TITANIC a Human Performance Case Study What Was the Name of the Three Giant Vessels Built by Harland and Wolff?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

TITANIC a Human Performance Case Study What Was the Name of the Three Giant Vessels Built by Harland and Wolff? TITANIC a Human Performance Case Study What was the name of the three giant vessels built by Harland and Wolff? • Olympic • Titanic • Gigantic Which one of the three ships had its name changed? • Gigantic • It would be changed to the Brittanic Brittanic The Titanic was also known as the RMS TITANIC what does RMS stand for? • Royal Mailing Steamer TITANIC FACTS • March 31, 1909 construction begins by Harland and Wolff for WHITE STAR LINE in Belfast Ireland. • The ship cost 7.5 million dollars to build. Today’s cost 400 million dollars. • Skilled shipyard workers earned $10.00 per week. • One First Class ticket would cost 4 to 8 months wages. TITANIC was one of the largest movable objects ever built. • The ship was 883 feet long, 92 feet wide. • Weighed 46,328 tons. • Was 104 feet high from keel to bridge. • Powered by 3 engines (2 reciprocating, 1 turbine), which equaled 46,000 total hp. • Total capacity 3547 people, 2,227 were on board. TITANIC a floating city!! Brief description of food supplies on board: • 75,000 lbs. fresh meat • 11,000 lbs. fresh fish • 40,000 fresh eggs • 200 barrels of flour • 2.75 tons of tomatoes • 40 tons of potatoes • 1,500 gals. fresh milk • 20,000 bottles of beer and stout • 1,500 bottles of wine The Titanic’s Hull • Protected by double bottoms. • Separated by 15 “watertight” bulkheads which extended half way up the hull. • Bulkheads could be sealed by activating watertight hatches which would compartmentalize the hull into 16 different sections. • As a result the ship was considered UNSINKABLE. Trivia Facts • Ship cost 7.5 million dollars. • Titanic movie cost 250 million dollars. • Titanic sank in approximately 2 hrs. 40 min. • The film Titanic runs 3 hrs. 14 min. • It took 3 years to build the Titanic. • It took approximately 3 years to make the film. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE 1) People are fallible and even the best make mistakes. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE 2) Error-likely situations are predictable, manageable, and preventable. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE 3)Individual behavior is influenced by organizational processes and values. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE 4) People achieve high levels of performance based largely on the encouragement and reinforcement received from leaders, peers, and subordinates. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE 5) Events can be avoided by an understanding of the reasons mistakes occur and application of the lessons learned from past events. 5 Principles / 6 Techniques 1) People are fallible and even the best make mistakes. • Self-Check (STAR) 2) Error-likely situations are predictable, manageable, and preventable. • Questioning Attitude 3) Individual behavior is influenced by organizational processes and • Pre-Job Brief values. 4) People achieve high levels of • Procedure Use and performance based largely on the Adherence encouragement and reinforcement received from leaders, peers, and • Positive Reinforcement subordinates. 5) Events can be avoided by an understanding of the reasons • Operating Experience mistakes occur and application of the lessons learned from past events. OBJECTIVES Identify the sequence of events that led to the fatal shipwreck of the Titanic. Determine the contributing factors of the event. Identify the practices that should have prevented the event. Identify Human Error Prevention Techniques and practices used to prevent similar events . Harland and Wolff build two mammoth passenger liners! • Titanic and the Olympic were built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast Ireland, for the White Star line. • Titanic slipped from her Belfast dry dock on May 31, 1911 and was towed to her fitting out basin for completion. • The Titanic was fitted out in a little over ten months and left Belfast on April 2, 1912 for sea trials. Titanic was declared sea worthy after a little over eight hours of sea trials. • Sea Trials are designed to prove capabilities of equipment, crew, and procedures during both normal and abnormal conditions. • Only one life boat drill was conducted and several members of her crew of nearly 900 would not report on board until the day of departure. Titanic’s Maiden Voyage • Titanic left Southampton, April 10 1912, first stop Cherbourg, France, final, destination New York. • Scheduled 7 day voyage. • Titanic was commanded by Captain Edward J Smith. • Ironically, he expected this to be his last voyage and crowning achievement. Five years prior to the Titanic, Captain Smith commented on the technology in the shipping industry. • “I will say that I cannot imagine any condition that would cause a ship to founder … Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” Titanic witnessed close call while