The Ship of Dreams

Titanic was being hailed as the millionaire floating palace and it did not take long for Geoffrey to see why. There was a part of him that longed to have a run-in with Thomas Andrews, the grand designer of the ship to shake his hand personally for his testimony of sheer ingenuity.

And Andrews's admirable career deserved him more than well-rounded applause. Andrews of course began his highly decorated career as an apprentice at Harland and Wolff at just sixteen years of age in 1889. With a highly amiable character and respectable work ethic, Andrews came to head the repair department in less than ten years of work, leading projects of the likes of the Baltic and Oceanic. Due to the fruits of his labor, Andrews was able to rise to the chief of design and managing director for the firm in less than twenty years of experience, which was a true testimony to his mastery over the trade.

In the same way, every artisan has their own mark, and this was undeniably the case with White Star’s Olympic Class Series. Two different beasts entirely, with the Olympic being a war class vessel, in the days leading up to the launching of Titanic, the two ships seemed less like sisters and more like twins. It really was no wonder that Andrews was a part of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects as of 1901.

As such, these two sisters did earn their merit as his greatest accomplishments. While Olympic gained such a status by the glory it gained as being the ol’ reliable that she was from the damage she took to her hull, Titanic lived up to her name in the incorporations that Andrews made to set the two apart.

Although the two ocean liners seemed indistinguishable from one another with Andrews’s signature, the two were not without their differences. The most noticeable of these cases is the instance of Titanic’s Promenade A Deck. In such case, Titanic’s forward-most section included enclosed windows for the main purpose of protecting its passengers from the sea spray below, which was not part of the Olympics’ initial design.

Similarly, Titanic differed from the Olympics in the way that her bridge wing caps had been extended further out to the side in opposition to her twin so that the passengers could have a better vantage point. These were the most apparent. The final exterior difference is that of an issue of an enclosed promenade D deck, which was drawn in for lack of space, or more lack thereof.

Design is what is inside the thing, and there was not one aspect of the ship that was not magnificent in this way. His jaw hung awestruck all the while he toured the behemoth of a ship. There was no doubt that in her construction alone was enough for someone of his caliber of writing to get lost in and write entire books of praise to the very topic, and he fully came to understand why Titanic was to be known worldwide for said design.

The only way that one could begin to try and articulate the spectacle in a word was sheer bewilderment, for this was the only word that could express the meticulous attention to detail that was put into every inch of Titanic. As soon as the mind could come to fully grasp and appreciate one aspect of her composition it was suddenly sent suspended into another fit of wonderment at another was the best way that Geoffrey could describe it to himself.

It was understandable that the first of these marvels to come to terms with was that the mere size of Titanic, as it was rightfully named. Geoffrey could still not believe that if the ship was flipped upright from tip to tip, it would stand taller than the Pyramids, the Empire State Building, stretching for several blocks, and paramount to any manmade building to date. Although he had to admit that it seemed accurate as he paced through the seemingly endless labyrinth that it did offer, and that calling it a palace was certainly appropriate enough.

Measuring in at a length of eight-hundred-eighty-two feet with a beam of ninety-two feet complete with ten full decks separated from first through third class, there was no doubt in Geoffrey’s mind that one could spend the duration of the trip simply walking the elongated halls. Not only that but this would be a failed endeavor for there was no possible way that this feat could be completed in one voyage alone.

Just as it went without saying that such a paramount ship called for equally as colossal features. Whether that was in the case of the monumental 150-foot-tall boilers, the propellers as previously mentioned, or the sixty-foot-tall smokestacks which one could easily have driven a car or two through. It was no wonder that White Star added the fourth stack, even if for looks, as it made it stand out in comparison to all other ships that only featured as many as three. All of which were glistening new and working in proper order as could be expected for a 47,000-ton luxury liner.

The same could be said for Titanic’s impeccable interior design that was unlike anything known previously to man. Titanic was a palace unto herself in the way that each department and section that comprised the eight-hundred-eighty-two-foot giant was fashioned in its own distinctive uniqueness, with no two parts being alike. As such, the first- and second-class decks made even the highest-ranked hotel or resort become superseded down next to nil, and the third-class cabins were better than those that could be considered average or subpar. It was like traveling on the Ritz.

To call Andrews a shipbuilder or designer was an insult to the man, that was an injustice that flirted with deformation of character. No, the man was unequivocally an artist in every sense of the word, if it is held true that the artist is the creator of beautiful things.

