With the Titanic cruising near top speed, they were practically sailing dangerously all day; the danger increasing considerably at night. Looking back, reports say there were numerous icebergs spotted in the area, now known as Iceberg Alley.
The officer in charge spotted the iceberg and immediately shouted his command. From that very moment, the ship only had 37 seconds to execute the order and avoid the collision. They had very little time, plus adding the fact that there was confusion as to the correct order of the First Officer.
There Were Several Warnings of Ice From Other Ships
Throughout the day there had been several ships that reported sightings of icebergs along the Titanic’s path. But this wasn’t uncommon, and the captain never thought such conditions could be dangerous. Despite reports of “field and pack ice,” he commanded the ship to sail near full speed.
Everything was done by the book. Even the ship’s sailing speed wasn’t deemed negligent, and their operations were properly documented. The SS California was anchored a few miles from the Titanic before the collision. They had been delayed overnight due to the icebergs themselves. But their warnings were cut off by Jack Phillips, the radio operator of the Titanic who was busy taking messages for the passengers.
There Were No Binoculars in the Crow’s Nest
There had been a sort of mixup in Southampton port among the sailors. This was perhaps due to the crossover of officers from the Olympic, or the last-hour boarding of crew members. The Titanic sailed its maiden voyage with no binoculars afforded in the crow’s nest.
However, this wasn’t deemed pivotal in avoiding the iceberg. Even with a binocular on hand, the night was so dark, devoid of moonlight, that it could not have spotted the iceberg much earlier than the officer did with his own eyes. The surface of the ocean was so tranquil that no one could have detected waves lapping against large floating obstacles.
They Had Already Sold Tickets for the Return Voyage
The Titanic was scheduled to make a couple of stops before crossing the Atlantic. It had to be assisted by tenders in and out of both ports of Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland because they weren’t ready to take in a ship its size. There were some passengers dropped off while 123 passengers boarded it from Queenstown.
Then it was scheduled to sail to Manhattan. This was where the first and second-class passengers were supposed to disembark. And then head to Ellis Island for the third-class passengers who needed to pass through immigration. Its return trip tickets had already been booked. The liner was scheduled to leave on the 20th of April, and its itinerary was already filled up until the 28th of December.
There Weren’t Enough Lifeboats for Everyone
The Titanic was capable of carrying 64 lifeboats, but it only installed 20 of them so it wouldn’t block the passengers’ view of the vast ocean. Had they carried as much as they were designed to equip, there is no doubt many lives could have been saved. But this wasn’t in violation of maritime laws at the time.
It had just enough number required by maritime standards, as lifeboats were thought to ferry passengers to a rescuing ship and not keep them afloat for a long time.