Boiler rooms during sinking

[Jim Currie]

Side note: having looked at the pictures some more, it seems like the only imploded area was of the stay tubes...???

The problem I have, with that Brad, is that the closely spaced, small diameter holes in the photograph supplied by Aaron are in the main, fire tubes. The main boiler stays were heavier, of larger diameter and more widely spaced. The reason for that was because they were contained within the steam space where the pressure was greatest. These heavy tubes braced the boiler ends. The enclosed compartment could withstand pressures in excess of 400 psi. That's getting close to a depth of 1000 feet.
In almost every picture of boilers on the sea bed, the heavy boiler stays ar still in position, despite corrosion.
There is, in fact a picture of a single end boiler on the sea bed standing on end with the furnace doors pointing upward. I do not know how much of that is below the mud line but there is approximately10.5 feet of it standing proud of the sea bed. See here:

It looks to me that the external stay seciring nuts are missing or corroded away and the steam chamber end plate has been pulled in, suggesting that a force pulled on the stays.

Aaron:

I had a look at that video. They seem to be trying to tie-in Lightoller's adventure with the fidley grill and some kind of explosion. Don't think so. Think about one of those pump action water guns the kids have. Then think about a sudden inundation of the trunkways serving the fidley in front of No.1 funnel.

 

[Rob Lawes]

If we say that after Barrett evacuated boiler room 6, he looked into the bunker and saw further flooding, closed the door, gathered his senses and waited for orders. I think ot would be reasonable to assume that it took around 10 to 15 minutes before he returned to boiler room 6.

That fits because when he returned to 5 the lights went out which occurred around 15 to 20 minutes after impact.

That would have given Beauchamp and those who remained in Boiler room 6 around 3 or 4 minutes before the water was around a foot deep over the plates. (Based on Barrett's 8 foot observation). That is enough time to start to pull the fires before realising the game was up and it was time to go.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

If we say that after Barrett evacuated boiler room 6, he looked into the bunker and saw further flooding, closed the door, gathered his senses and waited for orders. I think ot would be reasonable to assume that it took around 10 to 15 minutes before he returned to boiler room 6.

That fits because when he returned to 5 the lights went out which occurred around 15 to 20 minutes after impact.

That would have given Beauchamp and those who remained in Boiler room 6 around 3 or 4 minutes before the water was around a foot deep over the plates. (Based on Barrett's 8 foot observation). That is enough time to start to pull the fires before realising the game was up and it was time to go.

That is very likely (and something I have mentioned in a research article a few years ago). The only problem with Beauchamp is what he did from the time he left BR 6 and got at boat No. 13, it does not fit with his testimony (after he left he got on deck and helped to load lifeboat No. 13 in which he also left). It could be also that he might have been among them who was called into No. 5 to draw out the fire in the boilers.