Scientists Unveil New Discoveries At Titanic wreck

BostonChannel ^ | 12/5/05

[ZGuy]

The discovery of two large pieces of the Titanic's hull is changing the story of how the luxury ocean liner sank 93 years ago.

Undersea explorers said Monday that the Titanic broke into three pieces, not two pieces as commonly believed and portrayed in James Cameron's 1997 film version of the catastrophe. That means the ship likely sank faster than believed.

The hull pieces were found this summer by an expedition sponsored by the History Channel. Its leaders called it the most significant find at the site since undersea explorer Robert Ballard discovered the wreck 20 years ago and declared that the ship had broken in two.

"The breakup and sinking of the Titanic has never been accurately depicted," Parks Stephenson, a Titanic historian, said Monday at a conference at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, where scientists discussed the findings.

The 46,000-ton luxury liner was billed as "unsinkable" by its owner, the White Star Line. But it sank after striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912, on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. About 1,500 people were killed.

Ballard discovered the bulk of the wreck in 1985 in 13,000 feet of water, about 380 miles southeast of Newfoundland. A portion of the ship's bottom was missing, and Ballard's team presumed it had fragmented into hundreds of small pieces.

The discovery of the two hull pieces about 500 meters from the rest of the wreck indicate that the piece came off the ship intact and later broke into two large sections, the explorers said.

"That's X marks the spot," said Richard Kohler, who led the expedition. "Right above that is where the Titanic broke."

Ballard did not immediately return a call for comment.

[The Red Zone]

How do you tell the temperature of an ocean just by looking at it? Does it change color?

[The Red Zone]

A woman named Jessup was an employee on all three ships.

Imagine sinking on two ships and still wanting to serve on a third one of the same kind.

[Pharmboy]

Biography for
Drew Carey

Birth name
Drew Allison Carey

---

Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)

---

Trade mark
"Buddy Holly" style glasses

---

Trivia
Born at 7:00pm-EDT



Father died when Carey was 8, spawning years of depression. Attempted suicide on many occasions.

Was in the US Marine Corps.

Underwent lasik surgery to correct vision. Currently wears trademark glasses as a "prop".

Played in his high school marching band.

Underwent emergency surgery. Surgeons inserted a "stent" to open the blocked arteries to his heart. [August 2001]

Competed in the World Wrestling Federation's 30-man "Royal Rumble" battle royal match on January 21, 2001. He eliminated himself shortly after entering the match as the fifth participant.

Attended Kent State University

Roasted by the New York Friars' club [October 2002]

Bought his childhood home with his first paycheck from "The Drew Carey Show".

Member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity

Received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, 21 February 2003. Appropriately enough, the star of this ex-Marine is located directly in front of The Supply Sergeant; a Hollywood fixture for decades.

A self-professed "computer geek" because of his love of video games and the internet.

Received an honorary Ph.D. from Cleveland State University in 2000.

Considers the writings of self-help guru, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer a major influence in his life.

His name is mentioned in the song Ohio (Come Back To Texas) by Bowling For Soup.

His favourite football team is Glasgow Rangers.

Is an avid fan of football (soccer). He says he got into it playing FIFA and learnt the rules ("Soccer for Dummies"), so he could become a "true fan".

Is a wrestling fan.

[durasell]

He's a lot stranger than that...

[Kenny Bunk]

Hey watch that 'funny' stuff, Boney. This is a serious discussion site. Leonardo diCaprio might have been seriously injured , what with the wreck, the ice, and low-flying boobies everywhere.

[durasell]

...oh yeah, yes Carey is -- by all reports -- a very decent guy.

[Kenny Bunk]

Your Irish Catholic relative has most of the story. They actually wrote "No Poop," because the nameplate was on the bow. The stern of a vessel, like a turkey's corresponding part, is called the "Pope's Nose."

It's about bloody time those vicious Presbyterian ship yard workers of Belfast have been exposed for what they really are: Politically Incorrect Yobbos who don't know a ship's poop from their elbow.

