Unsinkable: The Full Story of the RMS Titanic (54 page)
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Authors: Daniel Allen Butler
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lead line:
a length of manila rope attached to a lead weight and marked off in feet and fathoms, used to determine water depth either inside or outside a ship.
a length of manila rope attached to a lead weight and marked off in feet and fathoms, used to determine water depth either inside or outside a ship.
masthead light:
a white light carried high up on a ship’s mainmast, used along with sidelights to allow ships to determine each other’s bearing, course, and speed at night.
a white light carried high up on a ship’s mainmast, used along with sidelights to allow ships to determine each other’s bearing, course, and speed at night.
poop deck:
a raised deck structure at the very stern of a ship.
a raised deck structure at the very stern of a ship.
port:
the left side of a ship.
the left side of a ship.
reciprocating engine:
a steam-driven engine which has large pistons that are driven up and down by high-pressure steam, moving much like the pistons in an automobile motor, which turn the propeller by means of a crankshaft.
a steam-driven engine which has large pistons that are driven up and down by high-pressure steam, moving much like the pistons in an automobile motor, which turn the propeller by means of a crankshaft.
screw:
another term for a propeller.
another term for a propeller.
sidelight:
a running light located at the side of a ship’s bridge; sidelights are red for port, green for starboard, and allow ships to determine each other’s bearing, course, and speed at night.
a running light located at the side of a ship’s bridge; sidelights are red for port, green for starboard, and allow ships to determine each other’s bearing, course, and speed at night.
single-ended boiler:
a boiler having fireboxes (furnaces) at only one end.
a boiler having fireboxes (furnaces) at only one end.
starboard:
the right side of a ship.
the right side of a ship.
stay:
a heavy cable used to support a funnel or mast.
a heavy cable used to support a funnel or mast.
steerage:
a common term for Third Class, originally referring to the location of the Third Class accommodations, which were located in the most cramped and undesirable parts of the ship, often around the steering gear.
a common term for Third Class, originally referring to the location of the Third Class accommodations, which were located in the most cramped and undesirable parts of the ship, often around the steering gear.
stern:
the rear of a ship.
the rear of a ship.
superstructure:
that part of the ship that is built on top of the hull, which is the actual load-bearing structure of the ship.
that part of the ship that is built on top of the hull, which is the actual load-bearing structure of the ship.
turbine:
a type of marine engine that consists of a large rotor covered with blades onto which steam is directed, causing the rotor to turn, which then turns the propeller by means of a shaft.
a type of marine engine that consists of a large rotor covered with blades onto which steam is directed, causing the rotor to turn, which then turns the propeller by means of a shaft.
upper deck(s):
the deck or decks that are exposed to the open air, i.e., there are no decks built above them.
the deck or decks that are exposed to the open air, i.e., there are no decks built above them.
well deck:
a section of an upper deck that sits at a slightly lower level than the deck area fore and aft of it. Usually found between the superstructure and the fore or after decks.
a section of an upper deck that sits at a slightly lower level than the deck area fore and aft of it. Usually found between the superstructure and the fore or after decks.
NOTES
CHAPTER ONE1
John Malcolm Brinnin,
The Sway of the Grand Saloon
, 361; Don Lynch,
Titanic, an Illustrated History
,. 16, 19.
John Malcolm Brinnin,
The Sway of the Grand Saloon
, 361; Don Lynch,
Titanic, an Illustrated History
,. 16, 19.
2
The
Shipbuilder,
Special Number, Midsummer 1911, 7-16; Brinnin, 362- 63 ; John Eaton and Charles Haas,
Titanic.
Triumph and Tragedy, 17-18.
The
Shipbuilder,
Special Number, Midsummer 1911, 7-16; Brinnin, 362- 63 ; John Eaton and Charles Haas,
Titanic.
Triumph and Tragedy, 17-18.
