Displacement (ship)
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![Two destroyers of the same class berthed alongside each other. The right is more heavily loaded and displaces more water.](/Images/godic/202502/10/The_Arrival_of_the_First_Flotilla_of_Destroyers_From_America_To_the_Royal_Navy,_Devonport,_September_1940_A7241640.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202502/10/Principio_di_Archimede_galleggiamento1640.png")
Displacement or displacement tonnage is the weight of water that a ship displaces when it is floating, which in turn is the weight of a ship (and its contents). It is usually applied to naval vessels rather than commercial ones, and is measured when the ship's fuel tanks are full and all stores are aboard.