Was it even worse than we think

[jean leysman]

I can't remember ever having seen anyone bringing this up: did you know that on Titanic, apart from the number of lifeboats required by law, additional life RAFTS should have been provided. They should have had a total seating capacity of up to 75% of the number of seats in the conventional lifeboats on the ship.
This was the law! Nobody ever seems to have mentioned this in the Titanic enquiries.
Isn't that strange?

 

[Dan Cherry]

Jean,
of course, in hindsight, additional LIFE BOATS should have been provided. I cannot find anything describing the law you have mentioned. As stated the by the Board of Trade outdated requirements, the Titanic surpassed the required number of life-saving devices on board. *Those* rules were written some 20 years before for ships thousands of tons less. The Titanic, beyond the 16 wooden lifeboats, were stocked with 4 additional Englehardt collapsible boats. After the disaster, subsequent rulings were made that all ships were to be provided with ample life-saving boats and rafts. You will see this change incorporated in Olympic during her 1912-13 refit and Britannic in 1915.
I am afraid I am not familiar with the pre-disaster law you are referring to. Primary sources?

 

[Dave Gittins]

I'm afraid Jean is not correct. The rules were based on cubic capacity of the boats, not seats. Titanic was required to carry 5,500 cubic feet in the form of wooden lifeboats with buoyancy tanks. Because this was insufficient for all on board, she had to carry enough boats or rafts of any kind to bring the total up to 175% of 5,500, which is 9,625 cubic feet. Titanic actually exceeded this amount with her wooden boats alone. In addition, the 4 collapsibles were carried, making a total of 11,325 cubic feet.

Because the number of people per boat was calculated at 10 cubic feet per person for the ordinary boats and at 8 cubic feet per person for the two emergency boats and the collapsibles, the total persons that could be carried was supposed to be 1,178.

It's all in the British inquiry.

 

[Nigel Hampson]

And let's not forget of course that in 1889 Thomas Henry Ismay ((JB Ismay's dad)), had been appointed Chairman of the Board of Trade Lifesaving Appliances Committee.
The very same committee that five years later would lay down the regulations, that by the time of the Oly class's launch, would prove to be shatteringly out of date.
If anyone has done any digging into the financhial state of White Star - Pre JP Morgan takeover, you will see that while not exactly being bankrupt - they were not exactly overflowing with funds either.
And while I have no evidence what so ever to back this up - I have a sneaking suspicion, that the Thrifty Thomas Henry Ismay, would have saved money wherever he could, and that certainly in 1894 "Lifesaving Appliances" would not have been very high up on the "Absolutely Must - Have" list.

Nige H