3
Michael Davie, Titanic, the Life and Death of a Legend, 32; Triumph and Tragedy, 18.
Michael Davie, Titanic, the Life and Death of a Legend, 32; Triumph and Tragedy, 18.
4
Brinnin, 242-44; Davie, 115-18; Walter Lord, A Night to Remember, 82; Wynn Craig Wade,
The Titanic, End of aDream
, 32.
Brinnin, 242-44; Davie, 115-18; Walter Lord, A Night to Remember, 82; Wynn Craig Wade,
The Titanic, End of aDream
, 32.
5
Brinnin, 316.
Brinnin, 316.
7
Brinnin, 325; Geoffrey Marcus, The Maiden Voyage, 31; Wilton J. Oldham, The
Ismay
Line, 365-88; Wade 34.
Brinnin, 325; Geoffrey Marcus, The Maiden Voyage, 31; Wilton J. Oldham, The
Ismay
Line, 365-88; Wade 34.
8
Colin Simpson, The Lusitania, 12-13; Wade, 33-34.
Colin Simpson, The Lusitania, 12-13; Wade, 33-34.
9
Brinnin, 322-23, 336-37; Simpson, 13-15.
Brinnin, 322-23, 336-37; Simpson, 13-15.
10
A great deal of ruckus has been raised over the years about the name of the third ship. When launched she was given the name Britannic, an old and respected name in the White Star Fleet, and many historians have maintained that this was always intended to be the third sister’s name. But authoritative contemporary accounts, including New York Times, Scientific American, and
Lloyd’s
Register all identify the ship as the Gigantic. Moreover, at least one former manager at Harland and Wolff has gone on record saying that Gigantic was indeed the proposed name for the third sister. Most convincing of all though is that when taken together the three names, Olympic, Titanic, and Gigantic, all convey a sense of enormous power, size, and grandeur, something that Britannic, however dignified, does not—it just doesn’t fit. After the loss of the Titanic, when sheer size was no longer a drawing card for passengers, the more subdued Britannic was substituted for the name of the third vessel. White Star felt it best not to tempt fate again.
A great deal of ruckus has been raised over the years about the name of the third ship. When launched she was given the name Britannic, an old and respected name in the White Star Fleet, and many historians have maintained that this was always intended to be the third sister’s name. But authoritative contemporary accounts, including New York Times, Scientific American, and
Lloyd’s
Register all identify the ship as the Gigantic. Moreover, at least one former manager at Harland and Wolff has gone on record saying that Gigantic was indeed the proposed name for the third sister. Most convincing of all though is that when taken together the three names, Olympic, Titanic, and Gigantic, all convey a sense of enormous power, size, and grandeur, something that Britannic, however dignified, does not—it just doesn’t fit. After the loss of the Titanic, when sheer size was no longer a drawing card for passengers, the more subdued Britannic was substituted for the name of the third vessel. White Star felt it best not to tempt fate again.
12
The Engineer, 3 March 1910, 209-15; The Engineer, 4 March 1911, 678-81; Engineering, 26 May 1911, 678-81; The
Shipbuilder, 19-43;
Scientific American, Supplement #1850, 17 June 1911; 380-83; A Night to Remember, 36; The Night Lives On, 29-33; Triumph and Tragedy, 20-29.
The Engineer, 3 March 1910, 209-15; The Engineer, 4 March 1911, 678-81; Engineering, 26 May 1911, 678-81; The
Shipbuilder, 19-43;
Scientific American, Supplement #1850, 17 June 1911; 380-83; A Night to Remember, 36; The Night Lives On, 29-33; Triumph and Tragedy, 20-29.
