Cougar, Your post reminds me of an incident when I was stationed at a remote base where private vehicles were not allowed. The air station was about 12 miles from the ‘residence’ portion of the base and I would pull into at the bus stop each morning and load my pickup with sailors going to work. One morning, the young enlistee who was sitting up from struck up an immediate conversation. He mentioned that he saw me riding my bike a lot and we talked about the fact that it was good exercise. He then mentioned that back home he had ridden to school each day and that it was a particularly good workout since it was uphill all the way both ways. Thus began a quandary which endured the entire remainder of the trip. Should I point out the impossibility of such a statement and embarrass him? Or should I not say anything only to have him later realize the absurdity of his remark and marvel in the fact that I believed him?
A ship’s weight is referred to as it’s displacement for the amount of water it displaces. For a submarine to submerge, it’s weight (displacement) must be equal to or slightly greater than the amount of water it displaces. Therefore, all saved weight in crew and groceries must be compensated by taking on more ballast (water). Nice try, though.