The drawing by Millerpsc (above) would be accurate if the conventional story of turning left (starboard helm in 1912) to dodge the iceberg were true. But, even cursory analysis shows that the impact in the drawing does not match the actual damage as reported by the majority of survivors.
Flooding from damage was confirmed in the peak tank (not forepeak) and the first three holds. Members of the "black gang" living above hold #1 were seen attempting to bring their gear up to dryer decks as their berthing areas filled with water. Slow ingress was reported in boiler room #6 by Beauchamp and corroborated by Barrett. There was apparently even slower ingress in #4. The actions reported by Barrett in boiler room #5 show it remained dry and functional for more than an hour after impact.
If Millerspc's drawing of the interaction of berg and ship, then we would not expect any flooding of the peak tank or holds #1 and #2. They would have been inside the ship's maneuvering circle and out of harm's way. Newton's laws governing the impact would have increased the rotation ot the bow to its left causing the whole starboard side of the ship to bump and grind along the berg. There should be reported damage for nearly 3/4ths the length of the hull (probably including the starboard wing propeller), which did not happen. So, physics, the way ships turn, and the physical damage to Titanic all rule out the mythical left turn to avoid the iceberg. Conventional wisdom cannot be true.
The final nails in the coffin of the conventional story comes from the lookouts, Fleet and Lee, in the crow's nest. They said Titanic steamed straight at the fatal berg. Even Fleet's famous (if possibly apocryphal) words, "Iceberg right ahead!" indicate a straight-on approach. This means the ship was not turning to port (starboard helm) nor to starboard (port helm) during the final seconds as the bow closed on the ice.
Yet, we have two bridge team survivors who claimed the ship did turn to port (starboard helm) just before impact.
Boxhall only hinted at this, but quartermaster Hichens at the wheel said it was a two-point turn to the left which means a sizable 22.5 degrees. The advance & transfer characteristics of an
Olympic-class vessel (tested with
Olympic after Titanic sank) are such that for a two-point turn to have been accomplished, the iceberg would have been safely on the port side to begin with. That is, First officer Murdoch turned left for an object that otherwise would have passed close aboard -- but probably safely -- Titanic's port side. To steal a phrase from Second Officer
Lightoller, "Not damned likely."
Personally, I believe that everyone told the truth and there is no contradiction of
Boxhall/Hichens by Fleet/Lee. It's all a matter of time. The two-point turn to the left under starboard helm was made and the ship steadied on its new course. This is evident by Hichens remembering the exact two points of the turn. He would not have cared how many degrees the bow swung during an emergency. However, he would have had to be very precise in his reading of the compass to make a turn of exactly two points to port. Such a turn that night would have been necessary to avoid ice. There was plenty ahead of the ship. But, it was not likely a turn to avoid any specific iceberg. Hichens steadied Titanic on its new course which the lookouts noticed was pointed toward the deadly iceberg.
If the above paragraph is reasonably accurate, then we have a major change in the Titanic canon. It has been believed that
Captain Smith was dozing "just inside" while his ship went blundering into an ice field. Yet, the logical conclusion of the testimonies of Boxhall, Hichens, Fleet, and Lee say otherwise. The two-point turn was a course change, not an emergency maneuver. And, only
Captain Smith had the authority to order the course changed. Murdoch certainly could dodge danger, but he was not empowered to change the course. This means that Captain Smith unwittingly ordered a course change which Boxhall and Hichens performed just as an iceberg happened to be about two points off the port bow. It wasn't barratry, just bad luck. Captain Smith was trying to avoid the ice field across his path and chose the wrong moment to change course.
Quartermaster Olliver's testimony confirms Murdoch's freedom to act in an emergency. Also a surviving member of the bridge team, Olliver said that just as the ship took the ice Murdoch yelled, "hard a-port" which in 1912 meant to turn the ship to its right, or starboard. This was the correct order under the circumstances. By applying port helm Murdoch would have swung the vulnerable starboard side and wing propeller outward, away from the berg and possible damage. The bow was already involved in the accident, so there was no longer any reason to protect areas already receiving damage.
On the poop, quartermaster Rowe testified that the ship was apparently under port helm as the berg passed safely even if close aboard his location. Afterward, the bridge watch congregated on the starboard bridge wing to catch sight of the iceberg astern. This is correct for a ship that turned to its right around an object. The berg was now off the starboard quarter and could only be seen from the starboard bridge wing.
Finally, we know Titanic was heading west -- actually a bit south of west -- when it came upon the iceberg. Yet, the bow swung to the north for some reason and remains facing in a northerly direction. This is diametrically opposite to the sharp left turn toward the south that would have resulted from the conventional version of the accident. If the ship had been under starboard helm and turning left, impact would have increased that turn and the ship would ultimately have slid to a stop facing nearly south. It does not. Currents and winds have been used to explain Titanic's northerly orientation, but the simplest explanation is that the ship turned to its right -- not its left -- during and immediately after impact. It remained facing northward as it sank.
-- David G. Brown
PS -- If you believe the stern section stuck upward into the night sky, the physics which govern buoyancy require the bow to have re-surfaced briefly. Otherwise, the stern would have disappeared like a stone dropped in a pool. The fact that Titanic floated -- intact or broken -- is proof of that. More anon.
