Why is it that a big ship still afloats in the sea when it capsized?

Question

Why is it that a big ship still afloats in the sea when it capsized?

Answer 1

It still has Buoyancy.

R

Answer 2

It has air pockets as a result of hatch doors that have been sealed shut and cannot let in water.

Ships are specifically designed so that if one part of the ship's hull is damaged, the water cannot run through the whole ship.

These areas are known as BULKHEADS.

(nice diagram here)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/s...

In many instances, the design incorporates water pumps which allow the engineers to pump the water out of the ship faster than it can come in.

Watch the movie 'The Posiedon Adventure' and you'll see an extreme example.