The TitanicCADD 2160

JAG & KABIR

The Disaster

The sinking of the RMS Titanic occurred on the night of April 15,1912 in the North Atlantic ocean four days into its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The ship struck an iceberg around 11:40pm on April 14 and sunk in two hours and forty minutes later.

How many fatalities/injuries

Of the 2,224 people on board, more than 1500 people died.

What was the cost of the damage?

It cost $7.5 million to build, and it remains 12,600 feet at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, so we guess the cost of damage was $7.5 million dollars.

What design flaw/oversight caused the disaster?

1) The ship was going to fast in an area known to contain ice.

2) The multiple iceberg warnings went unheeded.

3) Binoculars were locked up and the keys were held by David Blair who at the last minute was left off the crew before departing.

4) The Steerman took a wrong turn (towards the iceberg). Once the mistake was discovered it was to late.

5) The reverse thrust in the ship reduced the maneuvering ability of the ship.

6) The iron rivets were too weak, this caused them to rip apart more easily causing the ship to sink more quickly.

7) There were too few of lifeboats. Of the 2200 or so people there were only enough for about 1200 people, which was more than the legal requirement.

Was this disaster due to…

A) It was a mistake by

Captain Smith- because ignoring the 7 iceberg warnings from the crew.

Shipbuilders- because of poor quality iron rivets.

Bruce Ismay- he put pressure on Captain Smith to make the journey in 6 days.

Thomas Andrews- Ship’s architect, ship had 16 watertight compartments should of built higher.

Captain Lord- (Captain of the Californian) turned off the radio and went to sleep.

B) Perpetrated= No

C) Act of nature, yes the moon wasn’t out and the iceberg was clear

What were the lessons learned?

Know the environment

Overconfidence can lead to mistakes

Strong leadership is needed

Communication is key

Have a game plan

Be as timely as possible

Training for recovery

Have necessary tools

Actions taken-

Enough lifeboats for everyone on board

24 hour radio watch

International ice patrol formed

Ship design changes

Theme’s applying to this disaster

Engineering projects are social experiments

They wanted to complete the trip in 6 days which would have been a trans Atlantic record.

Ethical dilemmas

The wealthy people were given the first priority.

Technological development warrants cautions optimism

Bigger isn’t always better

Sinking of Titanic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSGeskFzE0s