13
A legend persists to this day in some parts of Ireland that the ship sank because of a “secret message” contained in her hull number, 3909-04: when viewed in a mirror, the number spells out the words NO POPE-provided some liberty is taken with the 4. The liner was doomed, so the legend goes, because of the number the heathen Protestants in Ulster assigned to her. Unfortunately for this theory, which would make good copy for the National Enquirer, the only numbers ever offcially assigned to the Titanic were Harland and Wolffs Hull No. 401, and her Board of Trade number, which was 131,428. The author wishes to thank Tommy McCluskey of Harland and Wolff and Bosun Matthew McLean of the British Merchant Marine (Ret.), for sharing this story.
A legend persists to this day in some parts of Ireland that the ship sank because of a “secret message” contained in her hull number, 3909-04: when viewed in a mirror, the number spells out the words NO POPE-provided some liberty is taken with the 4. The liner was doomed, so the legend goes, because of the number the heathen Protestants in Ulster assigned to her. Unfortunately for this theory, which would make good copy for the National Enquirer, the only numbers ever offcially assigned to the Titanic were Harland and Wolffs Hull No. 401, and her Board of Trade number, which was 131,428. The author wishes to thank Tommy McCluskey of Harland and Wolff and Bosun Matthew McLean of the British Merchant Marine (Ret.), for sharing this story.
14
Eighty years later, a popular myth would grow up around these plates, and the quality of the steel used to make them, when tests performed on samples of the plates would reveal that there were impurities in the steel. When compared with modern steels now required by shipping regulations, the
Titanic’s
hull plates were found to be brittle and subject to fracturing when struck. Some sources would imply that Harland and Wolff had used inferior-quality plating in order to save money, and that false economy would contribute to the loss of the Titanic. The truth, as is often the case, is far more mundane: metallurgy, though having made great strides in the half century since the mass production of steel had been developed, was still a far-from-precise science, and exactly how different impurities affected the molecular structure and physical properties of steel were imperfectly understood. In point of fact, the steel in the plates used to construct the Olympic, Titanic, and Gigantic was pretty much standard in the shipbuilding industry, and similarly impure steel could be found in the hull plates of almost every ship on the North Atlantic at the time.
Eighty years later, a popular myth would grow up around these plates, and the quality of the steel used to make them, when tests performed on samples of the plates would reveal that there were impurities in the steel. When compared with modern steels now required by shipping regulations, the
Titanic’s
hull plates were found to be brittle and subject to fracturing when struck. Some sources would imply that Harland and Wolff had used inferior-quality plating in order to save money, and that false economy would contribute to the loss of the Titanic. The truth, as is often the case, is far more mundane: metallurgy, though having made great strides in the half century since the mass production of steel had been developed, was still a far-from-precise science, and exactly how different impurities affected the molecular structure and physical properties of steel were imperfectly understood. In point of fact, the steel in the plates used to construct the Olympic, Titanic, and Gigantic was pretty much standard in the shipbuilding industry, and similarly impure steel could be found in the hull plates of almost every ship on the North Atlantic at the time.
15
Shan Bullock, Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder, 17-21.
Shan Bullock, Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder, 17-21.
16
Bullock, 21-23.
Bullock, 21-23.
17
Though the stories are today sometimes doubted by laymen, professional astronomers confirm that in the spring of 1910, when Halley’s comet missed striking the earth by less than a half-million miles, the night skies were indeed brightly illuminated by the comet’s tail. On some nights the light was almost bright enough to read by, and the weirdly glowing sky caused many people to believe that the end of the world was approaching.
Though the stories are today sometimes doubted by laymen, professional astronomers confirm that in the spring of 1910, when Halley’s comet missed striking the earth by less than a half-million miles, the night skies were indeed brightly illuminated by the comet’s tail. On some nights the light was almost bright enough to read by, and the weirdly glowing sky caused many people to believe that the end of the world was approaching.
18
The Engineer, 2 June 1911, 575; The Shipbuilder, 129-34; Bonsall, 12-13; Lynch, 22-23; Triumph and Tragedy, 20-29.
The Engineer, 2 June 1911, 575; The Shipbuilder, 129-34; Bonsall, 12-13; Lynch, 22-23; Triumph and Tragedy, 20-29.
