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In article , Robert Casey
writes: Perhaps if the rudder had been larger, the Titanic might have turned away quicker and missed the berg. But that's really irrelevant. The ship was clearly going too fast for conditions. There's also the possibility that the cold water around there made the steel the ship was constructed with somewhat brittle. That the metalurgy of steel wasn't that well controlled or understood back then. And that the batch of steel used for the hull wasn't as good as it should have been. And that modern ship builders would never use it today. That the same ship built with good steel could have taken that iceberg hit with much less if any damage. More than a possibility, it's been documented from samples brought up from the wreck. Lot of sulfur in that steel. Perhaps what makes the Titanic disaster so intriguing is that there were so many seemingly-small factors that contributed. The lack of even one of these small factors could have averted the sinking, or at least the loss of life. For example: If the lookouts had binoculars, they probably would have seen the berg sooner, and the attempt to steer around it would have been successful. (The binoculars were locked in the second officers' cabin, but neither he nor the other officers knew it at the time. Still there). If any of the six ice warnings had been heeded, and speed reduced just a bit, the attempt to steer around the berg would have been successful. If the first officer had not tried to steer around the berg, the ship would have stayed afloat. If there had been lifeboat space for all, all could have been saved. (The design of the Olympic class could accomodate enough lifeboats - special davits were used that allowed more lifeboats, by stacking them on the boat deck. But lifeboats cost money, took up deck space, and everyone thought they'd never be used. So the full number were not provided. After the disaster, sister ships Olympic and Britannic were equipped with adequate lifeboats by simply reverting to the original plan). If there had been 24 hour radio watch required, the nearby Californian could have saved most if not all who perished. If Titanic had used a standard distress flare signal, (I don't think such a signal existed in April 1912) the nearby Californian could have saved most if not all who perished. If better steel, a bigger rudder, higher bulkheads, double hull (not just a double bottom), or higher capacity pumps had been used, the disaster could have been avoided or the ship kept afloat long enough for all to be saved. If the officer on the Californian who knew Morse Code and who used to listen in when "Sparks" was off duty had remembered to wind up the magnetic detector, he would have heard the distress calls and Californian could have saved most if not all who perished. But he forgot and heard nothing. I still wouldn't sail a ship thru iceberg infested waters. Not at full speed with inadequate lookout capability and a big, slow turning ship! Which proves the point: Titanic was not being operated properly for the conditions encountered. Other ships had stopped completely, or were proceeding at greatly reduced speed, because of the ice. 73 de Jim, N2EY |
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