Righting Ships Using Rolling Leverage

Parbuckling is a remarkable technique that uses gravity and rotating cables to roll a massive, sunken ship back onto its side. It allows engineers to upright heavy vessels by carefully pivoting them from the seabed.

Instead of lifting a ship directly, which would be impossible for massive wrecks, salvagers use the ship's own mass against itself. By attaching cables to the hull and pulling steadily, the ship is rotated until it settles back into its natural floating position. This method successfully righted the colossal Costa Concordia, making it the most complex salvage project ever attempted. It is essentially a high-stakes version of rolling a log with a rope.