We’ve all seen the video of the battleship hitting that massive wave, but how can ships take that much of a beating/that much water and stay afloat and in one piece? Smaller boats for recreational use would almost all sink if they were to stuff their bow on a proportionately sized wave so what’s the difference?
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Because it’s buoyant, even if it goes underwater momentarily it’ll pop back up. What sinks the boat is if it takes on water (through hatches, exhaust vents, etc). So boats like the battleship have deck hatches that seal watertight. The water just slides right off the bow. Smaller boats that aren’t built for such rough conditions can’t seal up that well so it’s easier for them to take on water and sink. Boats can also capsize and roll upside down, but there’s a ton of weight (ballast) in the bottom of the boat to make that very difficult. If a boat sinks it’s more likely due to a hull breach that causes it to take on a ton of water very quickly.
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