I watched the program on the Titanic on SkyTv and found it most interesting. There have been many theories including conspiracy therories regarding the sinking of the Titanic and by far the most believable to me is the hypothesis that the rivets failed. The majority of the rivets were put in place by machine however the huge piece of equipment could not be put into the bow section and the rivets there were put in by hand and wrought iron rivets were used because they were easier to hammer in. These rivets also contained more slag. It is estimated at the point of impact the pressure between the iceberg and the hull was around 14000psi and under laboratory test rivets collapsed at just under 100000psi. The water filled 5 forward compartments which was one more than the unsinkable ship could sustain. The master was apparently not speeding ( at 21 knots) either, it was the recommended procedure for ships in that era passing through ice fields. |