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how big was the iceberg that hit the titanic and which international organization was formed after the titanic tragedie?

the tragedie of the unsinkable

By Alyan HoneyPublished 9 months ago 3 min read
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Over a century ago, the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 2240 individuals aboard, only around 700 survived. This tragic event has inspired numerous movies, documentaries, and books. Despite the wealth of information about the ship and its passengers, very little is known about the iceberg itself, particularly its size. However, we can attempt to uncover some clues.

Constructed by the White Star Line, the Titanic was the flagship of its new fleet of passenger liners. It held the distinction of being the largest ship ever built at the time, living up to its monumental name. The vessel measured 883 feet in length, equivalent to two and a half soccer fields end to end, and stood at a height of 175 feet, roughly the height of 10 giraffes stacked atop each other. From waterline to deck, the ship reached a height of 60 feet, comparable to a four-story building.

Remarkably spacious, the Titanic featured veranda cafes, a restaurant, reading and writing rooms, Turkish baths, a gym, squash courts, and even a swimming pool. With a total capacity of 3,300 individuals, including 2,435 passengers and 900 crew members, safety was paramount despite the focus on luxury. The ship's design included 16 watertight compartments beneath its deck, allowing up to four to fill with water while the remaining 12 maintained buoyancy in the event of hull compromise.

Philip Franklin, Vice President of the White Star Line, emphasized this safety feature as the ship's defining attribute. He famously stated, "There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable, and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers." This confidence proved tragically misplaced.

Embarking on its maiden and final voyage on April 10, 1912, the Titanic's demise came swiftly with the encounter of a solitary iceberg. Icebergs, born through the process of calving as chunks of freshwater ice break free from glaciers and float into open waters, can be treacherous due to the significant portion submerged beneath the surface. Even small icebergs, like "growlers" and "bergy bits," pose dangers as they can inflict severe damage to a ship's hull.

In 1912, there were no specialized tools for iceberg detection. Crew members stationed in the Crow's Nest, a high vantage point on the ship's bow, relied solely on their eyes to spot hazards. Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee, positioned in the Crow's Nest on that fateful night, endured freezing conditions with no binoculars to aid their watch.

Despite their efforts, the iceberg was sighted just 20 minutes before impact. The ship's engines reversed, attempting to maneuver, but it was too late. The collision caused ice to rain onto the deck, and within two hours and 40 minutes, the Titanic was lost.

Analyzing available clues, it's evident that the iceberg was sizable enough to be seen with the naked eye in the darkness, and bits of ice fell onto the ship's deck, indicating its height. Photographs of a possible iceberg taken from another ship, SS Prince Adalbert, show a red paint streak along its base, indicating recent impact. Estimated to be between 50 and 100 feet high and 200 to 400 feet long, this iceberg likely originated from Greenland and survived the journey to the Atlantic.

Icebergs remain a threat, as exemplified by the 2007 sinking of the cruise ship Explorer in Antarctica's Weddell Sea after striking an iceberg. In response to the Titanic disaster, the International Ice Patrol was established in 1914. This organization employs airplanes and radar to locate and track larger icebergs, preventing future maritime tragedies

World History
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Alyan Honey

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