Their careless errors endangered Leonardo diCaprio and an endangered species, Winslett's Boobie.

[NCC-1701]

"...much like the sKerry 2004 campaign...."

Has anyone located the SS Kerrytanic yet?

[Pharmboy]

And a LIBERTARIAN!

[Swordmaker]

Well that, and the crew below failed to have the airtight doors closed because it was too hot in the engine room.

That's false. The watertight doors between compartments were automatically closed electrically from the bridge, but required cranking and considerable time to open after closing. No credible reports document any open doors on either the Titanic or Brittannic.

The Wreck of HMHS Britannic.

What IS thought to have happened to Britannic, then being used as a military hospital ship, is that the nurses on the ship opened most of the portholes to air out the ship prior to taking on a load of wounded soldiers from the Island of Kea. The wreck, which has been visited by divers and mini-subs as well as robots, shows many of the portholes open. The Britannic went down in only 55 minutes (although almost all of the 1134 people on board survived , 41 injured, 30 killed in a lifeboat pulled into a propeller) despite the higher bulkheads and improved safety features. However, your argument that humans can mess up the best plans remains true.

RMS Olympic

The other sister ship, the Olympic, survived into the 1930s and was scrapped in 1935-1937.

[tob2]

It is possible to tell the temperature of the water just by looking at it. For example, if you were to compare pictures of the ocean in the summer and winter, there is a difference in the hues. Lighter in summer and deeper in winter.

And of course, there have been all the "Making of the Titanic" documentaries which have said the movie was made in Mexico!

[Dustbunny]

Never saw the movie, never hope to see it.

[Kenny Bunk]

at a speed of about 24 miles per hour These old passenger ships travelled much faster than modern ships. What's with that? These love-boat type tubs have a hard time making 20 knots and usually cruise at 15.

BTW, the old United States, holder of the speed record of 3.65 days across the Atlantic (it means she was no stranger to 40 knots!) is tied up in Philly, looking mighty shabby and sad.

[Blue Jays]

Hi Swordmaker-

My understanding is that the Titantic was racing along at nearly 100 m.p.h. by the time it struck the seabed 13,000 feet below. My amateur impression is that objects would gently "wallow" through deep water as they sank, but I could be wrong. Have you read anything about this component of the two wrecks?

~ Blue Jays ~

[Jimmy Valentine]

You are correct sir. The SS United States still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic voyage (The Blue Ribband). She was built to be readily converted into a troop ship. Her top speed was a military secret for years; she could do about 38 knots x 1.1 = almost 42 land miles per hour.

She is a true artifact of American genius in terms of her construction, design etc. Her designer Charles Francis Gibbs regarded her as his finest work of ship design.

[Swordmaker]

My understanding is that the Titantic was racing along at nearly 100 m.p.h. by the time it struck the seabed 13,000 feet below.

I heard the speed was about half that... 55MPH... when it hit. Both figures are possible... no one really knows.

[COEXERJ145]

Best Titanic movie ever made.

[COEXERJ145]

Interestingly enough, the flooding was forward, and the watertight doors failed to function, ensuring the loss of the ship.

The reason the doors weren't closed as they should have been in a war zone is because when the mine/torpedo detonated, the doors were open for a crew change. The explosion was so powerful it actually twisted the hull out of shape and the doors couldn't come down.

[COEXERJ145]

Imagine sinking on two ships and still wanting to serve on a third one of the same kind.

Actually Violet Jessup served first on the Olympic, transferred to the Titanic (along with many of Olympic's crew) for the maiden voyage. She was serving as a nurse on the Britannic when that ship was torpedoed/mined.

[COEXERJ145]

They had more lifeboats than mandated, and sophisticated compartmentalization.

The original designers of the Titanic called for her to have 64 lifeboats. Had she had this many, it would have taken 63 to evacuate everyone. The lifeboats she did have were larger than the ones originally planned but still could hold less than 1/2 the passengers and the Titanic was only around 1/2 full on her maiden voyage.