Some fascinating history about why the Titanic sank, from the novelist granddaughter of its only surviving officer, who goes way beyond "the ship hit an iceberg":
"Titanic was launched at a time when the world was moving from sailing ships to steam ships. My grandfather, like the other senior officers on Titanic, had started out on sailing ships. And on sailing ships, they steered by what is known as “Tiller Orders” which means that if you want to go one way, you push the tiller the other way. [So if you want to go left, you push right.] It sounds counter-intuitive now, but that is what Tiller Orders were. Whereas with “Rudder Orders," which is what steam ships used, it is like driving a car. You steer the way you want to go. It gets more confusing because, even though Titanic was a steam ship, at that time on the North Atlantic they were still using Tiller Orders. Therefore [First Officer] Murdoch gave the [course change] command in Tiller Orders but [Steersman Robert] Hitchins, in a panic, reverted to the Rudder Orders he had been trained in. They only had four minutes to change course and by the time Murdoch spotted Hitchins’ mistake and then tried to rectify it, it was too late.’"
She goes on to explain why a subsequent decision also helped to doom the ocean liner.
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3 comments:
Since "Tiller Orders" were the only orders in use on both British and American ships until the mid-1930s, I am not sure how the helmsman of the world's largest ship was trained in a system which wouldn't be used for another two decades.
But the woman has a novel to sell.
Tiller orders and rudder orders caused confusion till 1930s despite the shift to wheel rudder steering system.
these contradictory orders sometimes created confusion. After World War I, 1914-1918, some
nations started giving helm orders in the direction they wanted the ship to turn.1928 international
conference on shipping in London was convened to resolve this mess.
as result, Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932 was introduced which stated in section 29
"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."
and enacted further;
"Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section shall for each offence be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds"
Nuwan Peiris. Sri Lanka
I agree with Nuwan Peiris on this issue. Benny. UK
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