Titanic could have been saved 30 seconds earlier (From Daily Echo)
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Titanic could have been saved 30 seconds earlier
10:51am Monday 5th December 2011 in Titanic News
Titanic in Southampton
EXPERTS have revealed that Titanic might have been saved from disaster if it had changed course just 30 seconds sooner.
It has been reported that a crewmember on the White Star liner, which set sail from Southampton in April 1912 but sank in the Atlantic after hitting an iceberg, had been warned of the obstacle ahead but waited half a minute before changing course.
A study concluded that had William Murdoch, the officer in charge, taken action straight away the ship might been saved, along with 1,496 lives.
The revelation comes ahead of next year’s centenary anniversary of the tragedy.
Investigators have examined the original 1912 Wreck Commission inquiry using new research and evidence not available then.
They believe that Murdoch thought the liner might be able to avoid the iceberg and by giving the “hard-astarboard”
order he might be steering the ship’s stern towards the iceberg.
This puts in doubt the original verdict that Murdoch steered immediately but in vain.
Leading the study, US Titanic expert Samuel Halpern, said: “It was a judgement call, and he misjudged. I don’t think we can blame him.”
Researchers based their findings on the testimony of Frederick Fleet, the lookout, and Robert Hichens, the sailor at the wheel.
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Comments(19)
X Old Bill
says...
12:21pm Mon 5 Dec 11
The researchers have looked at the enquiry into the disaster as it would have been examined today.
The Original enquiry presumed that Ships' Officers did not make errors of judgement and that ordinary seamen either did not know what they were talking about or were prone to exaggeration.
The new 'spin' gives equal credence to all witnesses and also uses computer modelling to show various action/reaction views, including where people were on the ship at various times.
It does seem likely that had the ship been turned earlier then the stern would have swung and hit the iceberg instead of the bow.
But it didn't so it's all rather academic.
Huffter
says...
12:25pm Mon 5 Dec 11
jimMee91
says...
12:29pm Mon 5 Dec 11
voiceinthecrowd
says...
12:49pm Mon 5 Dec 11
IF the ship had sailed 1 minute later etc etc
IF the ship had been built with a bigger engine.........
We should just remember those poor souls that died so long ago
R I P
Saintlygirl
says...
12:56pm Mon 5 Dec 11
teamgreen
says...
12:58pm Mon 5 Dec 11
captain-chaos
says...
1:12pm Mon 5 Dec 11
Goldenwight
says...
1:53pm Mon 5 Dec 11
dango
says...
2:01pm Mon 5 Dec 11
A, If Only!
espanuel
says...
2:41pm Mon 5 Dec 11
Scrutinizer
says...
3:44pm Mon 5 Dec 11
X Old Bill
says...
5:02pm Mon 5 Dec 11
.
Like all 'revisionist' history - One cannot put events at the time in a modern context, it just does not work.
Re-examination is one thing but re-writing is entirely different.
.
In the case of the Titanic disaster and this particular suggestion; No one can say exactly what was going through the mind of people who died, so it is all rather pointless talking about it.
So, maybe if the ship was turned away from the iceberg it would have whacked it on the starboard quarter - and still sunk.
And, maybe if had it been turned to starboard it might have hit head on or it might have hit on the port bow - and still sunk.
ALL conjecture - It sank; A lot of innocent people were lost; Lessons were learnt, etc etc.
These people cannot change history, just let the dead, and the ship, rest in peace.
forest hump
says...
7:07pm Mon 5 Dec 11
OSPREYSAINT
says...
10:11pm Mon 5 Dec 11
OSPREYSAINT
says...
11:45pm Mon 5 Dec 11
OSPREYSAINT
says...
11:56pm Mon 5 Dec 11
Scrutinizer
says...
12:01am Tue 6 Dec 11
OSPREYSAINT wrote:Actually that was what we might call 'standard practice' for the time.
One of Roystons relatives was probably a manager of the White Star Line, he stopped the surviving crews wages from the moment that the ship sank!
John P. Eaton
says...
4:56pm Sun 1 Jan 12
J.K. says...
11:09am Mon 5 Dec 11