Flooding of the forepeak

[Arun Vajpey]

I have read that lamp trimmer Sam Hemming was asleep in his bunk very near the bow at the time of the impact with the iceberg. Some 7 to 8 minutes later he was woken up when he heard a loud hissing sound, which was produced by air escaping from the fore-peak locker where the anchor chain was stowed. The air was displaced by the inrush of water into the fore-peak.

I have tried to visualise this picture in my mind without success. I am no good with using my PC for drawing and so request one of the many clever members here to please illustrate this scenario in a longitudinal section of the Titanic's bow area, with reference to the flooding and Hemming's position when he first heard the air escaping.

PS: On page 91 of Paul Quinn's DUSK TO DAWN, there is an illustration of precisely the section of the bow that I was after; it shows positions of Dan Buckley's cabin, the post office, squash court and even where Mr & Mrs Chambers stood watching the mail clerks soon after the flooding began, but unfortunately not Hemming's position.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

The Lamp Trimmers were berthed forward of the Firemen's Mess on the starboard-side of C-deck. - See: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/titanic/explorer/explorer.html

 

[Arun Vajpey]

That's an excellent illustration Lester, thank you. It clearly shows the fore-peak tank and the space of stowing the anchor chain above it. Immediately above that space is shown some crew accommodations in the C-deck and I presume that's where Sam Hemming and boatswain's mate Albert Haines had bunks.

Going back to flooding of the fore-peak, Quinn's diagram illustrated uneven flooding of the various forward compartments in the first 15 to 20 minutes after impact. It appeared like the fore-peak was flooding slowest of the first 4 compartments. Could that be because the most forward point of Titanic's hull breach was still aft of the first bulkhead? In that case, was the fore-peak flooding "back to front?"

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Arun,

Hemming did not wake up 7-8 minutes after the collision. He woke up when the ship struck the berg. In his own words, "I was awakened by the impact, sir." Only the peak tank was flooding. The chain locker and store rooms above the peak tank were dry and did not flood until water overtopped the collision bulkhead (A) from aft at much later stage in the sinking process. The hissing sound came from a vent pipe that allowed air to escape from the tank as it filled from damage to the plating on the tank's side.

Boatswain's mate Haines was not asleep when the accident happened, but was on duty in charge of the deck crew that was on watch at the time. He was just outside the crew's mess when the ship struck. His bunk, by the way, was located on the port side of E deck just off the working corridor opposite the first funnel casing.

Be careful about what you read in books.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

OK Sam, I accept Hemming was already awake when he heard the hissing. But please explain to me where the most forward point of the hull breach was in relation to the first bulkhead. I am having a problem orientating myself about the relationship of the bottom of this bulkhead to the fore-peak tank. I may be reading this wrong, but going by the illustration that Lester posted (and the one I just found), the first bulkhead seems to end at the roof of the tank. If that was the case, from what point was the fore-peak tank getting flooded?

In the image below, I have (very crudely, sorry) tried to illustrate where I think the water was entering the fore-peak and put an 'H' where Hemming probably was when he heard the hissing for the first time (because of my non-existent drawing skills, I have not shown the concurrent flooding of compartments 2,3 & 4). Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Arun,

Water was entering the the peak tank from a breach or two that was forward of the watertight bulkhead labeled WTB "A" in the diagram. I highlighted the extent of that bulkhead as well as WTB "B" which was aft of that, as well as the top of the peak tank at the orlop deck level. I also colored in the entire forepeak tank which became flooded. Hemming's cabin was located about where I placed the H, and the path he took upon awakening looking for damage is shown in red. I hope this helps.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Sam, that helps enormously. Obviously, the cause of my confusion was assuming that the forward wall of the chain locker was part of WTB 'A'. In your diagram, it does not appear to be. So, the locker and all the storerooms in front of it remained dry at first because WTB 'A' and the watertight roof of the fore-peak tank sealed that area off, right? When the bow sank low enough later for the water level to overtop the top edge of WTB 'A', those areas too got flooded from aft (back to front)...have I understood you correctly?

I request you to point out one other thing, please. Where exactly was the venting point of that pipe from the fore-peak tank? And when the tank flooded completely by expelling all the air, why did the water not follow through the vent?

 

[Samuel Halpern]

>>have I understood you correctly? <<

YES!

>>Where exactly was the venting point of that pipe from the fore-peak tank? <<

I'm not entirely certain about that. Either it went up to the shelter deck level or to the forecastle deck above.

>>And when the tank flooded completely by expelling all the air, why did the water not follow through the vent? <<

It would go up the vent pipe but only to the level of the outside waterline and no higher.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Thanks. Sorry for being picky, but if it went as high as the Forecastle Deck, would Hemming have heard the hissing from where he was? Must have been the Shelter Deck then.