leaving port! • Suction created by her passing caused the New York to break loose from pier and swing dangerously near her path. • Seven months prior, her sister ship, the Olympic passed the HMS Hawke, drawing it into its side causing damage to both vessels. Titanic alters course! • The arctic winter was unusually warm and ice had been reported at lower latitudes than normal. • Titanic would proceed on a more southerly route. • Other than this minor change, the first days at sea were uneventful. Sunday night April 12th Titanic was steaming into an area of reported ice! • Titanic speed was over twenty-two knots. • Air temperature was dropping and below freezing. • Marconi operators received ice warnings from four different vessels. • Warnings were passed on to Captain Smith. • Only one warning was posted in the chart room for officers’ information . Iceberg Detection • Radar and Sonar were unknown of in 1912. • Icebergs could only be detected by vigilant observation by the crew. • Light reflected by the surface or waves splashing against the base of the berg were the only signs of ice in the water. • With no moon and a dead calm sea, these indicators were absent. Change of command on bridge! • At 9:20 P.M., Captain Smith left Second Officer Charles H. Lightoller in command. • Smith’s instructions were, “If in the slightest degree doubtful, let me know”. • 9:30 Marconi operator received a wireless message from the Mesabe warning of pack ice and large icebergs in the Titanic’s path. • The message was not forwarded to Captain Smith or the bridge. 10:00 P.M. Second Change of Command takes place on the bridge. • Second Officer Lightoller turned command over to First Officer William Murdoch. • Murdoch was advised that they would come into the reported ice at about 11:00 P.M. • Watch relief in the crow’s nest also occurred at this time. Californian sends wireless message to Titanic!! • Californian stated “Say old man we are stopped and surrounded by ice”. • Titanic replied “Shut up! Shut up! I am working Cape Race.” Titanic was trying to beat the record set earlier by sister ship Olympic. • The Californians report was never forwarded. 11:35 Huge Ice Berg was discovered! • Immediately the crow’s nest rang the bell and reported huge ice berg ahead. • At nearly the same time First Officer Murdoch saw the berg and ordered “Hard a’starboard!” and “Full speed astern!” • These orders were intended to slow the vessel and steer to the left of the ice. • At 11:40 Murdoch then ordered “Hard a’port!” in an attempt to swing the stern clear. “Knight’s Seamanship” The Ruling Seamanship Manual • States that striking head-on with the bow was far more desirable then an oblique strike, should a collision be unavoidable. A Seaman’s Worst Nightmare!! • At 11:40 the vessel grazed the ice, hull plates ripped open along a 250 to 300 foot section. • This opened the the forward six compartments of the ship to the sea. • Perhaps no more than twelve square feet of hull surface was opened, but the damage would begin dragging the Titanic down by the bow. Ship’s Chief Architect, Thomas Andrews inspects damage! • Andrews after learning of flooding in six compartments, reported to Captain Smith that the ship had only a short time to live. • 12:10 AM on April 15, Captain Smith ordered Marconi operator to send out a “CQD”, Calling Distress. • Many on board including some officers were not aware that the ship had struck an ice berg. Carpathia answers distress signal! • From approximately 60 miles away the Carpathia responded to distress signal. • The Californian, who was possibly 5 to 18 miles away failed to answer. • She had shutdown for the night in heavy ice and the Marconi operator was no longer at his station. Lifeboat operation progressed slowly and with significant confusion. • Only 16 regular lifeboats and 4 collapsible boats were on the Titanic. • This was only half the lifeboats that was needed for the passengers and crew. • Titanic had capacity for sixty lifeboats. • British Board of Trade regulations did not require vessels to carry enough lifeboats for all on board. Lifeboats • Passengers did not realize the danger and were slow to get to the lifeboat stations. • Ships officers were unfamiliar with lifeboat davits and their capacities. • Most lifeboats were half full when they were lowered into the water. • Crew members were unfamiliar with small boat handling and had to be taught how to row by passengers. Mystery Ship Spotted!! • Shortly after midnight, Fourth Officer Boxhall sighted the mast light of another vessel, apparently a steamer. • His Morse signals would go unanswered. • At 12:45 A.M. Quartermaster Rowe began firing distress rockets at five minute intervals. Could it be the Californian? • Even though distress rockets had been sighted by the Californian and reported to her captain, Stanley Lord, they went unanswered. • Captain Lord, upon hearing of the signals, ordered the Morse lamp manned. • With no response Captain Lord did not investigate the rockets nor did he re-station his Marconi operator who had secured at 11:35 P.M.
