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Initial Distress Positions:
- The first distress position transmitted by Titanic was 41° 44’ N, 50° 24’ W, which was over 20 miles west of the wreck site.
- The revised position was 41° 46’ N, 50° 14’ W, about 13 miles west of the wreck site.
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Speculations and Explanations:
- Various theories have been proposed to explain the errors, including overestimating the ship’s speed, errors in time, and calculation mistakes.
- Dr. Robert Ballard suggested an overestimation of Titanic’s speed by 2 knots.
- Dave Gittins proposed that Boxhall might have read from the wrong column of a traverse table.
- Captain L. Marmaduke Collins suggested the wreck drifted due to underwater currents.
- Samuel Halpern previously suggested a misreading of the chronometer by Third Officer Pitman.
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Revised Explanation:
- Halpern re-examines the issue, suggesting that Boxhall’s error was due to reading from the wrong column of a traverse table, leading to a 14-minute error in longitude.
- He also proposes that Captain Smith made a simple mental arithmetic error, miscalculating the time difference by one hour.
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Calculations and Derivations:
- Halpern works backward from the erroneous positions to derive the coordinates of the 7:30 p.m. celestial fix.
- He shows that Boxhall’s CQD position could have been derived from a misreading of the traverse table.
- He also demonstrates how Captain Smith’s initial CQD position could have resulted from a one-hour error in time calculation.
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Conclusions:
- Simple mistakes in time calculation and reading from the wrong column of a table can lead to significant errors in position.
- The explanations provided are consistent with the navigation methods used in 1912 and the evidence from Titanic’s surviving officers.
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