The Sinking of the Titanic :: essays research papers

IntroductionThe R.M.S. Titanic sideswiped an iceberg at 1140 p.m. on April 14, 1912. Estimated to be able to stay afloat for 2 days under the worst scenario, the send out sank in less than 3 hours Gannon, 1995. Main gain for SinkingThe iceberg created a 300-foot gash in the Titanics hull above and below the waterline. Structural Errors That Accelerated the SinkingSteel brittlenessTests on Titanics steel showed that the steel had high sulfur content, which increases the brittleness of steel by disrupting the grain bodily structure Hill, 1996. This increase in brittleness contributed to the severity of the hullsdamage. Titanics steel showed high levels of oxygen, which leads to an increase ductile-to-brittle transition temperature. For Titanics steel, that temperature was determined to be 25 to 35 degrees C Hill, 1996. The water temperature that night was below freezing. The wrought iron rivets that fastened the hull plates to the Titanics main structure also come aparted because of brittle fracture during the collision with the iceberg. Low water temperatures contributed to this failure Garzke and others, 1994.Ships MidsectionContributing to this failure in the midsection was the human body of Titanics huge spiral staircase. The staircase not only weakened the midsections structure, but served as a means for water to pass up through the ship. As it filled with water, the bow submerged, raising the stern out of water. When the stern reached an angle of about 45 degrees, the stresses in the ships midsection (15 tons per square inch) caused the steel to fail and the bow to rip loose and sink Gannon, 1995. ConpartmentsThe lower section of the Titanic was divided into sixerteen major watertight compartments. Actually, the compartments were watertight only in the horizontal direction--their tops were open.After the collision, six watertight compartments began filling with water. Soon, water spilled over the tops. Scientists have concluded that the watertight c ompartments contributed to the disaster by keeping the flood irrigate in the bow of the ship Gannon, 1995.If there had been no compartments, the incoming water would have spread out, and the Titanic would have likely remained afloat for another six hours. Human Errors that Accelerated the SinkingCaptains mistakeCaptain E. J. Smith had not slowed the ships speed that night, although the ships wireless operators had received several ice warnings. The ship was moving at more than 22 knots.Crews mistakeThe sea was a "flat calm," a rarity for these waters.