Wheelhouse

[Nigel Bryant]

Hi everyone,
I have being doing little research about the interior of the wheelhouse. The two questions I can not find out and hopefully a answer will be floating around here somewhere. Was the wheelhouse floor material decking,or tile? On the Britannic wreck it was tiled, and I don't see any tiles on the remains of the wheelhouse base.
My second question is in some of Ken Marshall's paintings of the wheelhouse(note Ken Marshall's Art of Titanic) there shows a door opposite to the steering wheel. In Cameron's movie, this is Captain Smiths' cabin. But it is strange because right behind this door would be the first stokehold vent shaft. I know Cameron has made some tiny little errors in the set,but this doorway is also shown in Ken Marshall's paintings.But this doorway does not show up on the plans.
Does anyone know any answers to these two questions?

Regards Nigel Bryant

 

[Cal Haines]

Hi Nigel,

Good questions for the guys at TRMA:
The Titanic Research and Modeling Association

Warm Regards,

Cal

 

[Norman Olsen]

Hello all. I am looking for the layout of the Titanic's wheelhouse,that's the wheelhouse, not the navigating bridge. I understand that may be hard to come by. If anyone has any information I would appreciate it. Thanks again, Norm

 

[Philippe Delaunoy]

Can someone explain me the purpose of having 2 wheels on board the Titanic ?

Why was the bridge divided in 2 ?

Warm regards.

Phil

 

[Mark Chirnside]

If you look in the archive, a discussion about this topic there solves your question.

Best regards,

Mark.

 

[Ben Holme]

I recall that one scene in the '97 film dealt with this very issue. In the scene, the De Witt Bukators are being given a tour of the ship. Ruth (mother) asked Andrews; "Why do you have two steering wheels?" to which the designer replied "We really only use this (the one outside the wheelhouse) near shore.

For some reason that piece of dialogue stuck in my mind....which tells me it's time to watch another film

Regards,
Ben

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but can someone give me an idea how enclosed the Titanic's wheelhouse was at night? Putting the question another way, what, if anything, things outside the wheelhouse was Robert Hitchens able to see during the collision with the iceberg?

 

[Aaron_2016]

Quartermaster Hichens was asked at the British Inquiry what he could see.

"I could not see anything but my compass."

Q - Were there blinds in the wheelhouse?
A - Yes.
Q - They were all closed?
A - Always closed just after sunset.
Q - And no lights were in the wheelhouse at all except the compass light?
A - And the small light.
Q - And the small light on the course board?
A - Yes.

Q - Could you see ahead at all through the wheelhouse?
A - I could not see anything.
Q - You would not be able to see the iceberg even if it had been quite clear. Is that what you mean?
A - No, I could not see it, on no account whatever could I see it.

Q - Had the speed been altered before?
A - No, I could not say, my Lord, because I could not see the officer on the bridge. I am in the wheelhouse. I cannot see anything only my compass.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Thanks. I take that to mean that after sunset the blinds in the wheelhouse were closed, thus isolating it from the bridge. I guess that this was done so that the light within the wheelhouse would not affect the darkness of the bridge and hence the duty officers' night vision?

So, Hichens would only able to see his wheel and the compass in front of him other than the 4 'walls' around the wheelhouse?