I know sit didn’t receive the warnings once out at sea but i would like to know if it was known that there would possibly be icebergs in the area in which the Titanic sank. Was wondering if there was another route that it could have taken to avoid the disaster, trying to find other lines of enquiry for a history essay. Links to trustworthy websites would be useful no Wikipedia please.
Tina, anyone who ever sailed the Great Circle route between Ireland and New York in April knew that there would be ice. There is always ice in April in the Great Circle route. The ice extends down to the same Latitude as Richmond, Virginia!
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/keeping_track.html
RMS Titanic had all the latest gadgets, including wireless telegraph (radio) so she did, too receive ice warnings, but capitalism being what it is, the owner/operators wanted those speed records more than they wanted the health and safety of the passengers and crew.
February 15th, 2010 at 11:54 am
She ended up taking a more northerly route than originally planned - possibly as part of a record-breaking attempt.
(The world being round, a detour to higher latitudes actually cuts a bit off the distance across the Atlantic.)
Also, the limit of sea ice was more southerly than usual that year.
So yes, has she stuck to the original route, she may well have missed the ice. But it was a terrible combination of bad luck that got her - the sea was very calm, like glass people said, which meant that you could not see the usual surf breaking on the base of the berg. If the weather had been usual for the time of year, they would have spotted the berg in time. Also, the crew were just not used to such a vast ship, and didn’t understand the way she handled. Ironically, if they had reversed engines but NOT swung away at the head, but hit the berg head on, they would probably have survived the impact still afloat!
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February 15th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Hi there.
yes, they knew full well that the time of year and northerly latitude were risky. When the fog hit, thye should have slowed but were determined to break the "fastest crossing" record.
they should have gone the longer route further south or gone slower,
broken the record another time. Sad.
cheers, Steve.
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February 15th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I don’t think the ship had any more expectation of icebergs than icebergs have expectations of ships, all being somewhat insentient.
The captain of the ship though would probably know to stay away from said icebergs. As I understand it he had to alter course from the ’safe’ and planned route for some reason and this led him into unsafe waters.
Also, it may be worth finding out if the captain knowingly put the ship into dangerous waters on the premise that the ship was unsinkable as it was claimed shortly before She … sank.
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February 15th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Yes they did because the Rich passengers wanted Fresh Ice for their cocktails this is a little known fact !
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How to Make a Good Ice Margarita
February 15th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Yes.
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February 15th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Tina, anyone who ever sailed the Great Circle route between Ireland and New York in April knew that there would be ice. There is always ice in April in the Great Circle route. The ice extends down to the same Latitude as Richmond, Virginia!
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/keeping_track.html
RMS Titanic had all the latest gadgets, including wireless telegraph (radio) so she did, too receive ice warnings, but capitalism being what it is, the owner/operators wanted those speed records more than they wanted the health and safety of the passengers and crew.
References :
February 15th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
It was after they set off from Southampton that they received a message that weather was turning colder and there were icebergs about. The iceberg just floated into the shipping lane that the Titanic was using and took them all by surprise. Had they known about the iceberg then they would have chosen another route.
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February 15th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
you have some good answers here and one frequently mistaken idea…..
first, speed records……the glamor of holding the Blue Ribband, a mythical flag symbolizing the fastest across, was great publicity during the age of the liner. But it was just publicity and marketing plan. White Star in 1907 knew it would not build ships to compete with Cunard’s Mauritania and Lusitania for speed, but set out to build slightly slower but more luxurious ships.
Titanic was designers for 22 knots; Mauritania for 26. There was no way possible for Titanic to set a speed record.
As was said, Titanic did get radio reports form other ships of the ice field ahead, and anyone sailing the Grand Banks in April knew there would be ice. All the officers and crew on Titanic had made that trip scores of times, dodging icebergs and ice flows; it was a normal part of the business.Hundreds of ships a year would take that exact same track; it was an established a well traveled route as an Interstate highway today. So no, heading further south would only have been chosen if there was solid pack ice across the Great Circle route……which there wasn’t that day.
What did her in was not fog, but the exceptionally clear and calm night; no seas breaking on the berg to let it show up ahead, as was normal.
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http://www.titanic-whitestarships.com
February 15th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
The captain and his officers, experienced sailors all, knew very well that they would be sailing in an area of the ocean where icebergs were often seen. Their complacency the night they encountered the fatal one is inexplicable. Many of the passengers and even the ship’s owners may have believed the hype that labeled the ship "unsinkable", but any experienced sailor should have known better. Note that the ship’s owners were not experienced sailors themselves, however often they may have ridden as passengers aboard similar ocean liners. We’ll never fully understand why that predictable accident was allowed to happen; all the principles who might possibly shed further light on the question are now dead.
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February 15th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Yes and no! Let me explain,Everyone that sailed knew there would be ice in the North Atlantic,however when Titanic left Southampton she sailed to Cherbourg,then up to Queenstown before setting out for the Atlantic.Once out to sea they did receive ice warnings (Several of them)Captain Smith turned more south than what he would have normally. You could try encyclopedia titanica for a source.My sources are many,many books about Titanic.
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