Recommended publications
  • Saving the Survivors Transferring to Steam Passenger Ships When He Joined the White Star Line in 1880
    www.BretwaldaBooks.com @Bretwaldabooks bretwaldabooks.blogspot.co.uk/ Bretwalda Books on Facebook First Published 2020 Text Copyright © Rupert Matthews 2020 Rupert Matthews asserts his moral rights to be regarded as the author of this book. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any part of this publication is permitted without the prior written permission of the publisher: Bretwalda Books Unit 8, Fir Tree Close, Epsom, Surrey KT17 3LD [email protected] www.BretwaldaBooks.com ISBN 978-1-909698-63-5 Historian Rupert Matthews is an established public speaker, school visitor, history consultant and author of non-fiction books, magazine articles and newspaper columns. His work has been translated into 28 languages (including Sioux). Looking for a speaker who will engage your audience with an amusing, interesting and informative talk? Whatever the size or make up of your audience, Rupert is an ideal speaker to make your event as memorable as possible. Rupert’s talks are lively, informative and fun. They are carefully tailored to suit audiences of all backgrounds, ages and tastes. Rupert has spoken successfully to WI, Probus, Round Table, Rotary, U3A and social groups of all kinds as well as to lecture groups, library talks and educational establishments.All talks come in standard 20 minute, 40 minute and 60 minute versions, plus questions afterwards, but most can be made to suit any time slot you have available. 3 History Talks The History of Apples : King Arthur – Myth or Reality? : The History of Buttons : The Escape of Charles II - an oak tree, a smuggling boat and more close escapes than you would believe.
    [Show full text]
  • Strangers on the Horizon
    Strangers On the Horizon Titanic and Californian – A Forensic Approach by Samuel Halpern Unraveling the mystery of the whereabouts of the SS Californian on the night Titanic sank. Copyrighted Material Copyright © 2019 by Samuel Halpern All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author. ISBN: 9781702121989 Independently published Copyrighted Material About the author: Samuel Halpern is a systems engineer and technologist by profession, with a longstanding interest in steamships and sailing vessels, the study of naval architecture, and the practice of celestial and coastal navigation. He has been involved with the study of Titanic for many years, and is the principal author of the book: Report Into the Loss of the SS Titanic – A Centennial Reappraisal (The History Press, 2011), and principal author of the book: The Sting of the Hawke: Collision in the Solent (printed by CreateSpace, an Amazon.com company; January 2015) that was co-authored with Mark Chirnside. Sam has also written numerous research articles for the Titanic Historical Society’s The Titanic Commutator, the British Titanic Society’s Atlantic Daily Bulletin, the Irish Titanic Historical Society’s White Star Journal and the Titanic International Society’s Voyage. He has also published a number of online articles at: Encyclopedia Titanica, Great Lakes Titanic Society, Titanic Research and Modeling Association, Mark Chirnside’s Reception Room and on his own Titanicology website. In addition to Titanic, Sam has conducted an in-depth analysis and report into the 1956 collision between Stockholm and Andrea Doria that was presented at the Maine Maritime Academy in 2008, and is currently available on his Titanicology website.
    [Show full text]
  • The Controversy Lives On
    Chapter XVII THE CONTROVERSY LIVES ON Two major inquiries took place following the loss of Titanic. The first began in America on Friday, April 19, 1912, when a subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce started to take testimony from J. Bruce Ismay, who was the Managing Director of the White Star Line and a Titanic survivor. The second major inquiry, conducted in Britain, began on Thursday, May 2, 1912, with a review of the order for a formal investigation into the loss of Titanic by the Board of Trade. The first witness called before the Wreck Commissioner’s Court the following day was Titanic’s lookout Archie Jewell. With regard to witnesses from Californian, only three were called before the US Senate inquiry in America, all on Friday, April 26, 1912. They were Second Donkeyman Ernest Gill, who was followed later that day by Captain Stanley Lord, and then by Wireless Operator Cyril Evans. In addition to these three Californian witnesses, influential input regarding the possible whereabouts of Californian was provided to the Senate investigation by US Navy Captain John Knapp of the Bureau of Navigation’s Hydrographic Office on Saturday, May 18, 1912. Appearing before the British Wreck Commission inquiry from Californian were seven witnesses.1 First to testify was Captain Stanley Lord, who was followed by Apprentice James Gibson, and then by Second Officer Herbert Stone on Tuesday, May 14, 1912. The next to testify were Third Officer Charles Groves, followed by Chief Officer George Stewart, and then by Wireless Operator Cyril Evans on Wednesday, May 15, 1912.
