Davit Placement

[Dave Hudson]

Hello Everyone!
I was looking at some Fr. Brown pics of the Titanic and noticed that the aft boats stuck out halfway off the side of the ship, while the forward boats (except for 1 and 2 of course) were fully inboard. This may be common knowledge that has somehow eluded me, but I had never noticed it before. Were the boats halfway swung out, or were the whole davits installed a few feet furthur outboard than their forward counterparts?

David

 

[Mark Chirnside]

If I remember correctly, the aft boats were swung out at Queenstown for more promenade space for the second class passengers.

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Mark is right, I had read this in several books. Second class did not have much promenade space, so the boats were swung out to give them those few extra feet. I think that as the reason given. I'll post again if I find anything further.

 

[Dan Cherry]

I am not sure that moving the boats outboard slightly would give all that much more promenade space. The lifeboat safety rails would still be in place, along with tie-downs and hydrants, but when cranked back, the boats would over-lie the rails by about a foot. We're not talking much more space, but I guess it was enough to make the passengers feel less constricted in their space.

Regards,
Dan

 

[Dave Hudson]

Thanks you guys!

Were they left swung out during the whole voyage?

David