Water tight doors
- Thread starter Tom Bates
- Start date
Dave Gittins
Member
Good old gravity, in the case of the main doors in the lowest decks. They were held up by a kind of a clutch that could be released electrically from the bridge. Then they fell slowly, as they were slowed by a hydraulic device. Finally, they fell freely for the last two feet, crushing things like odd bits of coal. They could also be released manually or by a float that detected incoming water.
Minor watertight doors on higher decks were closed by various manual winding devices. Stewards were supposed to do this.
Minor watertight doors on higher decks were closed by various manual winding devices. Stewards were supposed to do this.
Dave Gittins
Member
Anatomy of the Titanic is wrong, as usual. The hydraulic arrangement was a kind of a brake that slowed the fall to allow time for men to get through the doors.
While I'm picking faults, the scene in Cameron's movie where men just manage to get through the doors is wrong too. If they left it so late, they would have been crushed.
Do you mean bilge pumps?
The pumping capacity is debatable. I forget the exact number of pumps, but the dedicated bilge pumps could move 1,700 tons of water per hour. There were other big pumps normally used for other things, such as cooling the steam condensers. These could be used in an emergency but we don't know just how they were used on the night to remember.
While I'm picking faults, the scene in Cameron's movie where men just manage to get through the doors is wrong too. If they left it so late, they would have been crushed.
Do you mean bilge pumps?
The pumping capacity is debatable. I forget the exact number of pumps, but the dedicated bilge pumps could move 1,700 tons of water per hour. There were other big pumps normally used for other things, such as cooling the steam condensers. These could be used in an emergency but we don't know just how they were used on the night to remember.
Kyle Fisher
Member
I think it could been everything it could close the doors.
Stephen Stanger
Guest
If it helps at all I do remember that the doors came down with about 5000lbs (2.5tons) of pressure in under 30 secs and they sealed electromagnetically.
James Smith
Member
I may be wrong, but haven't some people theorized that not all of Lusitania's watertight doors closed because there was coal dust blocking the tracks or something like that?
Jim Smith
Jim Smith
Stephen Stanger
Guest
Concievable yes, but I've seen some of the old school advertisments emphasizing the doors being able to crush coal and wood and such.
Not like they would have made a difference to the Lucy when the munitions went up anyway.
Not like they would have made a difference to the Lucy when the munitions went up anyway.
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