    [Show full text]
  • The Titanic and Today's Church
    THE TITANIC AND TODAY’S CHURCH —A Tale of Two Shipwrecks— WARREN B. SMITH The Titanic and Today’s Church: A Tale of Two Shipwrecks © 2020 Warren B. Smith Mountain Stream Press P.O. Box 269 Fortine, MT 59918 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a re- trieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher. Excerpts and quotes may be used without permission as the U.S. Fair Use Act allows as long as proper citation is given. Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version and are in the public domain. Cover photo is from Wikimedia Commons and is in the public domain; photographer was F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923). Cover design is by Mountain Stream Press. See all photo credits on page 253. Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Warren B. THE TITANIC AND TODAY’S CHURCH: A tale of two shipwrecks/ Warren B. Smith. pages cm ISBN 978-0-9978982-7-9 (softbound : alk. paper) 1. Christi- anity 2. Titanic 3. 1912 4. Exhortation 5. New age movement Printed in the United States of America With deep gratitude to all the many writers, researchers, organizations, and others who have contributed to the great body of work that informs us about the Titanic. hhh Contents Note to the Reader .................................................................11 Prologue ...................................................................................13 1/ Dead Men Talking .............................................................19 2/ A Little Leaven....................................................................37 3/ Smart Ship, Smart Church ...............................................53 4/ Ship of Dreams /Ship of God’s Dreams .........................65 5/ The Launch .........................................................................85 6/ Ark of Safety/Ark of Oneness .....................................
    [Show full text]
  • Material INDEX
    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT No matter how much hard work and countless of hours are put into creating a book such as this, its ultimate success depends on more than the work a single individual. In particular, I would like to thank George Behe and Bill Wormstedt for their unflinching encouragement and support from the very start of this project. Not only did they both take many hours of their own time to painstakingly proofread this work, but they also provided me with many constructive ideas and creative suggestions along the way. I would also like to thank Dr. Paul Lee for sharing a scan of the original handwritten wireless log of the SS Birma with me, and for discussing the various entries that were written on it. His own book, The Titanic and the Indifferent Stranger, is extremely well researched and is highly recommended reading for any serious student of the Californian affair. Another resource of information worth mentioning was Dave Bilnitzer’s former website, “The Titanic and the Mystery Ship,” which examined various arguments put forth by various authors of the Californian affair, and allowed the reader to compare those arguments with verbatim extracts from the 1912 inquiries and other contemporary sources. In addition to the above, I would also like to thank Tim Maltin for providing me with copies of Almerian’s Greenwich Mean Noon Observations and Daily Journal forms for her April 1912 eastbound voyage that he uncovered, and for letting me include them in my articles and books. I would also like to thank Bruce Beveridge for allowing me to use his general arrangement plans of Titanic on more than one occasion in many of my publications, and to thank those in charge of the Dundee City Archives for providing me with a copy of the original design plans of the SS Californian for use in my research and published work.
    [Show full text]
  • Survivors of the Titanic (See Weblinks & Transcripts at the End of These Worksheets)
    TITANIC FOR VELS ENGLISH AND FOR ADULT LEARNERS Curriculum links ESL Frameworks Certs II - IV CGEA Certs II & III CSWE 2 & 3 English VELS 4 - 6 Broad learning outcomes • Design, plan, develop and review projects (from simple to complex). • Research, analyse and produce spoken and/or written texts (from simple to complex). • Develop ICT skills – on-line research, document formatting and writing (from simple to complex). • Develop teamwork skills in a community of inquiry. Th emes • Th e impact of science and technology on social development and practices. • Understanding current issues by exploring the past. • Search for truth through multiple perspectives. • Th e value of human life. • Human behaviour – biological and cultural forces. • Social histories – everyone has a story to tell. • Th e development of Occupational Health and Safety. • Th e world of work. Notes to the teacher Titanic for VELS English and for Adult Learners aims to give teachers and students the basis for working on group projects that explore key themes and address key competencies in one of the four frameworks (ESL Frameworks, CGEA, CSWE and VELS). Th e projects require students to conduct online research in order to answer questions and explore ideas. Links to websites are provided. Suggestions are off ered regarding possible language, grammar focus and study focus. Activities 1. “Artefact”: ‘facts from art’. 2. Lives on board. 3. I saw it with my own eyes: journey traces. 4. How do people behave in disasters? 5. Titanic and work: a focus on the Royal Mail Service. 6. Why so many died: exploring safety issues. 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Titanic's Band
    www.encyclopedia-titanica.org . CAPTAIN STANLEY LORD, 1961 RECORDINGS TRANSCRIPT. This recording is of a conversation between Leslie Harrison and Captain Stanley Lord, held at 13 Kirkway, Wallasey, [Lord’s Merseyside home] in February 1961. [6-8.30pm] Q1. Now Captain Lord, you were in command of the Leyland liner Californian nearly fifty years ago, when she stopped because of ice in mid-Atlantic, apparently somewhere near where the Titanic sank. There was a ship near you until about two-thirty in the morning, and at the subsequent inquiry, Lord Mersey said this in his findings, and this is from the report: ‘These circumstances convince me that the ship seen by the Californian was the Titanic, and if so, according to Captain Lord, the two vessels were about five miles apart at the time of the disaster. The evidence from the Titanic corroborates this estimate, but I am advised that the distance was probably greater, though not more than eight to ten miles. The ice by which the Californian was surrounded was loose ice extending for a distance of not more than two or three miles in the direction of the Titanic. The night was clear and the sea was smooth. When she first saw the rockets, the Californian could have pushed through the ice to the open water without any serious risk and so have come to the assistance of the Titanic. Had she done so, she might have saved many, if not all, of the lives that were lost.’ Now those were Lord Mersey’s findings. Have you ever accepted them as being correct? Lord: Have I accepted them? Q2.
