A relatively simple theoretical procedure for estimating the amount of damage (dishing) of the bottom plating of ships and marine vehicles during a severe slam is presented herein. The reasonable agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results of Clevenger and Melberg is quite encouraging, while other scant evidence is cited which further corroborates the general procedure. However, it emerges from the various discussions that further experimental results on the slamming damage of plating is required before this or any other theoretical method can be widely accepted.