What funnels did the ship break between?

[Dan Kappes]

In the 1997 film, it splits between the third and fourth funnels, but more recent theories suggest it split between the second and third funnels, as seen in this video.

 

[Kyle Naber]

It broke just in from the of the third funnel, almost exactly the technical middle of the ship. This is why there were reports of two funnels leaning in one direction as the stern settled back.

 

[Chris cameron]

Then why were there a good number of survivors that specifically place the break up at after the third funnel.

 

[Kyle Naber]

I’d guess that to some people, their left side of the third funnel was the front of the funnel and others, it was the right side. Not everyone realized that the stern was considered the “back” of the ship.

 

[Chris cameron]

So basically it was both in forward and aft of the third funnel? I think we have discussed this before and we both came to agree that Parks Stephenson depiction in "more questions than answers" explained what they saw. Did you notice a pattern of of where witnesses place the break up to there location?

 

[Kyle Naber]

Parks directed the 2012 animation shown above. Scientific analysis pinpoints the break just before the third funnel which matches up with Jack Thayer’s account, thus leading me to believe that it split apart in that exact spot.

 

[Seungho Kang]

Then why were there a good number of survivors that specifically place the break up at after the third funnel.

I think the fall of the third funnel happening right after the breakup caused the survivors to think that way. The 4th funnel still remains fallen on the boat deck, and is clearly visible unlike the 3rd, which is already underwater or out of sight from the survivors.
Also, most of the lifeboats are facing the stern, and the 3rd funnel uptake and deckhouse is barely noticeable when the ship broke, so its easy to assume that the ship broke aft of the 3rd funnel.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

I think the fall of the third funnel happening right after the breakup caused the survivors to think that way. The 4th funnel still remains fallen on the boat deck, and is clearly visible unlike the 3rd, which is already underwater or out of sight from the survivors.

How do you know it remains fallen on deck? No survivor I know mentioned it.

Also, most of the lifeboats are facing the stern, and the 3rd funnel uptake and deckhouse is barely noticeable when the ship broke, so its easy to assume that the ship broke aft of the 3rd funnel.

Most of the boats were rowing towards the light in the north and were not facing the stern.

 

[Rennette Marston]

Then why were there a good number of survivors that specifically place the break up at after the third funnel.

The Titanic broke into several sections. The initial breakup was between the second and third funnels. The latter breakup between the third and fourth smokestacks. She broke twice.

 

[Kyle Naber]

I don’t remember who it was, but someone had recalled seeing the engines or some sort of machinery sliding from the stern into the bow during the break. This very well could have looked like a chunk of the stern falling off into the water (hence the two breaks).

 

[Rennette Marston]

Exactly.

 

[Just a Titanic fan]

Probably it broke up twice, that's what I think it fits correctly with all descriptions that aren't from the V-Break and aren't the ones who said the ship sunk in one piece. My theory is:

Lights go out, weak emergency lights turn on and the ship splits apart twice at the same time, first: around the area of the 2nd and 3rd funnel down to keel, second: around the area of the 4th and 3rd funnel down to the middle, then the keel starts to push the stern underwater, flooding it a bit and breaks off pushing the 4th and 3rd funnel area with it, and the stern settles back and you know what happens after.

If you want, I can do a drawing showing that theory.

 

[Jim Currie]

She broke forward of the main engine room where the double bottom height reduced. And aft of funnel number three. That's how the barber's pole got from its mounting outside the Barber's Shop on C Deck, 143 feet aft of midship and up among the wreckage. The Barber shop was exactly above the a point midway between the LP and MP cylinders on the main engines, and directly below the mid way point between funnels 3 and 4.