you got me on a source to show definitively whether the ark's dimensions are good for stability. do you know enough of the physics that we can figure out the math ourselves? this is what i've been told and may just be an 'urban rumor' among believers. we do have some of those, for sure
but i did find this chart of modern tanker sizes:
[TABLE="class: standardTbl"]
[TR="class: application"]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Class[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Length[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Beam[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Draft[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Overview[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Coastal Tanker[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]205 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]29 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]16 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]Less than 50,000 dwt, mainly used for transportation of refined products (gasoline, gasoil).[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Aframax[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]245 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]34 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]20 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]Approximately 80,000 dwt (Average Freight Rate Assessment).[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
Suezmax[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]285 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]45 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]23 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]Between 125,000 and 180,000 dwt, originally the maximum capacity of the Suez Canal.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
VLCC[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]330 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]55 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]28 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]Very Large Crude Carrier. Up to around 320,000 dwt. Some can be accommodated by the expanded dimensions of the Suez Canal. The most common length is in the range of 300 to 330 meters.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]
ULCC[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]415 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]63 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]35 m[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: white"]Ultra Large Crude Carrier. Capacity exceeding 320,000 dwt. The largest tankers ever built have a deadweight of over 550,000 dwt.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Tanker Size
a tanker is a good sort of ship to compare to if we don't care to do the physics ourselves, i think, and research comes up short. the ark wasn't concerned with fuel economy or speed like modern ships are, but cargo capacity and stability. i think tankers are alike in this - capacity and stability for this class are also prime concerns. of course their dimensions have economy and speed and other constraints too.
if you calculate the ratios of these ships, they are not far from 1/6. that doesn't prove anything, but it does show that the dimensions of the ark aren't ridiculous for what it was.