Thomas Whiteley managed to stay afloat and relatively out of the water, clinging to a large oak armoire. Whiteley still was not entirely dry and started getting hypothermia, so when he saw a collapsible he decided to swim for it rather than stay with that armoire. There were also other men who initially stuck to that armoire with Thomas, but then they perished and Whiteley recalled watching them die and roll off into the water.
My impression is that a small raft made of steamer chairs would end up functioning much like that oak wardrobe - yes it would prevent drowning and yes it would increase the time you could survive, because only a part of you would be exposed to the water. But it wouldn't likely be enough to survive until the Carpathia arrival. The underlying problem was simply that the water was too cold even if only a part of your body was submerged or got wet. For each person who like the baker survived for some 30 minutes in the water, there were hundreds who died within the first 20 minutes.
Having said all that, we should offer kudos to the people who tried to build a raft under those circumstances. Under a situation of increasing panic they actually tried to do something reasonable to increase their chances. In milder conditions this may have proved the difference between life and death. But on that April night in the north Atlantic, the conditions were simply too unforgiving for such a measure to be effective.
The lifeboats were designed to handle very different scenarios as well - rough weather, high seas, or the prospect of being on the ocean for a day or two before the rescue arrived.
My impression is that a small raft made of steamer chairs would end up functioning much like that oak wardrobe - yes it would prevent drowning and yes it would increase the time you could survive, because only a part of you would be exposed to the water. But it wouldn't likely be enough to survive until the Carpathia arrival. The underlying problem was simply that the water was too cold even if only a part of your body was submerged or got wet. For each person who like the baker survived for some 30 minutes in the water, there were hundreds who died within the first 20 minutes.
Having said all that, we should offer kudos to the people who tried to build a raft under those circumstances. Under a situation of increasing panic they actually tried to do something reasonable to increase their chances. In milder conditions this may have proved the difference between life and death. But on that April night in the north Atlantic, the conditions were simply too unforgiving for such a measure to be effective.
I strongly agree. The sinking of the Titanic was not really all that typical of a sinking scenario. Yes the water has been very cold, but on the other hand the sea was calm and the rescue ship arrived within a few hours.Regardless of whether we are talking about a luxury liner like the Titanic or a small freighter like the Californian, all ships lifeboats needed oars, sail, mast, rudder, compass, sea anchor and ropes not just for a potential evacuation but also for the following occurrences that could feasibly occur in their service lives such as - picking up people gone overboard, shuttle people back and forth, rescue shipwreck survivors who are not in boats but swimming in the water.
The lifeboats were designed to handle very different scenarios as well - rough weather, high seas, or the prospect of being on the ocean for a day or two before the rescue arrived.
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