In the aftermath of a grounding casualty, naval architects are called upon to assess the ship's damaged characteristics in support of owners, their insurers and/or their salvors. The author reviews the practical steps employed, focussing on the field work involved and based on typical case studies, primarily of grounded bulk carriers. Data gathered from surveys and investigations around the casualty, however patchy and conflicting, can be incorporated into a hydrostatic model to reflect the casualty situation, often with pressing time constraints. The preparation of a model to calculate floatation and strength and the minimal data requirements to do so will be described. The naval architect must properly account for the degree of flooding of cargo holds and other spaces. The methods for calculation of ground reactions are outlined and the effect of assumptions on the distribution of contact points and on seabed bearing capacity and elasticity discussed.
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