Looking for Procedure used to Reverse Titanic's Engines

[Jim Currie]

'But more importantly his 360 degrees in 340 seconds is 1.06/degrees per second'.
It certainly is! The 1.06/degree is an average over the entire period of the turn. As you pointed-out, the speed drops off to about 17 knots within the final 90 degrees of the turn. Am I wrong in suggesting that the initial speed of turn would be faster at 22 knots - specially during the first 90 degrees?
I would agree about delays during the phone communication if we were discussing a normal, calm night without special circumstance, however such circumstances existed. The whole bridge team and lookouts were on high alert for ice. The instructions were not to use the phone except in an urgent situation. It follows Moody would grab that phone quick-time - not let it ring. He was a highly experienced professional.
The 'are you there' would be the urgent query of an extremely worried man who wanted pre-instant response. A man who was not used to such an instrument. (phones were not common in UK household until well into the 1950s. To 'speculate': perhaps this was the first time in his career he had had to use the Crow's Nest phone?
I can understand the lookout not knowing what he was looking at but there were two of them, they were specially looking for ice (or were they looking at all?) he "said ice right ahead" or something like that so why did he say that if was he unsure? Did he make an educated guess?

Like Fleet, I prefer an educated guess any time to speculation.

Regards,

Jim.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Jim, we are not in disagreement about the urgency here. We differ only in our assumption as to how much time to allow for events to occur. Based on all of what I've read, inquiry transcripts, interviews, etc., Fleet's and Hichens' estimates of 1/2 minute between 3 bells and Murdoch's order is not unreasonable. They both were there. Now is that 1/2 minute really 30 second or 25 or even 20? It's whatever a 1/2 minute feels like to each of them. It's a subjective estimate. But they could have said 'perhapds 10 seconds' or 'just a few seconds' but they didn't. They both used 1/2 a minute to describe that interval, and that is the best we have, like it or not.

As to your speculation that Moody would grab the phone quick time, I agree, if he was right next to it at the time Fleet signaled down on the phone. But Moody may have gone to the wheelhouse door once he heard the 3 bells that something was seen ahead. He obviously could not see outside the enclosed wheehouse that was shut up. He had no idea that the phone would necessarily be used. That alone could account for a few extra seconds prompting Fleet to call 'Are you there?' We are clearly in the realm of speculating here. I can only use quantitative evidence that was presented. A 1/2 minute comes from two different people which increases its credibility with me. The speculation comes around trying to fill in why.

 

[Jim Currie]

'Wait-a-mo!', 'half-a-mo'.'wait a minute'or 'wait a moment', 'Half - a -minute' etc., I suggest, are just ways a person's attempts at describing something that happened so quickly that there's no other means of measuring it. These guys did not think in seconds.

Don't forget; Murdoch was also in a position on the bridge wing, with a view clear of all backstays etc and with glasses trained forward.
He heard the phone and knew exactly what was going on. he didn't need Moody to shout the warning - he already knew about it. Of that I'm completely sure. As for Moody, I'm speculating now, but I'll bet he held the phone in one hand, turned toward the open wheelhouse door and yelled at the top of his voice "Ice berg right ahead sir". Of course, I may be a 'monkey's uncle'!

Jim.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Now wait a minute (or 2 or 3) Jim! How do you know Murdoch was out on the bridge wing when the 3 bells came? Maybe he was in the partially enclosed portion of the bridge and ran out onto the wing have a clear look for himself through his glasses before reacting? Standing out on the wing for 4 hours straight with cold air blasting at 22 knots in your face can be brutal.

 

[Jim Currie]

You can say that again! Then again????

Actually, at 22 knots, the generated 'wind' hits the forepart of the bridge housing and is deflected upward as every lookout and watch-keeper will tell you. The trick is to get your eye level down as far as is comfortable. There is a 'dead ' zone there to take the sting out of your eyes.
I was on one cargo ship built just after WW2 which had a curved deflector plate welded to the fore part of the bridge front for this very purpose. It acted like a venturi and accelerated the deflected wind speed. Very effective - even on a 10 knot ship but great in a force 9 gale.

I've read this 'wind-in-the-face suggestion elsewhere on this forum relative to the look-outs. I'll bet they too had their eyes down near the to the level of the Crow's Nest forward rail. (that's if not below it having a quiet 'puff'- it's very dark up there and the mast shields you from the bridge!).

 

[Jim Currie]

PS: I'm I correct in saying that Titanic had 'wing' cabs? If so, they would have rail-carriage type windows facing fore and aft. No need to go out in the cold at all and well out-side any obstruction to forward view.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

>>Titanic had 'wing' cabs?<<
YES!

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>I'll bet they too had their eyes down near the to the level of the Crow's Nest forward rail.<<

Wouldn't surprise me. At the speed the ship was going and in near feeezing temperatures, the windchill factor would have been in the region of 15°. Nippy to say the least, and that crows nest didn't have any curved wind deflectors.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

>>the windchill factor would have been in the region of 15°<<

If only it were that high. At 11 pm the air temp was about 28°F (-2°C) and the wind chill at 22.5 knots (38 ft/sec) would have been -3°F (-19°C).

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>-3°F (-19°C).<<

Just makes matters worse in my opinion. With all the talk over the years about wondering why it took the watch so long to see the berg, what's missed is that given the conditions, it's a wonder they saw it at all!