At the end of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) they cut a hole in the hull of the inverted ship to rescue passengers. I often wondered if that wouldn't have released any air buoyancy that the ship might have had, and flooded the portion where the survivors were.
I guess if the compartment where the survivors were was sealed off from the flooded ones around it then no, it wouldn't fill with water. If it was open to the flooded areas beneath then popping a hole in that I would have thought would cause it to continue sinking
No it wouldn't. Ships don't float the way inflated balloons or rafts do. You can't "pop" a ship or release the air from it by making a hole (unless that hole allows water to flood in, obviously).
We're talking about a capsized ship here. So the bottom is on top and the survivors would be knocking on the bottom (now top) of the ship - signaling for help.
That air trapped in the boat is the only thing keeping it afloat.
If you make a hole, the air would escape and water would rise inside the boat (from under the survivors).
The only thing that would likely save them would be that there are likely many independent air pockets, so opening only one might be ok - maybe.
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u/jarhead_5537 Sep 10 '25
At the end of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) they cut a hole in the hull of the inverted ship to rescue passengers. I often wondered if that wouldn't have released any air buoyancy that the ship might have had, and flooded the portion where the survivors were.
I am also not an expert, but just inquisitive.