This ill fated Gunboat got its windows blasted out some 18 months ago and was abandoned. And recently rediscovered.
Note to MSC. They float forever. I once did these calculations for Ganulin showing that the foam in the hulls and bridgedeck would take care of all the damage stability. He was unimpressed. I still had to do the damage stability calculations.
The Coast Guard is less concerned with whether a damaged hull will float than if the passengers have a chance to survive while awaiting rescue. This is why damage stability calculations are required. Those calculations attempt to maximize the chance that the vessel will maintain an adequate freeboard after a collision and not pull the passengers into the drink. This is a perfectly reasonable expectation for passengers on commercial vessels.
Mark Ganulin
Staff Engineer (Retired)
USCG Marine Safety Center