| Tweet |
Custom Search
|
|
|
||
 TM 55-1905-223-SDC
(3) Flood midships tanks (assuming good freeboard).
c. Counterflooding. At times, counterflooding may be required to halt listing or gain safe righting
moments. However, counter-flooding can be dangerous and result in loss of a ship if not properly
accomplished and controlled. A recommendation by the engineer to counterflood shall be accomplished only
with the approval of the vessel master, and only when all aspects have been carefully considered.
d. Flooding boundary. A flooding boundary is established by locating the bulkheads and decks which
are dry and likely to remain dry. The next action is to advance that flooding boundary toward the original point
of damage by preventing further flooding of dry or partially-flooded compartments. It is important to close in
on the damage from all sides. Even though a flooding boundary has been established, there is no indication
that the boundary will remain safe. Action must be taken by the repair party to advance that flooding back
toward the point where the damage occurred.
Many ships have been lost as a result of naval action. Few of them sank as a direct result of the initial
damage; most of them went down hours later as a result of progressive flooding, fire, collapsing bulkheads,
increased free-surface, and human errors. Had flooding and fire boundaries been established when and
where they were possible and had the damage been confined to its original area, even though that area was
large, many of those ships would have survived.
Do everything to prevent the flooding and burning from advancing. It is human weakness to attack
obvious damage while ignoring hidden damage that may sink the ship. Hours often are wasted by repair
teams who are trying to patch large or multiple holes in compartments which are already flooded or have
large free-surface areas. Smaller holes through interior bulkheads, holes that are allowing progressive
flooding and more free-surface, often are overlooked. In most cases it would be better to plug interior holes
first in order to hold what you have.
Section II.
INVESTIGATING FLOODING DAMAGE
8-2. INSPECTION. Inspect thoroughly. When an underwater explosion occurs alongside or close aboard,
all voids, tanks, and lower compartments on the ship must be investigated. Rivets or plating may be torn
loose, plating may be cracked, seams may be parted, and bulkheads and shell plating may be penetrated.
This damage could occur a considerable distance from the principal point of damage.
Furthermore, internal flooding may spread over a large area through watertight fittings damaged by
shock, or through neglected watertight fittings.
Not all of these secondary casualties will be apparent during a preliminary investigation. If water is on
the opposite side of a bulkhead containing cracks or defective stuffing tubes, damage readily may be
detected. If flooding has not yet reached the area, however, damage may not be visible, and it may not be
noticed until a degree of progressive flooding has occurred.
|
||
|
||
