TORSION When any body is subject to a twisting moment which is commonly referred to as torque, that body is said to be in ‘torsion’. A ship heading obliquely (45°) to a wave will be subjected to righting moments of opposite direction at its ends twisting the hull and putting it in ‘torsion’. In most ships these torsional moments and stresses are negligible but in ships with extremely wide and long deck openings they are significant. A particular example is the larger container ship where at the topsides a heavy torsion box girder structure including the upper deck is provided to accommodate the torsional stresses (see Figures 8.4 and 17.9).