Samuel Halpern is a systems engineer and technologist by profession, with a longstanding interest in steamships and sailing vessels, the study of naval architecture and the practice of celestial and coastal navigation. He has been involved with the study of Titanic for many years, and is the principal author of the book Report Into the Loss of the SS Titanic – A Centennial Reappraisal. Samuel has written over 25 articles on Titanic, including several for Encyclopedia Titanica, and is a member of the Titanic Historical Society and Titanic International Society. He lives in Chicago.
Lifeboats, Launch Times, List and Trim: Part 2
Quantifying the angle of list and the angle of trim that Titanic took on as a function of time and how that impacted launch times of the lifeboats and other related events....
Maritime Terminology in 1912
As with any account that deals with maritime matters, much use is made of terms and phrases that may be somewhat unfamiliar to the non-nautical minded person. Furthermore, some terms and phrases used in 1912 differed from those that are used today...
Rockets, Lifeboats, and Time Changes
An in-depth analysis of the Californian’s missed response to Titanic’s distress rockets and the timing issues that influenced rescue efforts....
The Record Speaks!
In his latest opinion piece, Senan Molony said that it is important to bear in mind that Hugh Woolner is merely a battleground for the real issue, the claim that Collapsible C left the Titanic close to her climactic consummation. Yet, the final ...
Iceberg Right Ahead
How many icebergs were sighted the night the Titanic went down?...
A Captain Accused
Confusion certainly abounds in the events surrounding the apparent inaction of 34 year old Capt. Stanley Lord of the Californian the night the Titanic went down. ...
Articles that are not available to read on Encyclopedia Titanica, but recommended for readers interested in the finer details of the Titanic story.
Abandoning the Titanic, Abandoning Reality: the Truth About the SS Mount Temple
Titanicology
Debunks the theory that SS Mount Temple was near the Titanic, affirming the SS Californian’s role and addressing conspiracy claims.
Brace for Collision! What if Titanic Struck the Iceberg Head-On?
Titanicology
Samuel Halpern explores what might have happened if the Titanic had struck the iceberg head-on instead of a glancing blow along its starboard side.
The Energy of Collision
Titanicology
It is possible to estimate the energy of the collision between the iceberg and the Titanic by modelling a ship collision with an immovable, smooth object.
Finding the Apparent Floatation Pivot Point (AFPP)
Titanicology
To someone looking from off the side as Titanic slowly trimmed down by the head over a period of some 2½ hours following the collision with an iceberg, the ship would have appeared to be slowly pivoting about an axis on her original waterline located somewhere about ⅓ the vessel’s length from the stern.
Fire Down Below
Titanicology
It was known that a small fire was smoldering in one of Titanic’s coal bunkers at the time she departed Southampton on April 10. It was caused by spontaneous
combustion.
Flooding by Compartment
Titanicology
At the British Inquiry into the loss of the Titanic, H&W's naval architect Edward Wilding presented a plan that he called "Flooding by Compartment." This plan was
developed to show how the Titanic would trim down by the head as individual compartments are flooded one at a time beginning with the first and working aft.
A Matter of Stability and Trim
Titanicology
This short paper deals with the location of Titanic’s Center of Buoyancy, Center of Gravity and Metacenter Height on the night of April 14, 1912.
Mistakes In The Night
Titanicology
What potential errors may have led to a incorrect distress position being transmitted by the Titanic; historical navigation practices explained.
The Object on the Barge – Part 1
Titanicology
An interesting cropped photograph of Titanic being fitted out in the Thompson dry-dock at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in early February 1912 has seemed to have gained some attention recently.
The Object on the Barge – Part 2 Sizing the Object
Titanicology
In my article, “The Object on the Barge,” it was shown the that the helical object seen in a photograph on a barge that carried the floating crane that serviced Titanic was a solid-cast, three-bladed marine propeller.
She Turned Two Points In 37 Seconds
Titanicology
During the British Inquiry into the loss of the SS Titanic, Edward Wilding, naval architect from the shipbuilding firm of Harland & Wolff, presented data on the turning characteristics of the sister ships Olympic and Titanic.
Signals of Distress – What Color Were They?
Titanicology
An analysis of the distress signals used on the Titanic, their characteristics, and the observations made by those who witnessed them.
Somewhere About 12 Square Feet
Titanicology
A simple experiment using a milk container can lead to a result that enables us to estimate the overall damage produced by a ship striking an iceberg?
Speed and More Speed
Titanicology
At the time she collided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. that Sunday night, Titanic was racing ahead at her highest speed ever.
A Tale of Two Eyewitnesses
Titanicology
A detailed look at the events observed from the Californian and the subsequent actions (or inactions) of its crew, contributing to the ongoing debate about the ship’s role in the Titanic disaster.
Titanic: Changing the Reality
Titanicology
The theory that Titanic altered course at 11.30 p.m. is nothing more than unsupported, unsubstantiated speculation, and the supposition that clocks used by the crew were set back by 24 minutes before the accident does not hold up when all available evidence is considered.
Titanic’s Center Propeller – The Evidence Mounts
Titanicology
The evidence strongly supports the claim that Titanic was fitted with a three-bladed center propeller, unlike her sister ships Olympic and Britannic.
Titanic’s Initial List to Starboard
Titanicology
A technical analysis of the factors contributing to the Titanic’s initial list to starboard following the iceberg collision.
Titanic's Master of Time
Titanicology
A technical and historical analysis of the clock system on the Titanic, its operation, and its role in the events of April 14, 1912.
Trim and Heel
Titanicology
As we all know, it was about 11:40 PM ship’s time on the 14th of April 1912 that the SS Titanic collided with an iceberg. The iceberg itself was described as reaching a little higher than the height of the boat deck as it glided by at about 37 feet per second along her starboard side. In just under 8 seconds the major damage had been done.
What Lurks Ahead?
Titanicology
What if Titanic had not collided with an iceberg on the night of April 14th 1912? Given what we know about conditions in the North Atlantic that night, would she have simply continued on her course and reached New York as planned without incident?
