Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There was plenty of wood on board, panels, chairs, tables. They could have just nailed a bunch of planks and made simple boats for all the underclass and crew.
There was plenty of wood on board, panels, chairs, tables. They could have just nailed a bunch of planks and made simple boats for all the underclass and crew.
Many people did 'make' (as in procure) wooden 'anythings' to try to stay afloat in the North Atlantic long enough for a rescue ship to find them. Sadly, most froze to death before the boat arrived.
From everything I've read on the subject, until the last rendition of Nearer My God to Thee, most people who weren't dead already were still in denial. After all, it was said of Titanic "God Himself couldn't sink this ship!" Now there's a taunt if ever there was one, and 'God is not One to be mocked.'
After hearing all those arrogant claims, nothing this side of Heaven could have induced me to get on that ship! I'm not in the least bit superstitious, but there are some things one just doesn't say.
There was plenty of wood on board, panels, chairs, tables. They could have just nailed a bunch of planks and made simple boats for all the underclass and crew.
Who exactly is going to do this while a ship is sinking?
Where would the nails and hammer come from?
Who exactly is going to do this while a ship is sinking?
Where would the nails and hammer come from?
The ship's carpenter would have any and all tools required to repair anything aboard, as would his crew. The ship's carpenter is always called to 'sound' the ship if a collision or suspected collision occurs.
In the case of Titanic though, keeping the passengers calm was of paramount importance, as it is in any emergency situation, so ripping the ship apart to start building life rafts would have been counterproductive at that point.
The Titanic sunk in less then 3 hours after the collision with the iceberg, but you must remember most of the crew and passengers did not know it was doomed until it started to list heavily - what that point is I don't know, maybe only a 1/2 hour before it sunk. That doesn't give you much time. Before then, many just thought getting into the life boats was a just a precaution. It was a nuisance, it was cold out, it was late, many just wanted to stay in their cabins in bed. It was tough enough for the crew to convince people to board life boats. Many life boats left half full.
Now I remember reading that eye witness accounts do tell of people lashing deck chairs together, etc, as improvised floating devices. They had life preservers on as well of course. As that point of realization became clear that the ship would be lost, people started jumping into the water with these items to escape what they thought would be the suction taking them down. Of course, it was no use, as hypothermia in the icy water was the main killer here. Most were unconscious after 10 minutes of suffering and dead by 30. Floating on a deck chair with your body half submerged didn't make much of a difference. The last Titanic movie sort of accurately portrayed that.
I've always pondered the same question over the years especially while watching a Night to Remember or Titanic where I always catch myself thinking, "hell I would have been building myself one hell of a raft..." in the three hours it took for the ship to sink, but:
The first life boat was lowered at 12:40 and the last was lowered away at 2:10 AM. The Titanic sank only 10 minutes later at 2:20 AM. As a result I would suggest that most people remained hopeful of getting on board at least one of them. Also, there were at least two collapsible lifeboat that passengers and crew were unable to launch despite their best efforts.
As for salvaging wood, that's a tough one. Not would a lack of tolls hinder any construction, but under the panic conditions, the crowded decks where would you perform this task? In addition to that, where would you launch them from? The Titanic's boat deck sat some 60' above the waterline. I suppose if you were clear headed enough to build such a raft you would also have to fearless to launch it as you would have to wait until the deck was at or near the waterline before casting off.
And last but not least, just keeping afloat on the surface would keep you from drowning, it wouldn't keep you from becoming hypothermic. The water temperature that night has been reported as being at or near 2º Celsius or just above freezing which means those in the water would have between 15-20 minute survival time. Of course you could survive longer, and many did, after being hauled out the water into a life boat or one of the overturned collapsibles.
There was plenty of wood on board, panels, chairs, tables. They could have just nailed a bunch of planks and made simple boats for all the underclass and crew.
All they needed was tools and nails.
Check into the availability of these items on a sinking ship and get back to us.
This entire thread is a sad example of what happens when Hollywood's fantasies run up against the realities imposed by both "hard science", and the laws of the marketplace.
The 1953 version of Titanic was much closer to what actually happened, but it didn't provide for either the technical gimmicks or the story lines that appeal to a market which is increasingly young, sheltered, and insulated from what can -- and can't -- be done in real life.
There was plenty of wood on board, panels, chairs, tables. They could have just nailed a bunch of planks and made simple boats for all the underclass and crew.
Agree, this is why when I fly, I pack a few extra shirts in my carry-on. If the plane starts to go down, I can quickly sew a makeshift parachute and bail.
Many people did 'make' (as in procure) wooden 'anythings' to try to stay afloat in the North Atlantic long enough for a rescue ship to find them. Sadly, most froze to death before the boat arrived.
From everything I've read on the subject, until the last rendition of Nearer My God to Thee, most people who weren't dead already were still in denial. After all, it was said of Titanic "God Himself couldn't sink this ship!" Now there's a taunt if ever there was one, and 'God is not One to be mocked.'
After hearing all those arrogant claims, nothing this side of Heaven could have induced me to get on that ship! I'm not in the least bit superstitious, but there are some things one just doesn't say.
Shalom,
Mahrie.
There is no such thing as 'god', there said it, I'll let you know if I'm still alive tomorrow.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
