How could this formidable giant of the sea, born of the most advanced know-how of the time, succumb to the waters of the North Atlantic? Historians have been able to reconstruct the events leading to the ship’s downfall. Their conclusions explain the catastrophe.

Unfavourable weather conditions

In exceptionally calm polar seas, the winter of 1912 saw the detachment of a large number of icebergs from glaciers surrounding Greenland. They drifted toward the south to unusually low latitudes.
The sea was so calm that icebergs could not be easily seen from afar: under normal conditions, the wind against the sea causes foam on the icebergs' edges, making them visible from the distance.

Design and manufacturing defects

The response time of the ship’s rudder to the command of the helm (35 seconds)

The traverse bulkheads, walls that separate watertight compartments, were not high enough, allowing water to pass from one compartment to next.

The ship’s structure was too weak between the third and fourth funnels, the area where the breach occurred.

The steel used to construct the plates of the hull (25.4 mm in width) and the boat’s rivets were of mediocre quality and weak at low temperatures.

The capacity of the lifeboats (20 boats with room for a total of 1,178 people) was insufficient for the number of passengers (2,201).

Risky sailing

The speed of the vessel – 22.5 knots, or 41.7 km/hr – was too high for crossing an area known to be hazardous. At that speed, a large ocean liner measuring 270 meters and weighing 46,000 metric tons cannot turn in less than 500 meters, and, at speeds greater than 40 km/hr, would need 1.5 km to come to a full stop.

Errors and oversights of the crew

The radio operators did not relay to officers, in a timely fashion, all the messages indicating the presence of icebergs.

The watchmen observing from the crow’s nest did not have surveillance binoculars.

The seriousness of colliding with the iceberg was downplayed, resulting in the first lifeboats leaving almost empty.

Many of the internal doors in 3rd class were locked shut, some guarded by armed members of the crew.

The location of the ship was imprecise: the shipwreck was found 13.7 nautical miles (25.5 km) southeast.

Most of the personnel aboard were engaged shortly before the cruise ship’s departure and were inadequately trained.

Learn more about the weakness of the rivets