RMS Titanic - Construction - Watertight Bulkheads

Source: ANATOMY OF THE TITANIC - Tom McCluskie

The design of Titanic included the provision of 15 transverse watertight bulkheads extending from the double bottom to the Upper deck at the forward end of the ship and to the Saloon deck at thr aft end. This arrangement provided that any two compartments could be flooded without in any way involving or compromising the safety of the vessel.

Unfortunately, these bulkheads did not extend upwards to the first continuous watertight deck - the Shelter deck. While the height of the bulkheads was far above the vessel's waterline and exceeded the requirements of the Board of Trade, the regulatory authority overseeing all British ship design and construction, this was the main reason for Titanic's demise, as the water flooded over the top of the watertight bulkheads after the accident.

When Titanic struck the iceberg, a series of small penetrations occurred along the hull for approximately 300ft of its length extending aft from the bow. These penetrations, caused as the hull rubbed along the iceberg, extended over six of the forward compartments. Titanic - as has been said - had been designed to float with any two of the first six compartments flooded; unfortunately, the damage extended over so many compartments that the bulkheads were unable to contain the flooding to the damaged compartments.

As Thomas Andrews surveyed the extent of the damage sustained in the collision, he quickly realised that the bulkheads would be unable to prevent the seawater from flooding into the otherwise undamaged compartments with catastrophic consequences. From his observations Andrews calculated that it was inevitable Titanic was going to sink in approximately two hours time. In the event, Titanic remained afloat for two hours tweny five minutes, a remarkable testimony to Andrews' mathematical abilities without the benefit of such modern devices as calculators or computers.

Upon advising Captain Smith of his grim reality, he is reported to have assisted evacuation of the passengers before returning to the first class lounge, where he removed his life jacket. He was last seen staring blankly at Norman Wilkinson's Approach to the New World shortly before Titanic foundered.

In the aftermath of the disaster, White Star acted quikly to ensure that the same fate did not befall the other ships in the class. Olympic was returned to Belfast to have the forward watertight bulkheads increased in height to the uppermost watertight deck - the Shelter deck. When it came to Britannic, the third of series and built some years later with yard number 433, Harland & Wolff fitted the vessel with a double, or inner, skin.

This was a knee-jerk reaction to the loss of Titanic. While the work done on Olympic was never tested, that on Britannic actually contributed to the vessel's sinking at a much quicker rate than Titanic. Early in World War 1, in 1914, the Britannic, in service as a hospital ship, struck a mine laid in the Kea Channel in the Aegean Sea. The resultant damage to the outer plating and the double skin allowed seawater to flood freely along the length of the ship. The result was that Britannic capsized extremely quickly and sank. Despite this, all but 14 on board Britannic were saved. Titanic, of course, did not capsize and simply flooded from the bow, going down by the head.