Question 1776 Deck Safety

The correct answer is C) decreases. When a vessel takes on water and experiences flooding, the reserve buoyancy of the vessel decreases. This is because the added weight of the water inside the vessel reduces the overall buoyancy, as the water displaces the air that was previously providing reserve buoyancy. As the reserve buoyancy decreases, the vessel becomes less stable and more likely to capsize or sink. The other answer options are incorrect because: A) increasing reserve buoyancy would be the opposite of what happens during flooding; B) the reserve buoyancy does not remain the same when there is flooding; and D) the shift in buoyancy is not specifically to the low side, but rather a general decrease in overall reserve buoyancy.