USMMA Introduction to Nautical Science NAUT 101 Practice Test

Lightship weight is the ship’s own weight with nothing aboard—no cargo, fuel, ballast, or stores. Load is the total weight when the ship is carrying cargo and supplies up to its maximum permissible draft, i.e., the fully loaded condition. Since displacement equals the weight of water the hull displaces, adding cargo, fuel, and stores increases displacement and deepens the draft until the limit is reached. So, Light is the empty ship weight, and Load is the fully loaded condition at max draft. The other ideas mix up what counts as the ship’s base weight or confuse weight with draft.