Wow. I think that is a winner bdog.
It's not anything like dropping a stone container of dwarves... But dropping a hammer to seal off the top is just as dwarfy.
Thanks!
Plus, with good management aboveground you could re-enable entrance when new migrant wave comes (or order them to drop more blocks to make underwater complex)
Now I'm thinking - It should be possible do make some kind of airlock to transport items (barrels, bins, cages ]:>) underwater.
Step 1
~~~~~~~~~
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
▓ PpXpP ▓
D_DDX▓▓ ▓
▓ ▓▓X▓▓ ▓
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Step 2
__ __ _
▓ ▓ ▓
~~~~~~~~~
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
▓ PpXpP ▓
D_DDX▓▓ ▓
▓ ▓▓X▓▓ ▓
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
BAM!
Step 3
~~~~~~~~~
▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓
▓_Pp pP_▓
D▓DD_▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Step 4
~~~~~~~~~
▓ ▓▓ ▓▓ ▓
▓_Pp pP_▓
D_DD.▓▓▓▓
___D,▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Legend:D - doors/floodgates
pP / Pp - screw pumps connected to some kind of powersource
_ - floors
▓ - obsidian walls
. - floor hatch
, - floor grate
The trick is - screw pumps *should* dry one tile fast enough to build floor hatch there (I hope so, I didn't try it but if one can stack pomps to dry 5x5 square on top of ocean I can't see why it shouldn't work underwater)
Imagine booze and meat dropped in barrels, blocks and stone in bins, livestock and dwarves in cages!
There will be problem to get good powersource underwater but oh well... its nothing that couldn't be done!
TO DO: think of a way to shoot something upward (IMO, the hardest part)