Titanic History/What if the Titanic attempted to sail to another ship after iceberg impact?

In this video we discuss what might of happened to Titanic if she would of attempted to reach another ship after she struck the iceberg.

[stevencooper]

Driving the ship backwards might have brought into effect the Bernoulli principle, causing water to be sucked out of Titanics wounds...if she could go fast enough. Can you imagine the Titanic arriving at New York backwards at 22 knots? And when Captain Smith is asked why, he replies, "It was the only way I could keep her from sinking."

[TirarADeguello]

Thank you so much for giving this a look. I wonder if getting even a mile or two closer to the SS California may have allowed them to realize the signal flares were indeed from a ship in distress, and come to their aid? It's really a good question to look at all the factors. Maybe they couldn't reach the other ship but they could have increased their chances at being spotted?

[KaiserToons]

I remember reading that reverse sailing (usually when near port) was actually used to save ships that took forward damage. Titanic's sister ship, Olympic among them. There was even a case when a ship completely had lost her bow and was saved by steaming her in reverse back to port.

[GordonMBSC]

Hi Sam. I was thinking the same thing. There was, iirc, a set of bridge controls on the stern of the Titanic that would normally be used while docking. Running in reverse could possibly have increased the time that the Titanic could stay afloat because some of the water inside the ship would be drawn out by a vacuum effect. Also, I think that the crew knew in much less than an hour that the Titanic was doomed. Thomas Andrews was below decks in about 15 to 20 minutes, iirc, and it didn't take him that long to survey the damage.

[derweibhai]

Reverse was my first thought too. Need a hydrodynamisist to weigh in.

[brysoncox]

Idea: Maybe a video listing and briefly talking about all the movies made about the Titanic. The first movie, a lost silent movie, came out in 1912 just months after the sinking.

[leechristy]

Love your videos about the Titanic! Why does no-one ever talk about the other grand staircase on the ship!?

[noahjoye]

When I saw the thumbnail for this video I thought myself “is he going to reference Britannic because I feel like I’ve seen this before” 🤔

[GlamorousTitanic]

I think the sinking would have gone even faster. The Britannic was a good example. When the Britannic started to speed up after the mine strike it pushed water into the ship even more.
If Titanic had sped up it would have put even more water pressure on the bulkheads and would have likely caused the flooding to rapidly accelerate.

[darkwoodster]

It’s a plausible theory. Running the ship backwards would maybe lower the pressure of water entering the Hull. Buying more time.
It would be good to do experiments of this with a RC model.

[DamonNomad]

I feel your pain when it comes to allergies. Winter was always my favorite season, due to the fact that it was the season I didn't have to worry about allergies or the heat (I am very prone to overheating, but shrug off cold temperatures.)

[crustyrash]

Can you imagine what it must have been like sitting in a lifeboat not knowing if you were going to be rescued?

[betraktare]

It's mindboggling that Smith proceeded at half speed for ten minutes after impact. Had he proceeded 10 or 20 min more it could have made all the difference for the crew of the Californian to indentify what was going on. 10-15 min would have narrowed the distance to the Californian by 2 nautical miles. The optical conditions could have improved just enough to get them into action

[nccchris]

I'm the same way my man...the sneezes and coughs.

[wildirishpirate]

Yes, backwards would have been a good attempt; it would have reduced the flooding by creating somewhat of a negative flow into the ship as the water flowed opposite and away from the bow. And as the ship sank bow first, in reverse the motion would have helped to keep the front afloat - much like a water skier being pulled up onto the waters surface. Great Video!

[michaeldebidart]

I recently became obsessed with White Star’s 3 Olympic class liners again and I have to tell you dude, your channel is an absolute godsend. I enjoy your style of presentation and it’s clear you have passion for the subject matter.

[zacharymcafee]

Sailing backwards might have done harm then good. With the large gash in its side would have gone down quicker no matter which direction it was moving.

The Battlecruiser SMS Lützow took 2 12 inch shell hits on the bow below the waterline and tried to sail in reverse twice and still sank. And that was with dedicated damage control, and a theoretically more watertight ship.

[philvanderlaan]

Sneezing? Spring arrived here 10 days ago.

New Orleans class cruisers had notable problems with battle damage ripping the bows off and several were returned to shipyards by the ships at flank speed aft ( full speed backwards )

[tommybruner]

I really enjoy these videos. I've studied this subject for years and from where I sit yours is the most accurate stuff out there.

[shadowpersonoftheunknown]

Another example of a vessel sinking faster because it was moving is the Lusitania. It took her 18 minutes to sink after being hit by the German torpedo. They couldn't get her to stop unfortunately.