>>Ice was all around by evidence of the Californian noting that and not moving for the night.<<
Not *quite* accurate I'm afraid. I'm not really interested in the Californian debate per se, but the ship did move that night, weathervaning and moving with the current, with the ice moving as well, and the Titanic did the same. While a lot of ice was noted in the morning, the problem is seeing it in the dark. The one they hit aside, the people on Titanic didn't see even one until the sun came up.
Even if a sizable floe or field of ice had been found, the problem then would be getting all 2208 people off in two hours forty minutes befor the ship sank. Not possible with only 20 boats and some of them manned by scratch crews for want of trained seamen.
I suppose we could spin scenerios and ideas all year round...hell, we might even stumble on something that would work...but I think about the one fact that is certain is that the stratagy which would have saved the most lives would be to not hit the berg at all.
Not *quite* accurate I'm afraid. I'm not really interested in the Californian debate per se, but the ship did move that night, weathervaning and moving with the current, with the ice moving as well, and the Titanic did the same. While a lot of ice was noted in the morning, the problem is seeing it in the dark. The one they hit aside, the people on Titanic didn't see even one until the sun came up.
Even if a sizable floe or field of ice had been found, the problem then would be getting all 2208 people off in two hours forty minutes befor the ship sank. Not possible with only 20 boats and some of them manned by scratch crews for want of trained seamen.
I suppose we could spin scenerios and ideas all year round...hell, we might even stumble on something that would work...but I think about the one fact that is certain is that the stratagy which would have saved the most lives would be to not hit the berg at all.