Is there any theory of the third class open space flooding?
- Thread starter Charles
- Start date
If you look at the deckplans of D Deck, you'll see that there are stairs to E Deck on the back and stairs to C Deck at the front.
I think that, once E Deck was flooding, the water crawled up the stairs to the Third Class Open Space and the water reached in from behind. But due to the pitch, the water rolled to the front. Once the Room started flooding, it quickly kept on flooding until the water level reached those stairs down.
I think that, once E Deck was flooding, the water crawled up the stairs to the Third Class Open Space and the water reached in from behind. But due to the pitch, the water rolled to the front. Once the Room started flooding, it quickly kept on flooding until the water level reached those stairs down.
Oh, I hadn't noticed that third staircase from E Deck to the open space.
Those three staircases were all connected, so I guess the that third staircase let water in as well.
New scenario:
The starboard front side of the open space was the first side to flood. The water leveled with Titanic's list, most likely also wetting the lowest stairs of the port staircase to C Deck.
The open space continued to flood through the fore staircase from E Deck, staying pretty much even with the water level on E Deck.
I don't know for sure what happened with those aft staircases: or they flooded from the already flooded open space down to E Deck, or they flooded from E Deck into the flooding open space, with the water following the pitch. But I guess the water was already close to the staircases when one of these took place.
But there's still a problem: there was yet another set of staircases for seamen at the front side, separated from the open space by a door.
If those staircases went to E Deck AND if that part of E Deck was already flooded AND if that door wasn't watertight, the flooding might have been accelerated by those staircases too.
Those three staircases were all connected, so I guess the that third staircase let water in as well.
New scenario:
The starboard front side of the open space was the first side to flood. The water leveled with Titanic's list, most likely also wetting the lowest stairs of the port staircase to C Deck.
The open space continued to flood through the fore staircase from E Deck, staying pretty much even with the water level on E Deck.
I don't know for sure what happened with those aft staircases: or they flooded from the already flooded open space down to E Deck, or they flooded from E Deck into the flooding open space, with the water following the pitch. But I guess the water was already close to the staircases when one of these took place.
But there's still a problem: there was yet another set of staircases for seamen at the front side, separated from the open space by a door.
If those staircases went to E Deck AND if that part of E Deck was already flooded AND if that door wasn't watertight, the flooding might have been accelerated by those staircases too.
So you are saying that the water did come from both the Seaman's quarters and the E Deck steerage staircases? Well that sounds even more chaotic than I expected, but on the wreck footage, they show almost everything completely intact, including the staircases. I used to think water came into the open space at like 1:30 when the bow was almost under, but now that I think about it, the water must have came in to the open space when the E Deck entrance to third class was about halfway under. Hopefully, I will have to tell Titanic: Honor and Glory that. 
I'm saying the water may have come from the seamen's quarters as well, but I'm not sure of it.
The flooding may have been chaotic, but chaotic doesn't mean destructive. At the earlier stages of the sinking, the water moved slowly enough to flood rooms without doing any erosive damage. Just look at the damage of the Grand Staircase: A Deck to C Deck are badly damaged due to the water rushing in from the broken sky dome, but D Deck and below were already flooded and thus much better preserved.
The flooding may have been chaotic, but chaotic doesn't mean destructive. At the earlier stages of the sinking, the water moved slowly enough to flood rooms without doing any erosive damage. Just look at the damage of the Grand Staircase: A Deck to C Deck are badly damaged due to the water rushing in from the broken sky dome, but D Deck and below were already flooded and thus much better preserved.
One thing, the grand staircase, the Dome imploded when the water just reached the boat deck, and the water damage was probably from the window implosions. Second of all, the open space flooding, the water must have been calm, but rapidly flooding by the clues you are putting in.
