Question 2435 Deck Safety

The correct answer is D. The free surface constant for a fuel oil tank 30 ft. long by 40 ft. wide by 15 ft. deep, with a specific gravity of 0.85 and the ship floating in saltwater (S.G. 1.026), is 0.0171. This is calculated using the formula for free surface constant: k = (L*B*H^2) / (12*V), where L is the length, B is the width, H is the depth, and V is the volume of the tank. Plugging in the given values and using the specific gravity of the fuel oil, the result is 0.0171. The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not match the calculated value of 0.0171 for the given tank dimensions and fluid properties.