Titanic- The Real Truth.

[robpage]

I heard the opposite hand steering over 50 years ago , but with the response of a large ship to have gone the other way wold have never created the head on , potential ship saving collision , from Titanic Facts • 1,000+ Fascinating Facts and Figures! , they claim there was 30 seconds from sighting to impact

[happy daze john in oz]

I heard the opposite hand steering over 50 years ago , but with the response of a large ship to have gone the other way wold have never created the head on , potential ship saving collision , from Titanic Facts • 1,000+ Fascinating Facts and Figures! , they claim there was 30 seconds from sighting to impact

Such a short space of time, yet we are told kit was a clear night with good vision!!
Though having said that the greater majority of any berg is underwater and who knows how long this one was.

[robpage]

if you run through the probable scenario

phone rings - mate saunters over -- 6 seconds
HELLO , BRIDGE
there is an ICEBERG
A what ? are you sure -- 15 seconds gone
Mate looks out of bridge window
sees berg
makes decision -- 25 seconds gone

QM hard a starboard -- you have run out of time

[j.sabourn]

That was always a query we had years ago Rob, as per Rule of the Road, “ speed to be moderate in Fog or poor visibility.” Query was what is moderate. ? Answer was usually to be able to see the object in sufficient time as to be able to take avoiding action. So in theory in dense fog all ships would be stopped and going nowhere. I have never seen this. However a moderate speed to a 25 knot ship was probably half ahead say 13 knots and to a 12 knot ship half ahead also say 6 knots. The Titanic was I believe doing 22 knots at the time correct or incorrect I don’t know, but if correct there was substantial blame on the ships part and people would have been severely censured at the enquiry. However they were dead and so the romantics of the sea stories were able to make up their own vistas and make a heroic story out of it. It was a bad accident and if any blame can only be put down to the awareness of the ships staff. Besides you can’t get an iceberg into a courtroom and blame him, even if could it wouldn’t speaky Inglis. JWS

[robpage]

I always sound cynical John , but there is so often a book to promote linked to the new bright theory , bad rivets , wrong ship , no binoculars , tiller orders , too fast , the mate , old man , and QMs all went down with it , tragic but my theory was go too far North for fastest passage, hit iceberg, sink , lose a lot of people , including all the engine room staff , spend the next 100 years trying to sell films and books

[j.sabourn]

I’ve never followed the story of the Titanic as some have on here, had enough problems on the ships I worked on usually to worry about ships of the past. Just out of interest though if was to follow these stories or special theory’s people come out with , the first question to ask would be was she on a great circle track or a straight Mercator course. I forget what the difference in mileage was now, or was she on a composite great circle track where you only go as far north as you deem reasonably clear of ice and then steam due west on a Mercator course. After that was the question of the visibility. Number of lookouts, standing bridge orders at the time. How much notice the engineers required to go on manouvering revs. And numerous smaller items, as regards the rituals of the ship re it’s working. People ashore have little knowledge of the workings of different types of vessels. These stories do however make the day for newspapers to have a field day away from trying to pierce Trumps armour plated hide. Maybe after the Titanic they might resurrect the Marie Celeste that’s more of a mystery now. Cheers JS.

[cappy]

That was always a query we had years ago Rob, as per Rule of the Road, “ speed to be moderate in Fog or poor visibility.” Query was what is moderate. ? Answer was usually to be able to see the object in sufficient time as to be able to take avoiding action. So in theory in dense fog all ships would be stopped and going nowhere. I have never seen this. However a moderate speed to a 25 knot ship was probably half ahead say 13 knots and to a 12 knot ship half ahead also say 6 knots. The Titanic was I believe doing 22 knots at the time correct or incorrect I don’t know, but if correct there was substantial blame on the ships part and people would have been severely censured at the enquiry. However they were dead and so the romantics of the sea stories were able to make up their own vistas and make a heroic story out of it. It was a bad accident and if any blame can only be put down to the awareness of the ships staff. Besides you can’t get an iceberg into a courtroom and blame him, even if could it wouldn’t speaky Inglis. JWS

##i am a moderate drinker

[j.sabourn]

In between drinks ! JS

[Captain Kong]

If the Californian was stopped because of the ice field, the Titanic should also have been stopped until daylight, Bergs do not carry Nav Lights.
Safety of 1500 lives are far more important than a News Headline in New York, They did get a head line but not the one they wanted.

[j.sabourn]

The few times I have been in ice Brian one seems to be aware of it by the fall of temperature and the lack of wind. Would have thought those who regularly encountered it would have been aware it was around. Today I could see on present shipping they wouldn’t as would be in a sealed cocoon of a bridge, but would have radar and all the modern aids. The old type seaman would have gone on his knowledge and instincts. They must have betrayed whoever was on watch, maybe he didn’t like going on to the wing of the bridge. To me it points to man made errors and not faulty rivets. It could happen to any of us and there but for the Grace of God go us. Some of us were destined to become victims of the sea and some not. I always paid my bar bill and any other standing debts I had before we sailed, which hopefully wasn’t Friday the 13th. Cheers JWS.