Titanic lessons learnt

In response to the recent letters from correspondents Professor AJ Pointin, of Cosham, and T Gardiner, of Gosport, regarding the loss of the RMS Titanic in April 1912, may I point out that the tragedy that befell Titanic is not celebrated but rightfully, as it should be, commemorated.

A lot of lessons were learnt from the disaster and were/are incorporated into SOLAS - the

Safety of Life at Sea regulations that are followed worldwide.

An international ice-patrol was also formed to give an early warning of icebergs on the important north Atlantic shipping routes.

The number of lifeboats on board Titanic (16, plus four ‘collapsibles’) were above the number legally required at the time by the UK's Board of Trade although it had been known at the time (several people – including Lord Brassey - were pointing this out to the government) that the number was still well below what was required.

The obviously out-dated BoT rules stipulated that a ship of 10,000 gross tons - a big ship at that time -

required12 lifeboats - all well-and-good when the rules were made in the early 1890s but were hopelessly out of date when, at 46,000gt, Titanic exceeded the tonnage in the rules by a factor of 4.6!

Indeed, the ship's original naval architect had resigned when he had specified that the ship needed more than 50 boats but he had been over-ruled by the shipyard as it was said that Titanic — her hull being divided into 16 watertight compartments (if, in the unlikely event, three of these were breached she would still stay afloat — ships today are still classified as ‘two or threecompartments ships’) was ‘...her own lifeboat’.

The record breaker 32,000 gt Mauretania of 1907 had been fitted with 16 lifeboats and her captain testified that it was custom and practice for a mail ship to go at full speed at night if the weather was clear.

He also said that he discouraged binoculars in the crow's nest as they restricted vision on either side.

The ‘Mk1 Eyeball’ was his favoured look-out!

Titanic had not been built for speed but for size and comfort and her maximum speed was a good five knots below that of the Mauretania.

Not only were the poor on board victims of the sinking but millionaires also died as a result (see Google for numbers). I hope that the above covers at least a very few of the points that have been raised.

David F Hutchings MRINA IEng (Maritime author/historian)

Lee-on-the-Solent