    [Show full text]
  • Captain Lord's Uremia
    Captain Lord’s uremia . 2013 Jun; 39(2): 131–135. Author information ▶ Article notes ▶ Copyright and License information ▶ Abstract The hundredth anniversary of the worst ever civilian maritime disaster was also the fiftieth anniversary of the death of arguably its most controversial character, Captain Stanley Lord, skipper of the Californian, a “tramp” steamer that became entrapped in ice just off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland on April 14, 1912. Although Lord was faulted in two widely publicized inquiries for failing to respond to Titanic’s distress signals, there may have actually been a medical reason for his behavior because he suffered from chronic renal disease and most likely had some secondary cognitive impairment due to this disease. An assessment of Lord’s health history shows that he fractured his leg as a young man; suffered from poor eyesight, which led to his premature retirement from the sea by the age of 50; and eventually died from renal failure. Furthermore, his death certificate alludes to previous uremic episodes, perhaps encompassing the time period of the Titanic accident. Lord may have been under some pressure not to reveal his infirmity because doing so could have further jeopardized his career. The literature abounds with evidence that renal insufficiency negatively affects cognition, often years before progression to end-stage renal disease. Captain Lord’s failure to act in a crisis situation may serve as a case in point. Keywords: 20th century, medical history, mild cognitive impairment, renal insufficiency Introduction Did renal disease play a role in the worst ever civilian maritime disaster? Shortly after the Titanic sank off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in mid- April 1912, the world’s attention focused on Captain Stanley Lord (Figure 1), skipper of the Californian (Figure 2), a 6,000-ton “tramp” steamer that had become entrapped in ice near the Titanic’s final position while hauling a load of scrap metal from London to Boston.
    [Show full text]
  • History Titanic Character Cards
    LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Lookout Crewman Frederick Fleet • He did not have binoculars. • They were locked in a room. • The look-outs saw the iceberg too late. • The weather was freezing. • The iceberg was hiding behind a fog. LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Titanic Designer Thomas Andrews • He always travelled on his ships first voyage. • After the iceberg hit, he told Captain Smith the ship would sink in 2 hours. • The bulkheads were too low because the ship owners White Star Liners wanted more passenger space. LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Captain - The Californian Stanley Lord • The captain of the ship closest to the Titanic. • It did not answer the Titanic’s calls for help. • They thought the flares calling for help, were shooting stars or fireworks. • The Californian radio controller had tried to send iceberg warnings to the Titanic. LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Captain - The Titanic Edward Smith • The steamship was sailing fast. • The weather was icy. • A coal bunker fire had made the walls hot and out of shape. • Captain Smith liked to speed. • He thought the Titanic was unsinkable. LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Titanic Radio Operator Jack Phillips • The radio had stopped working. • It had just been repaired. • Jack was busy sending messages from passengers and crew. • He missed important iceberg warnings sent by The Californian ship. LKS2 - History Titanic Character Cards Chairman of White Star Liner Bruce Ismay • He wanted the Titanic to cross the Atlantic in six days. • He may have asked the Captain to speed. • There were about 2200 people on board and about 700 survived.
