reserve buoyancy: Meaning and Definition of

reserve' buoy'ancy

Pronunciation: [key]
— Naut. Naut.
  1. the difference between the volume of a hull below the designed waterline and the volume of the hull below the lowest opening incapable of being made watertight.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.