![]() ![]() ![]() It is often said she was trying to make a record on her maiden voyage, attempting to arrive ahead of schedule in New York. Speed plays a major part in the continuing story of Titanic. However, there were many other ocean liners built in Britain, France and Germany which were technically superior and had stunning interiors. Titanic, nevertheless, was a fine, well-built vessel, with large public rooms and finely-appointed suites for those travelling in first class. White Star could not afford to lavish the same expense on their new ship Titanic, which was much larger than Oceanic. As huge people carriers, travelling at moderate speed, with space for large cargoes, they posed a great commercial threat to the smaller and more expensive-to-operate Cunarders. Titanic and Olympic should best be described as the 747s of their day. This was a giant leap forward in marine engineering, comparable to the advances made in 1969 with the introduction of the Concorde supersonic aircraft. They were built principally from lessons learnt from advances in warship construction, but most importantly both were powered by steam turbines driving quadruple screws, each fitted with a large balanced rudder, making them faster than the competition and easier to manoeuvre. Designed and built as record breakers, both held the coveted 'Blue Riband' for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The ships that Titanic, and her slightly older sister Olympic, were designed to compete with were the Cunard liners Lusitania and Mauretania, which entered service in 1907. Size, seldom an indication that something is better, was the only record she held. Titanic, the largest vessel in the world when she entered service in 1912, was neither the finest nor the most technically advanced of her day. The claim actually made was that she was 'practically unsinkable', close enough, but nevertheless an unfortunate statement and one which would haunt both builder and owner for years. Photographs of the rescue that morning show small waves on the ocean surface, confirming that report.It was said that the builders and owners of Titanic claimed she was 'unsinkable'. On Monday morning, after the sinking, one survivor reported a breeze that came up around dawn to add to the morning chill. To spot icebergs during the night, lookouts searched for wind-driven waves breaking around their bases. Icebergs were known to be in the region, but the calm winds made spotting them difficult. A large Arctic air mass was over the area on the clear, star-lit night with subfreezing temperatures and calm winds that resulted in a sea “like glass.” On Sunday, nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing, and the skies cleared and the winds calmed. The noon temperature was around 50 degrees, but by 7:30 p.m., the temperature was 39 degrees. The noontime temperatures on Saturday, April 12, were still around 60 degrees, but another cold front (associated with the previous Fenway flurries) was to the west and north of the ship.Īs the Titanic passed through the second cold front on Sunday, April 14, the winds switched to northwest at 20 knots. As the ship continued west, the skies got cloudier as a weak cold front approached. On April 12, the winds were from the west-southwest at about 15 knots and the noon temperature was about 60 degrees. Two days earlier, well to the west in Boston, a few thousand fans shivered in the cold and snow flurries as the Red Sox beat Harvard University 2-0 in the first game ever played at Fenway Park. When the Titanic left port in Queenstown, Ireland, on Thursday, April 11, 1912, it sailed under brisk winds from the north-northwest at 15-20 knots and a temperature of about 50 degrees. These winds likely played a role in pushing icebergs farther south than normal and into the Titanic’s path. There were northerly winds over North Atlantic in the months before the RMS Titanic left port. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |