100 Years Ago This Week.... She Was A Fine Ship. R.M.S. Titanic

[Magoo541]

For the souls that went down with her, I wish Ballard had never found her!  She was the bait the Navy used to propel him to survey the Scorpion and the Thresher.

I thought Ballard was on a secret mission to find the Thresher and Scorpion and only after finding those two was he "allowed" to look for the Titanic?

[Timothy]

I thought Ballard was on a secret mission to find the Thresher and Scorpion and only after finding those two was he "allowed" to look for the Titanic?

They already knew where the Thresher and the Scorpion went down.  In fact, they'd already surveyed the sites earlier.  Ballard had better technology and solicited the Navy for the funding to look for Titanic.  The Navy said only after he finished the sub survey would he be allowed to search for Titanic and he had a limited window.

In order to keep him quiet, they swore him back into active duty as well.

[twyacht]

They already knew where the Thresher and the Scorpion went down.  In fact, they'd already surveyed the sites earlier.  Ballard had better technology and solicited the Navy for the funding to look for Titanic.  The Navy said only after he finished the sub survey would he be allowed to search for Titanic and he had a limited window.

In order to keep him quiet, they swore him back into active duty as well.

Kinda makes you go Hmmmmmm....

[Magoo541]

They already knew where the Thresher and the Scorpion went down.  In fact, they'd already surveyed the sites earlier.  Ballard had better technology and solicited the Navy for the funding to look for Titanic.  The Navy said only after he finished the sub survey would he be allowed to search for Titanic and he had a limited window.

In order to keep him quiet, they swore him back into active duty as well.

People wonder why some institutions reject every offer of government money, apparently they haven't heard there is no such thing as free lunch.  Just wait until the welfare recipients get their debt called...

[PegLeg45]

Watched several updated and new shows over the last week on Titanic....one last night on History. They took rivets made out of the same materials and put them to the teat under hydraulic testing and they stood up to the test. It was a cool show....where they did high-def sonar of the complete 15 mile debris field in order to capture all the pieces of the puzzle (up to this point, only about 30-50% had been surveyed in no particular order). They did a holographic reconstruction of the break-up of the ship and sinking.

One thing I saw on a Nat-Geo special that explained a lot was info on the water-tight compartment and flooding. I had always thought that the water had went over the "top" from compartment to compartment.......but as one of the scientists on the show said, "water-tight" means sealed separate from each other....water couldn't go over the top of a closed cell. Titanic was designed to stay afloat as long as no more than any four of her water tight chambers flooded. The iceberg ripped into just enough linear hull length to flood five compartments, thus dooming the ship. It was reported that Thomas Andrews, the ship's main designer, went below and surveyed the extent of the damage (right after impact) and reported to the captain that it was going to sink (an account from one of the only surviving engine room workers).
They also said it was a credit to the design of the ship that it stayed upright during the sinking, when practically all ships that size roll over.

Several "authorities" (??) postulated from an entirely different angle than previously thought and said that it was the strength of the ship and its design that led to 700 lived saved instead of all lives lost.


I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the "experts"....merely passing along info from the latest field expeditions and fact gathering jaunts.

 

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

Good to know, Peg. I have no TV at the moment, so I missed those shows.

[Magoo541]

Heard somewhere that some kids were confused over the Titanic's 100 year anniversary when the movie was just made ten years ago.    

What exactly are they teaching in schools these days?

[tombogan03884]

Heard somewhere that some kids were confused over the Titanic's 100 year anniversary when the movie was just made ten years ago.    

What exactly are they teaching in schools these days?

Social justice and BS.

[jnevis]

Peg-
I saw the Cameron one (to much social commentary at the end but otherwise a really good autopsy of the entire incident) and most of the one with Ballard that discussed the shipbuilders that went out with her.  One of the things Cameron mentioned is that the engieenrs may have kept her trimmed upright for as long as possible, while the shipbuilders that knew her best were seen headed below and never were found.  I think that the two facts are not coincidence.

One of the things that doomed her but may have helped keep it fairly even when she sank was that the flooding forward hit "Scotland Road" and had free access down the port side to flood the upper decks laterally.  Then the open shell door also allowed fairly even flooding of other decks.

[PegLeg45]

Peg-
I saw the Cameron one (to much social commentary at the end but otherwise a really good autopsy of the entire incident) and most of the one with Ballard that discussed the shipbuilders that went out with her.  One of the things Cameron mentioned is that the engieenrs may have kept her trimmed upright for as long as possible, while the shipbuilders that knew her best were seen headed below and never were found.  I think that the two facts are not coincidence.

One of the things that doomed her but may have helped keep it fairly even when she sank was that the flooding forward hit "Scotland Road" and had free access down the port side to flood the upper decks laterally.  Then the open shell door also allowed fairly even flooding of other decks.

Yep.

I also think the working crew had an effect on the uprightness. Like several pointed out on the shows, I feel they sacrificed themselves working to keep the ship afloat for so long.
After all the study and research, there are just too many factors involved to 'blame' one area more than another for the tragedy. Many things could have been done better, or at least different, and it would have been just another footnote in history (like the educational system seems to have made it) instead of a learning point. One of the guys on the History channel show pointed out that many of the ship design characteristics are still in use today in shipbuilding...... albeit with better metallurgy.