Safety, Fire & Survival · Damage Control — Progressive Flooding
During flooding control, why is closing watertight doors and keeping them shut so important?
- ATo limit flooding to the bilged compartment(s) and prevent progressive flooding that can overwhelm reserve buoyancy and stability✓ Correct
- BTo improve crew comfort below decks
- CTo increase the ship's speed
- DOnly to keep out rainwater
Explanation
Subdivision into watertight compartments only protects the ship if the boundaries are kept intact. Open watertight doors allow progressive flooding from one compartment to the next, defeating the design and rapidly destroying buoyancy and stability — hence strict watertight-door discipline.
Authority: SOLAS II-1, subdivision and damage stability
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