Displacement refers to ______?

Displacement refers to ______?

• A. The number of long tons of water displaced by a vessel afloat
• B. The weight of the hull material
• C. The volume of cargo a vessel can carry
• D. The maximal draft

Answer: (A)

Displacement is the weight of water that a vessel must push aside to float, which, by buoyancy, equals the ship’s own weight. In practical terms, when a ship is afloat, the water it displaces weighs the same as the ship itself. The option that specifies the number of long tons of water displaced by a vessel afloat matches this concept exactly, since displacement is measured by the weight of water displaced. This is different from the weight of the hull material, which is only a part of what the ship weighs, and from the volume of cargo the vessel can carry, which relates to cargo capacity rather than the weight of displaced water. It’s also distinct from the maximal draft, which describes how deeply the ship sits in the water, not the amount of water displaced.

Displacement is the weight of water that a vessel must push aside to float, which, by buoyancy, equals the ship’s own weight. In practical terms, when a ship is afloat, the water it displaces weighs the same as the ship itself. The option that specifies the number of long tons of water displaced by a vessel afloat matches this concept exactly, since displacement is measured by the weight of water displaced.

This is different from the weight of the hull material, which is only a part of what the ship weighs, and from the volume of cargo the vessel can carry, which relates to cargo capacity rather than the weight of displaced water. It’s also distinct from the maximal draft, which describes how deeply the ship sits in the water, not the amount of water displaced.