Titanic Lifeboat Question

Richard

I did my training at the Indefatigable on the Menai Straits! I could make every splice, bend an hitch and sail an ASC before I started my training in Anglesey at 14 1/2. Bugler, Liverpool, Commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic. Great day.
I'll not go into too much detail other than whalers and cutters (wooden clinker) power (double diagonal) were the order of the day. I learn't to sail the gaff rig there. Hell of a tide!

regards.

peter.
 
Peter

Interesting. At warsash we sailed mainly gigs in the Hamble and Solent. They had a loose footed standing lug sail and a small jib, a steel center plate and no internal bouyancy. We pushed them as hard as we could and consequently often filled them with water. They could not be bailed out so we had to wait in the freezing water until we were towed back by the school launch. If you were really unlucky they capsized. On Sundays we sometimes sailed or rowed up stream to Burseldon. In those days TS Mercury was still moored in the river and a number of J's and Big Class boats laid up in the mud. If only I knew then what I know now!!!!!

Regards
Richard
 
We sank in whaler race (pulling) due to th bad weather and wind over tide. Crazy days!. Like Monty Python said "try and tell the kids today and they just won't believe you"

All the best.

Peter.
 
Those blocks are certainly about the right distance apart for a proper boat compass, and that would be the correct location for it. Dont believe the spar stowage theory.
 
Re: Titanic Lifeboat Question ..... other item

It has been said that White Star line were offered more modern arrangments for Lifeboats - namely the just developed Luffing Davits - making the launch of lifeboats quicker and easier. White Star is said to have "declined" them and stayed with the system of boats stacked and needing considerable effort to launch.
Reports are of covers haevily secured and difficult to release, crew unpracticed in the art of lift and swinging out, boats being launched half empty.

Sorry about not answering the original question ... back to that - It's the mount for the standard Compass Binnacle that survived in Lifeboats even to the 80's .... they were terrible to steer by ... even though they were oil-damped ... the card would swing and move about making it extremely difficult to steer anything other than N, S, E or W tending !!
I remember lowering one enclosed lifeboat of one ship and going for a motor around ... this was mid atlantic and a reasonably calm nice day ... We had about 10 - 12 poeople in the boat for stability. But it still wallowed like a pig and the compass - we were told to sail her "blind" to experience deep-sea lifeboat use - just wouldn't settle enough to read well.

Another item slightly off track ... Victory used to have a Lifeboat compass in the same binnacle mounted on display ... was a bit of a surprise to me when I realised what it was ! Maybe not there now ???
 
Re: Titanic\'s Lifeboats

I always understood that to re-use any lifeboats from a previous ship whether lost or broken up was considered to be extremely bad luck, hence the one-time easy availablilty of ship's lifeboats in very good condition for conversion into yachts. Perhaps I am wrong.
 
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