: Wood never remembers; metal never forgets - every ding on you steel hull stays there until it is enlarged by the next ice crunch. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146/20 "2013-06-29T10:42:47Z")
It depends on how you define “ship” I worked on [this](http://oilrig-photos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/155.jpg) vessel for a few years. It was designed to handle almost any weather, since it couldn’t run away (due to it’s slow speed). I’ve been aboard during 40-50 foot seas, and IIRC, we measured 80 foot waves during one storm in the 80’s. All it did was roll a little more. It’s pretty large, around 48000 tons I think. It’s size is somewhat apparent from the large ship beside it. [Here’s](http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/rbp2/semac_panel_zpsd1d551b6.jpg) the view from the “bridge” (we called it the tower), with yours truly relaxing in the foreground. I watched quite a few enormous storms from there. There are few weather scenarios it can’t handle. It was never designed for ice, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ships-and-seaworthiness/662146.md?page=2)