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Note: this topic is dated 3/6/2012. |
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Posted on 03/06/2012 8:07:52 PM PST by BenLurkin
Although a collision with a vast tower of ice ultimately brought the passenger liner to its sticky end, it was a freak lunar event three months earlier that put the obstacle in its path, a new study claims.
An incredibly rare combination of astronomical factors including the closest approach of the moon to Earth in 1,400 years caused an unusually high tide in January 1912, researchers found.
This once-in-a-lifetime swell would have swept a vast field of icebergs from their normal resting place off the coast of Canada and caused them to drift further south.
It would have taken them almost exactly three months to reach the shipping lanes where the Titanic sank on April 14 at a cost of 1,500 lives, the scientists reported in Sky & Telescope magazine.
Unusually high tides known as spring tides are caused when the moon and sun line up in a way that means their gravitational pulls are enhanced.
On January 4, 1912 the Moon came closer to Earth than at any point in the previous 1,400 years, and reached its nearest point within just six minutes of a full moon.
This rare coincidence happened just a day after the Earth made its closest annual approach to the sun, and the freak combination of factors against overwhelming odds caused a record spring tide.
This would have been enough to dislodge huge numbers of icebergs from the shallow waters around Labrador and Newfoundland and sweep them into southward currents, leaving them just enough time to reach the Titanic’s path by April, the researchers said.
Prof Olson added: “We don’t claim to know exactly where the Titanic iceberg was in January 1912 – nobody can know that – but this is a plausible scenario intended to be scientifically reasonable.”
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
The matter of the rate of Titanic's speed is interesting. J. Bruce Ismay, director of the White Star line is often depicted as the villain in the whole affair. Such was the case in James Cameron's film portraying Ismay pressuring for a record.
A view to the contrary suggests that his demonetization came about from William Randolph Hearst.
One way or another, the fact that this was Captain E.J. Smith's "retirement" trip has long intrigued me. What a terrible way to wrap up what had been such a distinguished career.
I like these sorts of 'connections.'
Apropos of nothing, aluminum foil is on sail this week. There. Fixed it.
This is also the cover story for the April, 2012 issue of Sky and Telescope. The article there goes into much more detail.
‘as the offspring of the Lobsters scheduled to be steamed for dinner that night call it “the miracle of 1912”.’
ROFL!
The last Titanic program I saw was from “Seconds from Disaster” (which I highly recommend) last month.
This show was the 1st 1 I remember to bring up the rivet material quality (mentioned here a few times).
It also went over issues such as the “vain speed” theory. Basically it said what Capt. Smith and Ismay were doing was not unusual at the time even in ice fields. Essentially they exonerated Smith for sure; don’t recall much about Ismay.
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Note: this topic is dated 3/6/2012. |
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I don’t remember posting this.
Gotta be! Couldn’t be anything else except maybe imprudent speed, lack of awareness of sea conditions or reckless pursuit of the Atlantic crossing speed record could it.
Note: this topic is from . Thanks again BenLurkin.
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