The paper deals with grounding and stranding of ships. An important issue is the influence of size and shape of the sea floor during grounding. From a range of finite element simulations, the resistance to penetration of the ship bottom is found, for stranding at various locations and different sea bottom topologies. A description of the state of the art material and failure methods is given, and the theory is applied in finite element analyses. Furthermore, a mesh convergence study is carried out in order to find the appropriate mesh for the grounding simulations. Integrated local/global grounding analyses are performed. Stranded ships may be subjected to tidal changes, which may result in further bottom damage. The loss in water level yields a re-distribution of hydrostatic forces due to grounding actions. In this process large hull bending moments are formed, which may influence the resistance to penetration and the damage modes significantly.