Why Did the Starboard Side Stay Up So Long?

[Aaron_2016]

Survivors noticed the sea had reached the starboard E-deck corridor not long after the collision which would mean the Titanic's head was down as far as E-deck, yet apparently nothing more occurred on the starboard side for the next hour and a half. e.g. Lifeboat 13 left the starboard side around 1.40am and their occupants could see the water was still level with E-deck. Yet the port side was settling down quite badly and survivors noticed she was half her original size as she settled lower and lower on that side. Emily Ryerson also left the port side and she was asked:

Q - At the time your boat was lowered the water was washing in the portholes of the C-deck?
A - Yes.
Q - On that side?
A - On the side she sank, that is the port side.

The port side settled down progressively, yet the starboard side appeared to stall for over an hour and a half. The survivors in lifeboat 13 saw the following as they left the ship after 1.40am.


Mr. Caldwell
"At first, she seemed unharmed but, as we looked toward the bow of the ship, we could see that the lower line of portholes extended down into the water. The lights on the Titanic burned until a few minutes before she sank."

Mr. Beesley
"There was nothing else to indicate she was injured.......The lowest portholes in the bows were under the sea......We rowed away from her in the quietness of the night, hoping and praying with all our hearts that she would sink no more and the day would find her still in the same position as she was then."

Mr. Littlejohn
"Her forward E-deck ports were under the water and we could see the lights gradually go out on the E-deck as she settled down. All her other lights were burning brilliantly and she looked a blaze of light from stem to stern. We watched her like this for some time, and then suddenly she gave a plunge forward"

Miss Dowdell
"Then there was one great explosion. I guessed it was the boilers. The Titanic did not stay up long after that, but tilted, bow downward, with a great part of the stern in the air. She steadied for a moment, then plunged under. Her lights were burning to the last."

Does anyone know why the starboard side stayed up so long? It appears the Titanic was sinking on the port side and there was little change on the starboard side until she exploded and her bow went down. Does this mean the ship was top heavy on the port side and the weight of water washing into the open windows on the port side had progressively pulled that side down and kept the starboard side up? Could this explain the crew's attempt to lower the last starboard collapsible using the davits? In their minds the ship was sinking on her port side and there was too much distance on the starboard side to drop the boat, so they tied her up and tried to swing it over with the firm belief the starboard side would stay up much longer than the port side?


.

 

[Thomas C.]

Does this mean the ship was top heavy on the port side and the weight of water washing into the open windows on the port side had progressively pulled that side down and kept the starboard side up?

You are right, but water didn't have to enter the ship throgh portholes. To cleary understand this, we need to analyze entire sinking process.

10 - 15 minutes after collision, Boxhall is going down to see the mail room.

15372. Did he say something?
- He also asked for the Captain, and said the mail hold was filling. I told him where he could find the Captain and I went down to the mail room. I went down the same way as I did when I visited the third class accommodation previously. I went down as far as E deck and went to the starboard alleyway on E deck and the watertight door stopped me getting through.

15373. The watertight door on E deck was closed?
- Yes. Then I crossed over and went into the working alleyway and so into the mail room.

Interesting thing is that, there is no watertight door on E deck, that can stop Boxhall enter the mail room. At least on these plans. According to his testimony, I assume, he has in mind this passage I mark red line.

About 40 minutes after collision water is enterning E deck from all these places

From this moment water stop rising and ship is not sinking such rapidly. Hold 1, 2, 3 and boiler room 6, are the 4 compartments, that with Titanic maybe stay afloat. Of course Peak Tank also has been damaged. We can only speculate, if in this condiotion Titanic could stay afloat. I belive she can stay afloat for an hour or two, maybe to arrival of the Carpathia. Unfortunately boiler room 5, compartment that kept ship in some safety, was flooded by coal bunker at around hour after collision. That boiler room couse ship to stay in unchanging position with water line on E deck for some 30 minutes, with no list.

But the water line was at the same level for the next 30 minutes, among other things to the moment, when the lifeboat 13 was lowering. This was couse by waterthight door, which stop Boxhall. This door stop water from enterning the starboard corridor and couse to flood the Scotland Road.

