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 ship sank in less than 3 hours Gannon, 1995. Main Cause for sinkThe iceberg created a 300-foot gash in the Titanics hull above and below the waterline. Structural Errors That Accelerated the Sinking stigma crispinessTests on Titanics stain showed that the steel had high sulfur content, which increases the crispness of steel by disrupting the grain structure Hill, 1996. This increase in breakableness contributed to the severity of the hullsdamage. Titanics steel showed high levels of oxygen, which leads to an increased 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 molded iron rivets that fastened the hull plates to the Titanics main structure also failed because of brittle fractu re during the collision with the iceberg. Low water temperatures contributed to this failure Garzke and others, 1994.Ships Mid theatrical roleContributing to this failure in the midsection was the design of Titanics vast spiral staircase. The staircase not besides 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 incline 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 sixteen major watertight compartments. Actually, the compartments were watertight only in the horizontal direction--their tops were open.After the collision, six watertight compartments began weft with water. Soon, water spilled over the tops. Scientists fork over concluded that the watertight compartm ents contributed to the disaster by keeping the flood waters in the bow of the ship Gannon, 1995.If in that location 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 pelt along 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.