Thursday 16th March 2023
Difficulty: Hard
Plimsoll marks (Quiz #118)
Plimsoll marks. Image: Welkinridge (Creative Commons)
Plimsoll marks painted on the hull of a ship show the legal limit to which the ship may be loaded for specific water types and temperatures in order to safely maintain buoyancy.
1. The original "Plimsoll mark" was a circle with a horizontal line through it to show the maximum draft of a ship. Additional marks have been added over the years, allowing for different water densities and expected sea conditions - see image above. Which is the primary load line, from which all other lines are derived?
2. What thickness does Lloyd’s Register specify that the lines should be painted on the ship's hull?
3. Why is there a different set of lines (the ones on the left in the picture above) for ships carrying timber as cargo?
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