Water flood Scotland Road as far as W.T.B. K, which seperate engine room from E deck. Water in Scotland Road flooded the entire port side of E deck, which couse ship listing to port. Some spaces on F deck, were flooded by stairs. Such as 3 class dining saloon, which is 8 and 9 compartments, entire 10 compartment, and some of 7. There is some propability that water flood boiler rooms throught fireman passeges from Scotland Road. Tons of water in the middle, only increase port list and couse the ship to break.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

From this moment water stop rising and ship is not sinking such rapidly. Hold 1, 2, 3 and boiler room 6, are the 4 compartments, that with Titanic maybe stay afloat. Of course Peak Tank also has been damaged. We can only speculate, if in this condiotion Titanic could stay afloat. I belive she can stay afloat for an hour or two, maybe to arrival of the Carpathia. Unfortunately boiler room 5, compartment that kept ship in some safety, was flooded by coal bunker at around hour after collision. That boiler room couse ship to stay in unchanging position with water line on E deck for some 30 minutes, with no list.

But the water line was at the same level for the next 30 minutes, among other things to the moment, when the lifeboat 13 was lowering. This was couse by waterthight door, which stop Boxhall. This door stop water from enterning the starboard corridor and couse to flood the Scotland Road.

The ship had a list to starboard directly after the collision which remained until about 1 o'clock.
The corridor on the starboard side of E Deck got flooded first. There are reports by 1st class passengers who had a cabin forward that it got flooded.

 

[Thomas C.]

It all depends from door that stop Boxhall. If it was watertight doors, why someone opened it, knowing that the ship is sinking. If it was a normal door, then the list to port was couse by something different.

 

[Aaron_2016]

Mr. Wheat saw the water rising up the staircase that led down to the mail room. Soon afterwards he saw the water spilling onto E-deck and up the corridor on the starboard side and down into the main staircase that led to the Turkish baths.

During the evacuation 2nd officer Lightoller ordered the crew to open the forward gangway door on the port side. It is unknown if the crew were successful, or if they simply unlocked the door and left it slightly ajar. This would allow a great volume of water to enter the port side and possibly assisted or created the list to port. Some time after 1.30am Charles Joughin was in his cabin all the way aft near the engine room. His cabin was partially flooded, yet he saw no water down the main corridor at this very late stage, and he was puzzled where the water had come from. It is my belief that open portholes on that side assisted the port list and the water had possibly spilt into his cabin from the open windows that were in front, and behind, and above his cabin as the ship had settled down very low on the port side.

Charles Joughin
Q - Is that what you call Scotland Road alleyway?
A - Yes.
Q - Was there water on the floor of that passage?
A - Very little.
Q - As the ship listed over to port the water flowed down into your cabin and left the alleyway from which it came fairly dry?
A - Yes.
Q - Did you see or believe that more water was coming in while you were standing there?
A - I could not see any coming; I did not know where it came from at all.

.

 

[Thomas C.]

Mr. Wheat saw the water rising up the staircase that led down to the mail room. Soon afterwards he saw the water spilling onto E-deck and up the corridor on the starboard side and down into the main staircase that led to the Turkish baths.

Yes, but this was about an hour after colision, and create no list. He closed watertight doors beetwen stair and corridor that leads to swimming pool and turkish bath some time earlier. This couse that on F deck was very little space that was flooded from there.

During the evacuation 2nd officer Lightoller ordered the crew to open the forward gangway door on the port side.

I think gangway door was't open. If the portholes were under water, and water spilt throght them to cabins on the port side, then gangway door was at least 2 meters under water. Entire forword half of scotland road would be under water.

List to port began increase, when the boiler room 5 was flooded. I think a rapidly sinking head down, couse water to rapidly flooding of scotland road, and spilt down to F deck throught 3 class stairs.
Joughin went to his cabin after water spilt trought scotland road and let there a little of it.

 

[David G. Brown]

Please read the post by Ioannis directly above. It states known fact which seems to be overlooked.

Maybe to save time I'll just quote him. He wrote,"The ship had a list to starboard directly after the collision which remained until about 1 o'clock.
The corridor on the starboard side of E Deck got flooded first. There are reports by 1st class passengers who had a cabin forward that it got flooded."

That simple sentence cannot be overlooked. Like virtually every other ship of which I have knowledge, they have listed toward toward the damage. Over time, they continue to hold that list which usually increases until the ship rolls on its side. See photos of Andrea Doria sinking. Titanic received damage on its starboard side and performed as expected by listing to starboard That's fact. But the real question is, " why did it sink doing a continuous "death roll" to port?

In answering that question keep in mind water, like $#%t rolls downhill unless gravity is turned off.

-- David G. Brown

 

[Itsstillthinking]

Scotland Road with a 3 degree forward and 3 degree port