19
All technical details of the
Titanic’s
machinery are taken from
The Shipbuilder,
Special Number, Midsummer 1911.
All technical details of the
Titanic’s
machinery are taken from
The Shipbuilder,
Special Number, Midsummer 1911.
21
By way of contrast, the author questioned an agent for Cunard about the cost of a one-way passage in the finest suite available in the Queen Elizabeth
II;
the price was just over $15,000 for a four-day voyage.
By way of contrast, the author questioned an agent for Cunard about the cost of a one-way passage in the finest suite available in the Queen Elizabeth
II;
the price was just over $15,000 for a four-day voyage.
22
All details of the
Titanic’s
accommodations are taken from The Shipbuilder, 69-107; John Maxtone-Graham, The Only Way to Cross, 121-28; Oldham, 238-45; The Night Lives On, 94-95.
All details of the
Titanic’s
accommodations are taken from The Shipbuilder, 69-107; John Maxtone-Graham, The Only Way to Cross, 121-28; Oldham, 238-45; The Night Lives On, 94-95.
23
Bonsall, 33; Triumph and Tragedy, 44-50; Wade, 38-39.
CHAPTER TWOBonsall, 33; Triumph and Tragedy, 44-50; Wade, 38-39.
2
The Night Lives On, 35.
The Night Lives On, 35.
3
John Keegan, 1914, Opening Moves, 3.
John Keegan, 1914, Opening Moves, 3.
4
Marcus, 21-23.
Marcus, 21-23.
5
Richard O’Connor, Down to Eternity, 35.
Richard O’Connor, Down to Eternity, 35.
6
Although Arthur Ryerson didn’t know it, there was another Ryerson who would also be traveling on the
Titanic:
a dining saloon steward by the name of William E. Ryerson. The two men were distant cousins, though no one knows for sure if either man was aware the other was on board.
Although Arthur Ryerson didn’t know it, there was another Ryerson who would also be traveling on the
Titanic:
a dining saloon steward by the name of William E. Ryerson. The two men were distant cousins, though no one knows for sure if either man was aware the other was on board.
7
Marcus, 20; Wade, 141-42.
Marcus, 20; Wade, 141-42.
8
Walter Lord, The Good Years, 269; Lynch, 29-41; Marcus, 17-23, 35-36, 50-51; Tuchman, 245-47; Wade, 141-42.
Walter Lord, The Good Years, 269; Lynch, 29-41; Marcus, 17-23, 35-36, 50-51; Tuchman, 245-47; Wade, 141-42.
9
Lynch, 29; Wade, 48.
Lynch, 29; Wade, 48.
10
There are few more enlightening experiences than visiting the coal mine at the Summerlea Industrial Park and Museum outside of Glasgow, Scotland. Located on the site of an old ironworks, there is a coal mine nearby, long abandoned but now restored as an educational exhibit. Here visitors are taken some forty feet underground and allowed to see firsthand the appalling conditions coal miners had to work under as late as the first quarter of the twentieth century. The author’s guide during his visit happened to be his father-in-law, James Lang of East Kilbride, a retired electrical fitter and amateur historian who had worked for several years at Summerlea on various restoration projects.
There are few more enlightening experiences than visiting the coal mine at the Summerlea Industrial Park and Museum outside of Glasgow, Scotland. Located on the site of an old ironworks, there is a coal mine nearby, long abandoned but now restored as an educational exhibit. Here visitors are taken some forty feet underground and allowed to see firsthand the appalling conditions coal miners had to work under as late as the first quarter of the twentieth century. The author’s guide during his visit happened to be his father-in-law, James Lang of East Kilbride, a retired electrical fitter and amateur historian who had worked for several years at Summerlea on various restoration projects.
