To reach the ship's hold, go to the area of the ship just in front of the wheelhouse and go down the stairs. In the hall, turn left down another hall. The hold area goes down about three levels, so keep going until you can't go any farther.

In the middle area with all the barrels, open one to find a note from Dagny with some interesting info on it.

As you're doing down the next set of stairs, click on the box at the right to find some items that might indicate someone was confined here recently. Hmm ...

In the lowest area, note the orange grid that covers the bilge (which is the lowest part of the ship, usually full of water). Past the bilge on the right, turn left to find a flashlight without batteries that you'll need later.

Where can I get batteries for the flashlight?

And that's really all there is down here, for now at least. You'll be back later, though --

-- once you solve the lock in the captain's wardrobe.

How do I open the number wheel in the dresser?