Titanic

mcalan

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I have spent the last few days watching some programmes recently shown on tv about the Titanic and something is beginning to bother me. When the iceberg is sighted the officer of the watch gives the order "hard a starboard" but the helm clearly turns the wheel to port? I have now seen this in several re-enactments.
Can anyone explain why ?
 
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Downsman

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I believe that it was because at that time, 1912, a great many ship's used the helm orders from centuries ago when in order to turn the vessel to Starboard the tiller, steering oar or whipstaff even, would be put to Port. So hard 'a starboard and the helmsman put the tiller to port. Until the advent of much more modern steering gear the early steering engine gear worked in the traditional way. Wheel to port moved the rudder to starboard and the vessel turned to starboard. I'm not 100% certain but I think it wasn't until sometime in the 1930's that some form of maritime law actually forced shipping companies to standardise the steering arrangement so that wheel to port turned the vessel's head to port.
 
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I have spent the last few days watching some programmes recently shown on tv about the Titanic and something is beginning to bother me. When the iceberg is sighted the officer of the watch gives the order "hard a starboard" but the helm clearly turns the wheel to port? I have now seen this in several re-enactments.
Can anyone explain why ?

Well spotted. I had spotted that and thought I must be crazy.
 

ianroberts

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For me its the over confidence that sinks down the Titanic. Also added to it was the misinterpretation of signals that was sent for rescue. Infact in some documentary movies they also used to say that if they reduce the speed and have a face to face impact then the loss will be somewhat less as the side part was not very well assembled as compared to others.
 

AntarcticPilot

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For me its the over confidence that sinks down the Titanic. Also added to it was the misinterpretation of signals that was sent for rescue. Infact in some documentary movies they also used to say that if they reduce the speed and have a face to face impact then the loss will be somewhat less as the side part was not very well assembled as compared to others.

A head on impact might have saved her because it would have meant that only one or two watertight compartments would have flooded. The problem was that the watertight compartments weren't watertight at the top, so once she had a sufficiently bow-down attitude, water could overtop the watertight bulkheads, resulting in successive compartments flooding. Her design was such that she could survive a small number of compartments flooding. Sadly, the glancing side-swipe impact opened a gash along the hull resulting in too many compartments flooding, so she sank.

It's all in Bob Ballard's book, very clearly explained, and with evidence from the submarine exploration.
 

Miller12

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A head on impact might have saved her because it would have meant that only one or two watertight compartments would have flooded. The problem was that the watertight compartments weren't watertight at the top, so once she had a sufficiently bow-down attitude, water could overtop the watertight bulkheads, resulting in successive compartments flooding. Her design was such that she could survive a small number of compartments flooding. Sadly, the glancing side-swipe impact opened a gash along the hull resulting in too many compartments flooding, so she sank.

It's all in Bob Ballard's book, very clearly explained, and with evidence from the submarine exploration.

Huh, I had no idea. That's interesting. I thought that a head-on collision would be much worse. But live and learn, I suppose. I haven't done much reading about the Titanic, to be honest - it's always been much more of an exciting yarn/story for me. Thanks for the info regardless.
 

Kukri

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I have spent the last few days watching some programmes recently shown on tv about the Titanic and something is beginning to bother me. When the iceberg is sighted the officer of the watch gives the order "hard a starboard" but the helm clearly turns the wheel to port? I have now seen this in several re-enactments.
Can anyone explain why ?

The sense in which helm orders were given was reversed for British ships by Section 29 of the Merchant Shipping (Safety Conventions) Act of 1932:

METHOD OF GIVING HELM ORDERS
29.-(1) No person on any British ship registered in the United Kingdom shall when the ship is going ahead give a helm or steering order containing the word “starboard” or “right”, or any equivalent of “starboard” or “right”, unless he intends that the head of the ship shall move to the right, or give a helm or steering order containing the word “port” or “left”, or any equivalent of “port” or “left”, unless he intends that the head of the ship shall move to the left.

(2) Any person who contravenes the provisions of this Section shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

This brought into force the recommendations of the 1929 International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea as regards the sense in which helm orders were given. Prior to that date, Pilots had to be aware of the flag of the ship they were piloting, as the helmsman of a German ship, for instance, would apply a helm order in the opposite sense to the helmsman of a British ship. By international agreement, the change was brought in in 1935
 

Kukri

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You may remember these well known verses, by Thomas Gray who was the Secretary of the Board of Trade in the high Victorian era. The emphasis is mine:

When both side-lights you see ahead —
Port your helm and show your RED.
GREEN to GREEN — or, RED to RED —
Perfect safety — go ahead!
If to your starboard RED appear,
It is your duty to keep clear;
To act as judgment says is proper;
To Port — or Starboard — Back — or Stop her!
But when upon your Port is seen
A Steamer's Starboard Light of GREEN,
There's not so much for you to do,
For GREEN to Port keeps clear of you.
Both in safety and in doubt
Always keep a good look-out;
In danger, with no room to turn,
Ease her, Stop her, Go astern.


Today if you want to show your red the verse is

"Starboard helm and show your red"
 
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