Aug 03, 2003 08:20 AM
4449 Views
(Updated Aug 03, 2003 08:55 AM)
I had seen this movie years ago. But I feel compelled to write because as a Master Mariner in the Merchant Shipping world, we mariners were watching this movie from the point of view of SAFETY OF THE SHIP, PASSENGERS AND CREW, the technical aspects of collission with an Iceberg, damage assessment and finally abandonship and sinking. In all respects, the movie got through with an A +.
Of course the story line, songs, acting, direction and all else were top class.
Now let me fill you in on some aspects.
- Titanic DID NOT have 100 % Life Boat capacity on Port and Starboard side for all passengers and crew. This defiency caused loss of life of about 300 odd people.
This lesson learnt now requires ships to have 100 % LB Capacity on either side and 100 % Life Raft capacity too.
The Titanic disaster led to an International Convention called SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA (SOLAS) which is a bible now for all Mariners. Subsequent conventions have improved safety standards in ship building and construction, Navigation aids, Life Boat and life raft capacities, signalling and distress systems. So much so that today for ships in distress, we have a super system on board all ships called GMDSS (GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS SIGNALLING SYSTEM) and in situations such as the Titanic, search and rescue efforts will reach the ships in distress in next to no time, thus saving valuable lives at sea. So to that extent, the TITANIC did a great service to the Maritime community at large.
Before the collission with the iceberg, the TITANIC WAS NOT sailing at a SAFE SPEED. In fog/poor visibility conditions, all ships are required to sail at a SAFE SPEED, say 10 knots. She was doing max speed of 25 knots, she did not have a radar, visibility was very poor and this in turn caused her to collide with an iceberg and subsequently sink. For this reason the court of inquiry held the Master of the Titanic and the owners of the ship responsible for causing loss of life at sea.
SOLAS made it mandatory for all other ships at sea to keep 24 hrs listening channel on distress frequency set for Merchant ships. On hearing a distress call, it is mandatory for ships in the vicinity to procced for rescue. If not, the Master of such ships can be jailed.
The abandonship procedures on board the Titanic were totally mismanaged. The Master knew he did not have the requisite capacity on his life boats and chose to lock in the poor passengers and allow only first class passengers to use life boats.
Many lives were lost because of HYPOTHERMIA. That is the chilly waters of the North Atlantic killed many passengers due to rapid loss of body heat. This has been shown brilliantly in the movie, death caused by hypothermia. Today we have thermal protection suits for all crew members.
Radio Distress: Titanic was able to send out radio distress. But help came too late as in those days there was no Global Organisation, logistics and systems for Rescue at Sea. Today, the International organisations have divided all Oceans and sea into NAVAREAS and many nations have set up top class Search and Rescue Systems, which work very effectively and fast. I had faced an occassion where I had to evacuate 60 % of the crew. No problems. We did that in 4 hours flat!
Standards for Training and Watchkeeping have been upgraded manifold.
All in all, thanks to the TITANIC, we are saling safer ships today world wide than ever before. I should know. I sail world wide!
Today life at sea is much safer for ships, crew and cargo and insurance interests. Disasters and sinking do happen to this day, but each event is minutely examined, and lessons learned communicated to all Mariners at Sea world wide.
Achohol has been totally banned by many shipping companies. Should you sail on 5 STAR CRUISES, you will dine with the Captain and some Officers. Watch carefully. He will drink with you, but you will not know that what he is drinking is non-alcoholic stuff!
NJ Chitnis
Master Mariner
