How long would it take the two sections of the ship to sink to the bottom 15,000 ft below?
There is no conclusive evidence, nor is there any reason to believe, that the Titanic broke in two before she sank. Second Officer Lightoller emphatically denied it. "It is utterly untrue" he told the British enquiry, "the ship did not and could not have broken in two" he watched her descent "keenly the whole time." Third Officer Pittman, too, denied that the after-part broke off; he was "bvarely 100 yards away," he testifies, and kept his eyes upon her as she went down.
Naval Architect Edward Wilding did not believe she broke in two.
20258. We have heard something in the evidence about an apparent fracture of the
whole ship as she foundered, which is rather why I was going a little minutely
into this part of it. Do you believe that happened? - Not in the least. I have
tried to make an approximate calculation, and I feel quite sure it did not
happen.
Harland & Wolff Naval Architect C. Hackett, does not believe Titanic broke in two.