CHAPTER XI

COLLISION

=1. Definition.=--In maritime law, collision is the impact of ship against ship, although usage is increasing the scope of the word so as to include contact with other floating bodies. It does not include stranding or running into structures forming a part of the land, such as bridges and wharves.

The question whether a collision is a subject for adjudication in admiralty is frequently one of some nicety. What constitutes a vessel within the meaning of admiralty jurisprudence has been discussed in