11
The Daily Mail, The Edinburgh Review, The Glasgow Herald, The Illustrated London News, The London Times, The
Southhampton
Times: coverage of the Coal Strike was continuous in these newspapers from the beginning of the strike to its settlement, in the case of the London papers due to their extensive circulation, in the others due to the direct effect the strike was having on local economies. Walter Lord, The Good Years, 320-30; William Manchester, The Last Lion,
Vol. I,
Visions of Glory, 61-74; Marcus, 23-24; Tuchman, 351-69.
The Daily Mail, The Edinburgh Review, The Glasgow Herald, The Illustrated London News, The London Times, The
Southhampton
Times: coverage of the Coal Strike was continuous in these newspapers from the beginning of the strike to its settlement, in the case of the London papers due to their extensive circulation, in the others due to the direct effect the strike was having on local economies. Walter Lord, The Good Years, 320-30; William Manchester, The Last Lion,
Vol. I,
Visions of Glory, 61-74; Marcus, 23-24; Tuchman, 351-69.
12
Destination: Disaster, 68-69.
Destination: Disaster, 68-69.
14
Brinnin, 375; Marcus, 37; Triumph and Tragedy, 71-72.
Brinnin, 375; Marcus, 37; Triumph and Tragedy, 71-72.
15
Charles Lightoller, The Titanic and Other Ships, 218-19.
Charles Lightoller, The Titanic and Other Ships, 218-19.
17
British Inquiry (Br. Inq.), Nos. 21280, 21281; The Night Lives On, 87-88, 89-90.
British Inquiry (Br. Inq.), Nos. 21280, 21281; The Night Lives On, 87-88, 89-90.
19
Marcus, 91-92; Triumph and Tragedy, 73.
Marcus, 91-92; Triumph and Tragedy, 73.
20
Marcus, 37; Triumph and Tragedy, 73-74.
Marcus, 37; Triumph and Tragedy, 73-74.
22
Beesley, 15-16; Marcus, 42; Triumph and Tragedy, 76.
Beesley, 15-16; Marcus, 42; Triumph and Tragedy, 76.
23
Southampton
Evening Echo, 21 June 1967; Southampton Times, 11 April 1912; Liberty Magazine, April 23, 1932; Logan Marshall, ed. The Sinking of the Titanic, 32; Hutchings, 21; Lightoller, 220; Lynch, 33-35; The Night Lives On, 36-37; Triumph and Tragedy, 76-77; Wade, 242-44.
Southampton
Evening Echo, 21 June 1967; Southampton Times, 11 April 1912; Liberty Magazine, April 23, 1932; Logan Marshall, ed. The Sinking of the Titanic, 32; Hutchings, 21; Lightoller, 220; Lynch, 33-35; The Night Lives On, 36-37; Triumph and Tragedy, 76-77; Wade, 242-44.
24
In his book, The Loss
of the SS
Titanic, Lawrence Beesley maintains that the whistle blasts were actually sounded to signal to an Isle of Wight paddle steamer to get out of the
Titanic’s
way. Despite being a careful and dedicated researcher, Beesley was an incurable “wet blanket,” as well as something of a snob, to whom Captain Smith’s acknowledgment of Beken would be unthinkable. Actually, Smith saluting the photographer with the
Titanic’s
whistle was entirely in keeping with the captain’s nature.
In his book, The Loss
of the SS
Titanic, Lawrence Beesley maintains that the whistle blasts were actually sounded to signal to an Isle of Wight paddle steamer to get out of the
Titanic’s
way. Despite being a careful and dedicated researcher, Beesley was an incurable “wet blanket,” as well as something of a snob, to whom Captain Smith’s acknowledgment of Beken would be unthinkable. Actually, Smith saluting the photographer with the
Titanic’s
whistle was entirely in keeping with the captain’s nature.
25
Southampton Evening Echo, 21 June 1967; Southampton Times, 11 April 1912; Beesley, 22; Destination: Disaster, 84; Marcus, 46-47.