One needn’t look further than the separateness, uniqueness, and distinction that was inherent to each section of the ship, which with it allowed the passenger to seemingly traverse through each epoch of human craftsmanship and ingenuity in each part of the ship that they visited.

To enter Titanic’s first-class lounge was to be launched headfirst into all the color and fervor that was marked by British Edwardian interior design. An experience that meant staring deeply into the dark nouveau décor, conversing at length as to if one had the slightest understanding as to why this new art incorporated such fine and abstracted floral designs.

This, of course, was a dialog that had to be articulated in such a way that not only showed that the observer was familiar with trending fine art but to the extent that they had higher standards, having seen others that were of a far superior quality. As if it were a kind of required or expected explanation accounting for how one has seen better, which meant that they were as well. A subtle social exchange, one onto the other, signified that it was not the design that was being judged, but the thoughts, opinions, and every other characteristic of the other players in the room.

However, it seemed that the real social elite were not concerned nor impressed with the Persian rugs or how they complimented the nouveau décor. No, they did not give a damn in the slightest, whatever a nouveau décor was. Here, in this Edwardian style social space, it seemed that the only exchange that truly indicated the individual’s class took place in the comforts of oversized table sets that matched the floorboards beneath. Oversized table sets that housed oversized men whose only real concern seemed to their game of cards at hand.

At these tables, sat the actual players in the larger picture of things. Where most gamblers entertain this vice in pursuit of gaining more money, this was not the case for these individuals. They were the type that made side bets and bet on anything at all because to do so meant that they were of a higher class.

In fact, they almost seemed to do it for the opposite reason; to lose larger sums of money, because it was a way of expressing that they could lose a small fortune, and not be affected by it. As if they were playing by some unwritten code where the winner was the individual that could lose the most, take a sip of whiskey afterward, and say to hell with your intellect and new-age art. For them, the only conversation worth having was the act that they could spend excessively without a care in the world.

Nevertheless, that was the beauty and the magic behind Titanic’s craftsmanship. The second the passenger left the first-class lounge it was as if they had time traveled from the Edwardian era to the Victorian. Then, much to their amazement, they found themselves in another section decorated in the style of French Louis XV, and just as elaborately so. There was no other effect quite like it, in that although it was disorienting, overwhelming, and sometimes confusing even, it gave the passenger this fleeting impression that they had a larger than life lifestyle, even if it were for the first, time, and that they were part of something larger than themselves.

There was no other feature in all Titanic that created for this feeling more than that of the ship’s grand staircase that was situated at the very forefront of the vessel. Descending down more than seven decks from Boat to E-Deck, it stood erect as a finishing centerpiece whose elaborate composition was an acting testimony of Andrew’s mastery over his trade, and the length he would go for perfection in terms of attention to detail.

The grand staircase was built as a doorway that connected the first-class section to all other public areas on the ship. Brilliantly lit, the great glass dome that topped and adorned it was of such size and grandeur that there was no comparing it to anything else. It seemed an almost impossible task to have it spiral off into each separate direction as it went down each deck, and yet somehow White Star had managed to do exactly that. Not only that but the intricate carvings, all of which were done by hand like everything else, created the sensation that they acted as the veins of this impressive stairwell, that led to the heart of the whole piece found in its colossal grandfather clock. It was a tour de force of its own accord, and not one passenger would have argued that there was anything more amazing aboard the whole ship.

While Andrew fashioned the ship as such with the intention of creating a luxury ocean liner that rivaled any of the grand hotels of London, which it certainly did, it also seemed that it was his way of showing his understanding of people, and the social hierarchy at that time.

In this respect, the interior of the ship hinted at the ugly unspoken truth that was as intrinsic to Titanic as any mauve piece of new art. It was the fact that while each section had its own theme and style, so too did each section carry with it its own atmosphere, tone, and environment. As if Edwardian equated to card games luxury and the social elite, while another denoted all of the strife of the second class and so on.

This was a harsh and disgusting reality to the ship that could be felt across imaginary borders. These imagined borders reiterated to all passengers that every detail of the ship from rivet to staircase was built for that first class of individuals. To this end, the second-class passenger acted as entertainment that could be tolerated in their failed attempts to copy, mimic, and emulate their own behaviors. This was not an attitude that could be lent to the third and lowly class of individuals, who were nearly revered as mere cattle that had to be locked away and separated from all the rest.

