Capsize
The common definition for capsized refers to when a boat or ship is tipped over until inverted. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.
If a capsized vessel has sufficient floatation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own ('self-righting') if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted. Small dinghies often capsize in the normal course of use and can normally be recovered by the crew. Some types of dingy are occasionally deliberately capsized as it can be the fastest means of draining water from the boat.
In a storm, even a large vessel may be rolled by being hit broadside by a large wave, or pitchpoled stem over stern in extreme waves. This is normally catastrophic leading to dismasting due to the drag on the rigging as the boat rolls in a yacht, through to outright sinking and massive loss of life in a ship. Among ship types, the RORO is more prone to capsize due to a design feature of that class of ferry: large open car decks near to the water line.
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In Competitive Sailing
In competitive yacht racing, a capsized boat has certain special rights as it cannot manouvre. A boat is deemed capsized when the mast is touching the water; when it is fully inverted, it is said to have turned turtle or turtled. Good racers can often recover from a capsize with minimal loss of time.
A capsized kayak may be righted with an kayak roll or eskimo rescue.
A Motor life boat is designed to be self righting if capsized, but most other motorboats are not.
Training
An intermediate sailor is recommended to capsize their dinghy in a safe location with supervision, at least once to become acquainted with their boat's floating properties. The boat should then be righted, bailed out, and the sails reset, so that in the event of an uncontrolled capsize, the boat and its occupants are familiar with the procedure and may self recover.
Most small monohull sailboats can be righted by standing or pulling down on the centerboard or daggerboard to counterbalance the weight of the mast. Righting a catamaran involves using a righting line, standing up on the hull closest to the water, and pulling on the righting line. Having another crew member to lift the end of the mast out of the water helps speed the process, as the greatest challenge of righting a capsized boat is shedding the weight of the water from the sails. The mast of the capsized vessel should be pointed towards the wind. When the sail comes a slight bit out of the water, the wind will catch underneath the sail and help right the boat. You must be careful doing this because it is possible for the wind to continue pushing the mast, causing the boat to re-capsize to leeward, or with the mast pointing away from the wind. The best procedure for righting a boat can be found by practicing the righting procedure.
Famous capsizes
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- Mary Rose, 19 July 1545, English carrack, 380 dead.
- Szent István, 1918, Austro-Hungarian capital warship, torpedoed, 89 dead.
- USS Oklahoma, 7 December 1941, U.S. battleship torpedoed at Pearl Harbor, 415 missing or killed.
- SS Normandie, 9 February 1942, aka USS Lafayette, no casualties.
- Tirpitz, 12 November 1944, almost 1000 dead.
- Yamato, 7 April 1945, 2,475 dead.
- Herald of Free Enterprise, 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers.
- Jan Heweliusz, 14 January 1993, leaving 54 people dead.
- Estonia, 28 September 1994, killing 852 passengers.
- La Joola, 26 September 2002, Senegalese ferry, at least 1,863 dead.
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