Noel-- Nathan is pretty much taken up with his studies these days. I won't presume to answer for him, but I will write about his theory.
In my opinion, Nathan correctly realized that Titanic did not make a 2-point, hard-over turn to avoid the fatal iceberg. Some of his arguments have not held up well to scrutiny, but his conclusion does appear sound.
First of all, a 2-point, hard-over turn would be excessive in the extreme if a "port around" maneuver were being attempted for a close-aboard object. The maneuver requires moving the pivot point of the vessel to one side of the danger. In theory, that sideways movement only needs to be 1/2 the vessel's beam. Once that movement has been achieved, the stern must then be swung out of harm's way. The first turn--to move the pivot point--must be kept as small as possible in order not to expose the ship's side or stern any more than necessary. The second turn can be hard over because the stern must be swung away with maximum authority.
The lookouts did not report the kind of motion of the bow that would have come from a 2-point, hard over turn. Rather, they had the impression the ship was steaming straight at the fatal berg and that the bow only began to swing at the last possible moment. What the lookouts saw indicates to me that Murdoch made a conscious decision to take the berg head-on. When that did not happen (for whatever reason), he immediately reacted by calling for port helm (right rudder) to swing the starboard side and stern clear of the berg.
Thus, it appears that Nate Robison was correct in saying there was no "hard a-starboard" maneuver used to avoid the fatal iceberg.
What about Hichens? He claimed that his only helm command PRIOR TO the accident was "hard a-starboard." After studying the testimony, I have come to the conclusion that Hichens may have exaggerated slightly, but he was correct. He was told to turn Titanic two points to starboard prior to the accident -- but that maneuver was not an attempt to avoid the fatal iceberg.
Go back to approximately 7 bells, or 11:30 p.m. The lookouts are now seeing that famous line of "haze." More than likely, Murdoch saw it as well. What was that "haze?" Substitute the word "ice" for "haze" and you get a precise picture of what lay across Titanic's bow--a field of ice.
At about 11:32, seaman Scarrott heard three strokes on the lookout's bell. This was for an object dead ahead. Immediately following that we have an interesting situation develop on Titanic's bridge. Boxhall leaves, Olliver leaves, Moody supervises Hichens inside the closed wheelhouse. Only Murdoch remains alone on the bridge.
Lightoller gave us a reason for the vacant bridge during the U.S. inquiry. Cosider the following testimony: "...We have a standard compass and a steering compass. The standard compass is the compass we go by. That is the course that is handed over from one senior officer to another, the standard course. The junior officer goes to the standard compass which is connected with the wheelhouse by a bell, or by a bell push wire and bell, and when she is on her course he rings that bell continually, showing the ship is on her course with the standard compass. The other officer takes her head inside the wheelhouse from the compass the quartermaster is steering by. The standard course is on a board and the steering compass is also on a board. Therefore, the quartermaster uses the board that is there for the steering compass. The senior officer of the watch looks to the standard compass board and passes that course along."
It is my contention that Boxhall and Olliver visited the standard compass platform in order to effect a 2-point turn to port (using Hichen's starboard helm). That turn was a course alteration designed to take Titanic south of the line of "haze" (read "ice") across the ship's path.
It was this course alteration that put the fatal berg dead ahead at a range too short for evasive action.
Circumstantial evidence that the method of changing course was part of the reason for the loss of Titanic comes from alterations made to the older sistership, Olympic. There is evidence that in 1913 (following Titanic) the standard compass of Olympic was moved to the top of the wheelhouse. From photo analysis, the standard compass on Britannic was apparently never installed in the platform between the funnels, but was located on top of the wheelhouse. Interestingly enough, it seems to have been Cunard's practice to always place the standard compass on top of the wheelhouse.
Hichens appears to have been correct in saying that starboard helm (and possibly lots of it) was used prior to the fatal iceberg encounter in an attempt to avoid ice. Boxhall was part of that course alteration, so naturally concurred that starboard helm was used. He probably got the "hard a-starboard" in conversation with Hichens, but did not doubt the claim because that is the direction he saw the ship turn.
As Nate Robison pointed out, however, neither Fleet nor Lee reported anything more than a slight swing of the bow to port just prior to impact. More important, both men seem to have thought that the ship aimed for the iceberg even after their 3-stroke bell warning. Proof of that comes from Fleet's using the phone to the bridge--something lookouts were not supposed to do except in dire emergencies. It was only as Fleet began that phone call that they saw the bow swing. Such a small rotation so close in time to the impact does not match the hard-over maneuver under starboard helm claimed by Hichens.
As stated above, my impression is that Murdoch intended to hit the berg head-on. Naval architect Wilding suggested that most of the people sleeping in the bow would have been killed as the prow crumpled in such an accident. Lacking an Olympic-class ship to use in an experiment, I looked up photos of the 1,000-foot ore carrier Buffalo. This ship hit the Detroit River Light at speed a few years ago. The impact took out the shell plate of the bow in an area equal to the size of the lighthouse which sits on a man-made island. However, the crumpling and other damage was less than I expected to see. Buffalo is made of modern steel and is welded construction, but the photos indicate that Wilding may have over-stated the case regarding damage to Titanic from striking the berg head-on.
--David G. Brown
