The Titanic

[woolybanana]

The article below suggests that the Titanic's hitting the iceberg was caused by a steering error, when the wheel was turned to port despite the order being the opposite, and that this error was hidden until now. BUT, if anyone watches the film (latest version), they will notice that this is just what does happen at that critical moment. Coincidence, double cock up?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8016752/Titanic-sunk-by-steering-blunder-new-book-claims.html

[Chancer]

Just hype to sell a book, among the text there are two mutually exclusive passages

 

According to a new book, the ship had plenty of time to miss the iceberg but the helmsman panicked and turned the wrong way.

 

He turned the ship right instead of left and, even though he was almost immediately told to correct it, it was too late and the side of the starboard bow was ripped out by the iceberg.

This is not a motorcycle swerving to miss a rabbit, a behemoth like that takes a very long time to even begin to respond to control inputs.

[Will]

"...has revealed it in

her new novel." I was always under the impression that a novel was a work of fiction.

Coincidentally, only last week I was on the bridge (and had earlier been in the engine room) of a historic steamship which has the same machinery, though on a much smaller scale, as the Titanic. Seeing the procedure for docking that at Southampton, and the time involved between an order being given and anything happening, and bearing in mind that this ship is a fraction of the size of the Titanic I would 100% agree that 'plenty of time' would be measured in hours rather than seconds.

[JohnRoss]

Sub Lieutenant Phillips on the bridge and CPO Pertwee at the wheel? Left hand down a bit Chief? Maybe not but sounds a bit like it!.......................JR

PS Lot of info here: http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/theme/Port+Around/  inc Titanic's Final Manoeuvre

[Thibault]

But isn't this an old story based on the fact that in 1912 the orders for going round an object are the opposite to the orders given today.  I can't quite remember the actual details - but it has been discussed on a lot of Titanic sites.  Murdock gave orders to "port around" the iceberg and that was the standard procedure at the time.

Any "historic" sailors out there to fill in the details?

[bubbles]

Maybe Salty Sam!

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="bubbles"]Maybe Salty Sam![/quote]

Courtesy of the ancient mariner [:)].

There is nothing new regarding this latest 'scoop'.

[url]http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-final-manoeuvre.html[/url]