Good morning Sam!
In biblical terms: 'the last shall be first'.
I have no idea what was in the wheelhouse of Titanic but using that awful word 'experience' : as a a junior officer in exactly the same position as was
Moody: I would do exactly as you described with perhaps a few extra chores depending on how the particular ship was run.
Arriving or leaving port, Moody's post would be as Hichens described it - abaft the helmsman, seeing every order was carried out to the letter.
In the case of ice and/or poor visibility, Moody would be stationed on one side of the bridge and his watch boss on the other. From time to time, Moody would leave his post to carry out essential routine chores. One of which was to answer the bridge telephones. My guess is he did exactly that and thereafter stayed beside the helmsman throughout the emergency.
You will recall that a minute or so after the impact, Murdoch was seen on the port wing of the bridge and Smith on the starboard side. At that time, Moody would still be in the wheelhouse with Hitchens.
Olliver, as testified by Hitchens, was by then back at his post at the rear bulkhead of the wheelhouse). This suggests that the ship was still going ahead, but as Lightholler said - very slowly.
My observation about the ship coming to a halt with the berg on the starboard quarter, points-out that the berg's relative bearing at that time was somewhere about 45 degrees to the right of astern when Titanic was almost stopped. Using your own turning diagram, this means that Titanic was either heading north or west at that time.
Still using your diagram; the berg was therefore about 4000 feet or 2000 feet away from the ship at that time depending on how she was heading.
All of the witnesses to seeing the berg had emerged from brightly lit accommodation. All were looking toward the berg through the side-glare of the ship's starboard side. If the lookouts, with perfect night sight, who were trained to do so could not see the berg much more than 2000 feet ahead, how on earth did all these folks see it under the conditions I have just described? Remember, Boxhall stated in all honesty he was not sure of seeing it and his night vision had probably been 75% restored.
I don't think those witnesses could have seen the berg at a distance of more than half a ships length astern of Titanic. i.e. little more than 1000 feet from where they were standing at the time on the ship's forward well deck.
There was only two ways to find out what the initial engine order was - by actually hearing it or by seeing the pointer on the telegraph dial.
On a ship, unless the senior Officer of the Watch or Commander gives a subordinate an engine order, such an order will not be heard by anyone.
The senior man will ring the telegraph himself.
In the case of Murdoch's emergency; he would ring 'stop' then 'full astern'. If the control platform lads in the engine room were handy at the time, the bridge order would be acknowledged immediately. Thus the double order of 'stop' then 'full astern' would be almost simultaneous.
When Boxhall looked at the illuminated dial on the telegraph, he would see the arrow on one side pointing to 'full astern'. At that moment, the steam to the engines would have been shut-off and the pistons slowing down rapidly. There would be no cavitation vibration until the engines actually started turning the props in reverse.
I am not surprised that neither Hichens of Olliver did not know how the engines were operating during the initial phase.
However, I am absolutely sure that there would be only two times when
Captain Smith would lay hands on the telegraph and give a direct order to the helmsman: one would be in a dire emergency when there was little or no time for the normal protocol and/or the other, when there was no subordinate nearby to carry out both duties. In the case of Smith being seen to operate the telegraph: I contend it was the latter.
I envisage the following:
Smith would be in the outer wheelhouse with Murdoch. Olliver would be either leaving the bridge or arriving on it. Otherwise he might have been standing by as the Captain's 'runner'.
Moody would still be at his post in the wheelhouse with Hitchens.
My best guess is that Smith would assess the situation, discuss it briefly with Murdoch. Then, since protocol was all in such a ship, Murdoch would assume his previous roll. Boxhall was on his way below decks.
By prior agreement, Murdoch would sing-out hard-a-starboard when the engine order was executed on the telegraph by Smith. This would let Smith know where the wheel was. Both Hichens then Moody would acknowledge that the order was in fact carried out.
This had to be the case since otherwise, Olliver would be at his station behind Hitchens and would not have seen Smith operating the telegraph.
In fact, in Anchor Line passenger ships, this might just be the scene on the bridge approaching or leaving the the pilot station in a narrow water way when engine movements might be required.
As for the timing expression of 'half-a-minute'. I would caution you not to take that expression too literally. In the UK, there are several expressions used to describe a very brief period of time. 'Half-a-minute', 'wait-a-minute',
'wait-a-mo' are but a few. In Scotland they have the ultimate 'wait-a-wee-minute'. that is most definitely less than 60 seconds! In the States you have a New York version if I remember correctly!
I'm sure you'll agree the best 'guess' we can get on timing lies in the evidence supplied by the two Quarter Masters Hitchens and Olliver and the turning time tests made on
Olympic. From these we have about 55 minutes between bells and impact - Ship's steering compass showed an alteration of about 2 points (22.5 degrees) during an approximate time of 55 seconds and 37 seconds to change a sister ship's head by 2 points at a known speed.
None of these three sources give exact values for Titanic. It follows that it would be incorrect to attribute such values to a second by second timing sequence.
The reason we have to accept Hitchens's 2 point to port evidence is simply because that apart from what he heard, that was the only visual contribution to evidence he could give. In fact his first utterance on the subject was volunteered by him during his description of the event. Then he said 'about two points'.
The only other treatment we can make about this is also based on approximate reckonings about time. We have to start somewhere. Your works suggests different scenarios which places is in the grey area as regards what really did happened
The only way Beesley could know the ship was actually moving ahead was by observing relative motion - i.e. by ripples from the ship's side (which he would not be able to see) or by a trail left by an overboard discharge. If by the latter, I'm not the least surprised! A ship does not come to a complete standstill unless forward and backward momentum is in equilibrium. A ship tied to a dock in still water will move!
Smith would have had the boats prepared as part of a pre-determined procedure. He would not have moved the ship after he knew the full extent of the damage and that boat launching had become a reality.
In any case any corrective course order had to come before Smith received his first evidence of serious damage.
As for the Zig-zag turn. To be effective, this has to be a seamless operation. On a fast ship it cannot be an afterthought.
You will note that in both cases, Boxhall has Murdoch telling Smith he was 'GOING' / 'INTENDED' to port/to hard-a-port round the ice. 'The world is full of good intentions'.
According to Rowe, when the berg passed him at the aft bridge it was not in contact with the stern - close to it, less than 5-10 feet in fact.
The ship was already slowing down at that time and probably loosing steerage-way due to propeller turbulence. It would be quite a few minutes and a kick ahead on the engines before the rudder would be effective again.
have you factored-in the turbulence effect on rudder efficiency during the time the shafts stopped turning until they came to a complete standstill. We know that the minute the engines started going astern, the rudder would need to be put mid-ship to avoid any unwanted change in the ship's heading.
What I do know about the effect of a strong push on or near the point of lateral displacement is that the vessel will most definitely be moved to the opposite side of the applied force. How far, depends on the force. I also know that such force applied to a moving ship will cause an un-looked for reactions in the way the ship swings. In certain cases it has the effect of making the ship slalom. i.e. briefly cant her head toward the applied force. I don't think this happened then.
The main thrust of my argument lies in the facts that the ship was slowing down the minute she swerved left and the engines stopped turning. Her steering efficiency fell off rapidly at the same time. A Zig-zag, to be effectively would need to have taken place seamlessly with the first helm order and with the engines still running. I am quite sure that Murdoch knew all of this. As you pointed out, he had previous experience and was a quick thinker.
I also do not think Titanic had enough momentum or rudder efficiency left after impact to get to a point 4000 feet NW of the berg. However I am willing to be convinced otherwise.
Regards,
Jim.