The reality was that aboard Titanic social class was the currency that determined everything from meal choice to survivability. Within such a context, the elaborate composition of her interior was a way that the social elite could mock the rest of the passengers as if by saying that the most worrisome thing that ever comes to their mind is whether or not their surroundings were in fashion while everyone else grew weary considering what their next meal would be, or where they would go next after Titanic. For them, it was just another luxury that they could afford.

Social class aside, the thing that one had to most appreciate about Titanic was the way that it redefined an entire industry. Over the last decade, the primary concern in building ocean liners had been one that focused on the speed of a vessel, with each being built with the goal in mind that one might break the current standing record of the fastest transatlantic crossing.

Titanic did away with this whole paradigm in its lofty ambition. It sacrificed and substituted out its quickness in place for size, grandeur, and luxuriousness unlike anything previously head of. By doing so, it asserted to all other shipping companies that the passenger did not care about knots, or how fast one could cross a body of water. Instead, what the customer really wanted was an accommodating ship that allowed them to travel in style and comfort.

So strong was this belief amongst White Star Line that Titanic was fitted with amenities that had never been seen on any other ocean liner of its caliber. Located on F Deck, Honor and Glory was but one addition to the ship that demonstrated how the shipping company went all-in on this high-stake risk. Measuring thirty feet by thirteen, it was here in the heart of the Persian bath complex that passengers saw for the first time a ship that came equipped with a swimming pool.

Titanic would never break any transatlantic crossing records, but it did carry with it a laundry list of the first times an ocean liner accomplished something. This was showcased in such facilities as the ship’s extraordinary gymnasium.

Positioned in close proximity to the forward of the grand staircase on the starboard side of the boat deck the gym was accessible only to first-class passengers as was the case with the swimming pool. A rare convenience, the state-of-the-art athletic club came equipped with punching bags, rowing machines, weights, stationary bikes, and even an electric horse and camel. Along with its spa and sauna, it was also the first time that a nautical ship saw the likes of a squash racket court and many other services for the passenger’s entertainment. In the events that would come to pass, a rumor would service into how one T.W. McCauley, the gyms instructor, would remain here at his post until the ship finally sank.

Even at the level of the staff placement and scheduling could be seen all the ways that Andrews and all of White Star Line along with him, went above the line of duty and left no rock unturned in considering every last detail that went into the ship's construction. Of the 2,200 passengers, 885 of them were White Star Line staff. Their living quarters and daily routine were so arranged that it was supposed to be that they never came into direct contact with any of the Titanic’s passengers, except in the case of a dire emergency.

There was no denying the ship's opulence and the degree of care that was put into its aesthetics. At the end of the day, however, that was not what sold the public on the unsinkable ship. While most discussions lent themselves to this topic of size, style, and design, it was not what bought the customer a ticket aboard R.M.S Titanic instead of that of any rivaling competitors. Bylines sold, and Titanic’s promised a ship that would not sink. Rather, what sold Titanic to the public was found in the bottom half of the ship, and it was the true mark of Andrew’s expertise. There were of course few exceptions in the case of passerby interactions with the ship’s officers and restaurant employees, but overall, this is how it was meant to be.

Perhaps the most innovative trademark and feat of human engineering on Titanic was found in the underbelly of the ship in the fifteen massive monoliths that started at the ship’s hull and stretched upwards half the height of the ship. This of course was in reference to the vast bulkheads which created for the watertight compartments that divided up and ran the entire length of the ship.

Andrews adapted this schematic after Chinese junk ships that had a similar mechanism. The Chinese gained insight into said contrivance by the mere practice of studying the process in which bamboo shoots were cut up and divided. Examining this procedure, they discovered that each plant was cut up into sections and that a plug was placed therewith that would let water in, but not out. The consequence of which was that they began applying the notion to shipbuilding so that any leak or flooded compartment would not sink a ship. In this way, the bulkheads served the same functionality.

The bulkheads that Andrews created were built so that when any of these two doors shut, it created a cubic compartment or cell that prevented the water within it from moving into the section that followed in, just as in the case of the bamboo shoots. This created for a total of sixteen such compartments. They were labeled accordingly A through P, and the idea behind them was that any four of these cells could be flooded with Titanic still being able to stay afloat. This was more than efficient in terms of keeping up with the nautical rules and regulations at the time.

