Question 2171 Deck Safety

The correct answer is D) height of the metacenter. When a vessel is floating upright, the distance from the keel to the metacenter is called the height of the metacenter. The metacenter is a point above the center of buoyancy that determines the vessel's stability. The distance from the keel to the metacenter is a crucial factor in determining a vessel's righting arm and overall stability. The other options are incorrect because: A) the righting arm is the horizontal distance between the center of gravity and the metacenter, B) the height of the baseline is the distance from the keel to the waterline, and C) the metacentric radius is the distance from the center of gravity to the metacenter.