SUNKEN SHIPg 



To the Editor of the Transcript; /£ Pfc ^Tf»M' 



There seems to be some doubt as tit|. Ct» 

 how far ships sink in the seas. I believe 

 an analysis of the problem will help 

 clear up any doubt in the minds of your 

 readers who know not whether to believe 

 the writer of an article in the Transcript 

 of March 10, who stated that upon reach- 

 ing a certain depth a sinking ship would 

 stop and float, or a contributor to your 

 columns in yesterday's Transcript, who 

 stated that sinking stiips will reach bot- 

 tom. 



The only knowledge necessary is an 

 understanding of densities and Archime- 

 des' principle that the lilting effect on a 

 (submerged body is equal to the weight 

 Of the displaced liquid. If the body weighs 

 more than its equal volume of water, it 

 will sink; if It weighs less, it will float on 

 the surface: if it weighs the same, it will 

 stay where placed. Thus it is seen that 

 the only way a sinking ship would reach 

 a point where it would float submerged, 

 is when the volume of water It displaced 

 would equal its own weight: this means 

 that the sinking .ship must have reached 

 water of its own average density, a densi- 

 ty which is considerably greater than the 

 density of water at the surface. But does 

 there exist any appreciable density dif- 

 ference between surface and deep water? 

 No. Even at the greatest depth at which 

 soundings have been made — about 31,000 

 feet at a point between New Zealand and 

 the Fiji Islands— the difference between 

 the surface density (1.0262) and the bot- 

 tom density (1.02S0) is slight. This small 

 increase in density is due to the decrease 

 In temperature (water has its greatest 

 density at 39.2 degrees F) with depth, the 

 Increase in salinity and slightly on the 

 compressibility, for water is practically 

 incompressible. 



In view of the above facts, it is certain 

 that none of the ocean liners, whose aver- 

 age density we know to be several times' 

 greater than that of water, even at a : 

 depth of 81,000 feet, will stop sinking 

 until they reach the ocean bed thus | 



