A few thoughts on the swimming bath:
How was the swimming bath filled?
Dave's observation regarding the placement of the bath low down in the ship and the possibility that it was gravity filled and drained is a very attractive one. The tank could be filled and drained much faster by gravity than by pump, it could be done a no expense, and it could be done by the attendant alone without the need of an engineer to fidget with a pump and valves.
There has never been an indication of a dedicated pump for the bath, so a ballast pump in one of the adjoining boiler rooms probably had an extra valve on the manifold to service the tank as a back up.
"And, a clever designer could have used the ship's own forward motion to maintain a continuous flow of water through the pool"
This is doubtful. Ram circulation (piping that capitalizes on the ship's forward momentum to move water) is obvious to us now, but unknown in 1912. You don't see that sort of thing until American W.W.II warships, mostly to assist the circulation of main condensers in very large vessels. If it had been incorporated in the design, it would have been mentioned for the innovation.
Was the pool tank insulated? Was it heated by waste heat from the boiler rooms?
Insulated? Probably not. I have an incomplete list of insulation to be fitted and the swimming bath is not mentioned. It also seems too sophisticated for the period. Heated by waste heat? Again, not likely -- intentionally in any event.
On the Queen Mary, the pool tank consists of an inner tank contained within an outer tank. The system forms a cofferdam in the event of a leak. I seriously doubt Titanic was sophisticated enough to have a tank-in-tank arrangement so hot air from the boiler room below probably did rase the temperature of the structure and the water, but I seriously doubt this was a "design feature" or it would have been mentioned for the novelty it was in the technical press.
Did the weight of the water so far off the centerline require a counterbalance?
The nominal pool dimensions (in feet) are 33 1/2 x 15. Taking the water depth at 5 feet deep the capacity is 2512.5 cu ft seawater. Multiply by 64 #/cu ft for the weight of sea water and divide the results by 2240 and the weight of the water in the tank is just under 72 long tons
72 tons is much less than 1% of the ship's displacement and despite the mechanical advantage the weight has being so far from the centerline, I do not think that a dedicated counterweight was needed, nor do I think the weight contributed to a noticeable heel. If it did, the heel could be relieved by ordinary counterflooding of double bottom tanks.
Was the pool heated at all?
I am well aware of Gracie's comments about the warm pool temperature, but I am also struck that there is NO MENTION WHATEVER of mechanical arrangements to heat the pool. I don't just mean Shipbuilder, but complete lists of pumps and water heaters and hot water reservoirs exist for Olympic and there's nothing mentioned at all.
It is unlikely that the ship's domestic water heaters were used (coincidentally, they are just around the corner from the pool) The huge capacity of the pool would utterly defeat these comparatively small heaters, and using the pool as some kind of reservoir for warming water for distribution elsewhere in the ship is, well, unappetizing. Would you like to take a bath in second hand salt water?
The Queen Mary heated her pools with waste water from steam condensers, but in the case of Titanic, those condensers are at the other end of the ship and there are no unaccounted for pipes that would be eligible candidates.
In addition, the bath was meant to be a final plunge for the Turkish Bath, which, like today's sauna, requires a plunge into cold water, not warm.
I have often wondered of Gracie wasn't offering up a facile, but insincere compliment to the ship's pool. He could hardly have written "I froze my ass off."
How often was the pool filled?
On the Queen Mary, the pool was drained and filled several times a day: after the early morning people used the pool, after the gents, after the ladies, and especially after third class was invited in late in the afternoon in the 1960s <g>.
Since salt water was free and possibly it cost nothing to fill and drain the pool, I vote for several times a day.
Why isn't the Gymnasium adjacent to the Turkish Baths and Pool?
In the original plan, it was directly across on the port side, but late in the design, it was decided to build a deckhouse outboard of the No 2 funnel and fit the gymnasium there. The reasoning probably went like this:
First, it gave White Star bragging rights to talk about "exercise in the fresh sea air," ... which you couldn't very well do down below.
Second, it allowed WS to show off all that expensive gym equipment in a beautiful room. I guarantee you, placing the gym on the boat deck showed the equipment off a dozen times over than had it remained tucked away in a remote corner of the ship.
Third and most important: To promote revenue. The use of the gym was free, the use of the Turkish bath and Pool were not. By placing the free amenity in the most conspicuous place possible, the company could aggressively promote the revenue earning Turkish Bath and Pool with a little salesmanship on the part of the Gym Attendant. Clever, clever Bruce.
Bill Sauder
