It's true that that was not the question. I'm sorry, i read incorrectly. Nevertheless, even if they hadn't closed all of the compartments and let the water flood evenly, after the first five compartments the ship would begin to sink. The front would go under first, no matter what. However, after the ship's front went underneath enough water, as we all know, the back would begin to rise. Given this information, the compartments out of the water wouldn't be able to take on any water. With the front of the boat under water and the back up in the air, the ship would have broken in have either way.