    [Show full text]
  • Navigational Inconsistencies of the Ss Californian
    NAVIGATIONAL INCONSISTENCIES OF THE SS CALIFORNIAN by Samuel Halpern The Leyland Liner SS Californian began her sixth voyage under the command of Captain Stanley Lord on April 5th 1912. She was bound from London to Boston. Her planned route of travel would first take her from her berth at No. 24 Shed in the Royal Albert Dock in London to a point just off Bishop Rock (49° 52’ N, 6° 27’ W) at the westernmost tip of the Isles of Scilly, a distance of about 400 nautical miles. After taking departure off Bishop Rock, the official starting point of her transatlantic crossing, Californian would travel 1,734 nautical miles along a great circle route to a turning point in the North Atlantic known as “the corner” at 42° 00’ N, 47° 00’ W.1 From there she would go another 1,067 nautical miles on a fixed course heading of 271° true to the Boston Light Vessel located at a distance of about 15 miles from Boston’s famed Custom House. Arrival at the light vessel would mark the official end point of the transatlantic crossing. From the light vessel she then would go on to the Clyde Street pier of the Boston and Albany docks in East Boston. The planned route of the Californian as well as the planned route of the White Star Liner SS Titanic are shown in the diagram below. NAVIGATIONAL EVIDENCE AND INCONSISTENCIES Navigational evidence from the official logbook of the Californian was presented by Capt. Stanley Lord before the American Inquiry on April 26, 1912, and from both Capt.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of the Californian's Career 1902-1915
    The SS Californian and Dundee: Scotland’s Forgotten Leviathan by Harland Duzen Appendix: Summary of the Californian’s Career 1902 -1915. Author’s Note: This timeline may not be definitive. • January 30th - February 20th 1902 — Californian departed on her maiden voyage from Dundee to New Orleans. In command is Captain Jaffer. • March 1902 — Charted for 5 voyages by the Dominion Line. Funnel painted in Dominion Line Livery (red funnel with white band and black top). Begins first charted voyage on March 29th from Liverpool to Portland. 1 • May 16th 1902 — Collides with pier head while arriving in dock in Liverpool “sustaining damage to several of her plates and hawsepipe”.2 • March 1903 — Reverted back to Leyland Line ownership. • December 12th 1903 — While departing New Orleans, runs aground and becomes stuck for two days. The vessel “sustained no apparent damage.” 3 4 • April 4th 1907 — Arrives in Galveston from Cardiff having lost a propeller blade. Emergency repairs were made whilst at sea: “The vessel was tilted forward and repairs made while the wheel was exposed.” Californian then departed April 5th to Liverpool for further work.5 6 • April 25th 1907 — Arrives back in Liverpool. She’s back in service shortly afterwards reported to be in New Orleans on May 11th. (Under command by a Captain Partan?) 7 8 • September 25th 1908 — Arrives in New Orleans from London and reports observing wreckage: “Sept. 7, in lat. 49 20 N. 6 10 W, passed though large quantity of new cases floating deep in water, marked ’S.M & Co., Cairo’ also a quantity of white painted wreckage, apparently part of ship’s upper works.
    [Show full text]
  • The Titanic Is Unsinkable" - Said Philip A.S
    THE TITANIC Captain Jack Boddington (OMSA 871) "The Titanic is unsinkable" - said Philip A.S. Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line, who truly believed this to be true when he first received word, in New York, of the collision of the Titanic with an iceberg. The "unsinkable" Titanic, pride of the White Star Line, was launched at the Belfast shipyards of Harland and Wolff on May 31, 1911. The next ten months were spent on fitting her out. She completed her trials on April 1st, 1912 and arrived in Southampton on April 3rd. One week later she commenced her maiden voyage tor New York. The ship stopped at Cherbourg and then Queenstown to pick up passengers and mail - it may have been the call of the Emerald Isle to one of her native sons, or perhaps a premonition - but Irish Fireman J o Coffey deserted the ship while berthed at Queenstown. The Titanic had averaged 517 miles per day for the first three days - it was intended to press the ship to the full limit of her speed on Monday, the fourth day - - but for the Titanic, Monday never came! At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic off Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada, and two and one half hours later she sank. The Titanic was literally a floating palace. At over 45,000 tons and as long as four city blocks, she housed a gymnasium, swimming pool, palm garden, Turkish baths, a hospital with a fully equipped operating room and other travel luxuries, which were unheard of for the time, and which would cost the first class passenger up to $4,350 for a suite, for the Titanic’s maiden, and only, voyage.
    [Show full text]