2/21/2006: Shoe shore

[mitheral]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Hundreds of cargo containers get washed overboard ever year. I can't figure out how they get broken open. They aren't air/water tight, so they should just sink and not be crushed by pressure.

Must be the containers get ripped open when they go flying off the ship. Container falls to the ocean floor and the floaty bits wash up on shore.

Containers are only strong in the corners. The panels, top and bottom especially, are relatively weak. Concentrated force, say the corner of another container, applied at the right point will open them up like a ginsu knike on a tin can.