Coast Guard Exams
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Question 1765Deck Safety70% to pass

Your vessel is damaged, listing to port and on occasion flopping to the same angle to starboard. It has a long, slow, sluggish roll around the angle of list. There is excessive trim by the stern with little freeboard aft. What action should you take FIRST to correct this situation?

AI Explanation
The correct answer is D) Press up any slack double-bottom tanks forward of the tipping center, then fill the forepeak if empty. This is the correct answer because the symptoms described (listing to port and starboard, sluggish roll, excessive stern trim, low freeboard aft) indicate the vessel is experiencing a free surface effect and potentially a trim issue. To correct this, the first step is to press up any slack double-bottom tanks forward of the tipping center to reduce the free surface effect and increase the vessel's stability. If the forepeak is empty, filling it can then help correct the excessive stern trim. The other options are incorrect because pumping out the after peak (C) or jettisoning topside weights (B) would not address the root cause of the free surface effect, and pumping out slack double-bottom tanks aft (A) could make the trim issue worse.

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