Originally posted by Disappear
1. Comparing skyscrapers and aircraft carriers is like comparing apples to oranges. you're neglecting the fact that, essentially, all watercraft must be bouyant enough to float. or, at the very least, able to float with very little assistance from turbines, propellers, etc. a skyscraper would sink like a stone if placed in the water, simply because it's not designed to float. so, while you're comparing sizes, it doesn't really make much sense to hold their relative weights as decent, comparable measurements.
2. Also, it looked, to me, like namor was resisting the torque of the propeller until it snapped off. he may also have been holding the ship in place, which really only means he stopped its forward momentum after cutting off its power supply. that in itself is quite impressive, but really has little to do with the weight of the ship.
1. Generally speaking you're right, in terms of mass relating to buoyancy. But I believe one can still compare sheer tonnage as it relates to gravity on dry land.
2. Also good point. Namor was not lifting the vessel (otherwise he'd be even stronger than already considered), but he did have to deal with its momentum, as you said, still impressive, especially since he didn't have anything solid to push against to help him.
...most superstrong characters can move at somewhat accelerated speeds due to their overall adaption, but very few are designed to move at "superspeeds," especially not at 300 miles per hour. i went into the actual biological reasons why in another thread, but it basically comes down to two different types of muscle tissue. fast-twitch, which is used for quick, repetitive motions, and slow-twitch, which is used for overall strength. running, which is a combination of coordination and strengthened fast-twitch fibers, is not very well linked to lifting. it's true that both fibers will be strengthened to different degrees during different exercises [in that slow-twitch fibers are strengthened a very small degree during running and other fast-twitch exercises, and fast-twitch fibers are strengthened marginally while the slow-twitch fibers are working,] but that does not mean superstrong should equate to superspeed. their muscularity would have to be at least one and a half again times as large to accomodate the appropriate fast-twitch fibers.
What complicates this excellent observation is that many characters have other factors allowing them to move superfast. Flash, for example, has the speedforce; Wonder Woman has magic. Otherwise, there would be more than just fast-twitch vs slow-twitch fibers to worry about, especially as one nears lightspeed and relativistic effects begin to weigh in.