In the case of Titanic, Andrews modified the concept that each bulkhead would act as a two-fold doorway. It was here that his genius was found in the way that when triggered the bulkhead would rise out of the floor and rise up to the midsection of the ship. Similarly, a steel door or hatch was provided on each one so that employees working in these areas could exit before the water reached a certain level.

Similarly, ingenuity was found in the way that there were three ways that allowed for any bulkhead to be activated. The first means of which was that all crew could easily switch a lever found in each of these compartments which would seal off that unit. Alternatively, there was a friction clutch located in both the bridge and the wheelhouse. It was from the control panel within these rooms, that one could release the clutch, sealing off and closing these doors of mammoth size. Finally, there was a mechanism in each of these compartments that would cause the bulkheads to automatically close when the waterline reached a certain level.

These bulkheads provided everyone on board an added insurance that the Titanic would not sink, or at least so they thought. It was the reason why the passengers went about business as usual as they did with all the comfort, solace, and security in the world, believing this to be the case.

In the minds of each was a flyer of a giant ship unlike any other that claimed it to be unsinkable. What sold tickets for the Titanic was this promise of guaranteed safety. Essentially, the bulkheads and their watertight compartments sold a ticket to travel Titanic, not the aesthetics of the ship.

Herein lies an interesting and unfortunate paradox that, often, what appears the greatest strength or strong suit of a thing turns out to be its weakness or Achilles heel, which was precisely the case with Titanic.

For Geoffrey and all the passengers of Titanic, it would be but another spectacle for them to gawk over. However, in the decades to come a controversial debate would emerge over the bulkheads and the watertight compartments in an argument pertaining to whether the Titanic had a fatal design flaw.

It is believed that there were several factors in the design that played a vital role in the sinking of the Titanic. Extensive research and analysis have concluded that the contributing factors that sealed the Titanic’s fate was the fact that the steel used to plate the Titanic was far too brittle for the catastrophe that it was subjected to. This was even more amplified by the freezing waters that she was sailing through, which was validated in the claims made by passengers that they could hear the creaking and moaning of the steel as it broke apart.

In the same line of reasoning, it is thought that another flaw was found in the rivets that held these steel plates into place. While most of the ship’s rivets were made of steel, those used in the bow which is where the ship was impacted utilized wrought iron rivets instead.

Forensic metallurgy has shown that this was a poor material choice in the construction of the Titanic. In-depth experiments and research into the matter have shown that the material that these rivets were made of was not enough to withstand the pressure of the Titanic’s impact with the iceberg. Each trial that has tried to simulate this occurrence has shown that all of the rivets would pop off one after in a zipper-like effect from bottom to top.

At the apex of this inquiry, the thought is that the most significant blemish in the construction of the Titanic is found in the ship’s watertight compartments. Here, it has been shown that it did not matter that the three-hundred-foot gash compromised some six compartments. As was a consistent theme throughout the ship, it came down to a matter of size and practicality, likened to how Titanic chose floorspace over lifeboats.

The problem with the watertight compartments was that they bearly extended above the waterline. White Star Line deliberately made this decision because they thought passengers would not like the extra space that it would take up to have them raised higher and that it would be a nuance to try and navigate around these doors. In the totality of things, it was because of this that allowed the water to rise and over one after another into the compartment adjacent to it as soon as the bow submerged underwater. Design is truly what’s inside the thing. Titanic was no exception. Inside, one of the most notorious paintings that hung above the smoking-room centerpiece was Norman Wilkinson’s, “Approach to the New World.” Symbolically, it represented everything that Titanic was supposed to be, just as it personified what would become of it.

When Titanic was built, the intention at both White Star Line and those at Harland and Wolff had been of an ocean liner that would be remembered for its design. The period marked the peak of the industrial revolution, and so Wilkinson’s, Approach to the New World, highlights the faith that humankind placed in the second industrial revolution, as well as the economic inequities that were found therewithin the Golden Age.

Although it was not what Wilkinson set out to accomplish, it illustrated the ways that in this belief intrinsically found at the heart of the Gilded Age, was man’s attempt to thwart all natural processes, and the folly found in such an ignorant goal. In doing so, it showed the design flaw of all of humanity in that we have seemingly always set out to be as the Gods that we worship, in the tragedy that we could ever fathom to do so. Approach to the New World showcased to the passengers the loss of innocence that could be found in the happenstance of its own story, while at the same time signifying the end to such an era, as well as the fact that humankind could never truly triumph over the external forces of the world.