CHAPTER THREESouthampton Evening Echo, 21 June 1967; Southampton Times, 11 April 1912; Beesley, 22; Destination: Disaster, 84; Marcus, 46-47.
1
Br. Inq., No. 12326-12330; Marcus, 47-48; The Night Lives On, 43-44.
Br. Inq., No. 12326-12330; Marcus, 47-48; The Night Lives On, 43-44.
2
Bullock, 61-62; A Night to Remember, 33.
Bullock, 61-62; A Night to Remember, 33.
3
American Inquiry (Amer. Inq.), 72, 584-85.
American Inquiry (Amer. Inq.), 72, 584-85.
4
Charles Pellegrino, Her Name, Titanic, 204-206; Triumph and Tragedy, 92-94.
Charles Pellegrino, Her Name, Titanic, 204-206; Triumph and Tragedy, 92-94.
5
Br. Inq., No. 12621-12623; Marcus, 51; The Night Lives On, 47-48.
Br. Inq., No. 12621-12623; Marcus, 51; The Night Lives On, 47-48.
6
Lightoller, 206.
Lightoller, 206.
7
Marcus, 81.
Marcus, 81.
8
A Night to Remember, 37; Marcus, 39; Wade, 65.
A Night to Remember, 37; Marcus, 39; Wade, 65.
9
Lightoller, 214; Brinnin, 364-65; Marcus, 39-41; A Night to Remember, 36-37; The Night Lives On, 38-41.
Lightoller, 214; Brinnin, 364-65; Marcus, 39-41; A Night to Remember, 36-37; The Night Lives On, 38-41.
10
Destination: Disaster, 93-94; Marcus, 70-71; A Night to Remember, 52.
Destination: Disaster, 93-94; Marcus, 70-71; A Night to Remember, 52.
12
Lynch, 38; Marcus, 59-60.
Lynch, 38; Marcus, 59-60.
13
A Night to Remember, 110; Destination: Disaster, 90-91; Lynch, 38; Triumph and Tragedy, 100-101.
A Night to Remember, 110; Destination: Disaster, 90-91; Lynch, 38; Triumph and Tragedy, 100-101.
14
Lynch, 39.
Lynch, 39.
15
Destination: Disaster, 89-90; Triumph and Tragedy, 101.
Destination: Disaster, 89-90; Triumph and Tragedy, 101.
16
Destination: Disaster, 89-90; Marcus, 60; Triumph and Tragedy, 101.
Destination: Disaster, 89-90; Marcus, 60; Triumph and Tragedy, 101.
17
Marcus, 58.
Marcus, 58.
18
Ibid., 58 and 81.
Ibid., 58 and 81.
19
Amer. Inq., 220-21, 270-71, 369; Marcus, 83.
Amer. Inq., 220-21, 270-71, 369; Marcus, 83.
20
Hutchings, 28.
Hutchings, 28.
21
A Night to Remember, 110; Marcus, 30.
A Night to Remember, 110; Marcus, 30.
22
The Night Lives On, 48-49.
The Night Lives On, 48-49.
23
Col. Archibald Gracie, The Truth About the Titanic, 19-20.
Col. Archibald Gracie, The Truth About the Titanic, 19-20.
24
Colliers, 4 May 1912, 10-14.
Colliers, 4 May 1912, 10-14.
25
Gracie, 5-6, 10.
Gracie, 5-6, 10.
26
Colliers, 4 May 1912, 10-14.
Colliers, 4 May 1912, 10-14.
27
Wade, 48.
Wade, 48.
28
Lynch, 40; Pellegrino, 181-82.
Lynch, 40; Pellegrino, 181-82.
29
Lynch, 77; Marcus, 108.
Lynch, 77; Marcus, 108.
30
A Night to Remember, 47; Lynch, 138.
A Night to Remember, 47; Lynch, 138.
31
Marcus, 105.
Marcus, 105.
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