One lookout did see it, and warned the bridge. But the ship could not turn away in time to avoid a fatal collision below the waterline.
The question of whether the lookouts might have seen the iceberg sooner was asked at both inquests, with no consistent answer. The lookouts did not have binoculars, either because they could not be located or because the key to their storage locker was with an officer not on board. In any event, the light wind and moonless night made icebergs difficult to spot, with or without binoculars.
Typically, rough water sloshes against ice at the water line, making it visible but the ocean was so smooth that night that it was sailing On A Sea Of Glass.
No water broke and the berg was not spotted until far too late.
Typically, rough water sloshes against ice at the water line, making it visible but the ocean was so smooth that night that it was sailing On A Sea Of Glass. No water broke and the berg was not spotted until far too late.
There have been entire chapters and perhaps entire books written about Titanic's lookouts and the iceberg. Author Tim Maltin had proposed a "refraction" theory with devastating success.
One of the many reasons, however, is that when water is rough, as it usually is, water sloshes against the base of an iceberg, making it visible. However, on the night of the sinking there were no waves and nothing to see (and no moonlight with which to see them).
He (Frederick Fleet) did see the iceberg, and alerted the bridge. However, it was night and there was no moon, so the only light was from stars and the ship's own lights, which reduced visibility significantly. Also, the sea was unusually calm (now known to be a sign of nearby pack ice), so there were no waves breaking on the iceberg that might have betrayed its position to the lookout sooner. The iceberg was only spotted when it was within a couple hundred meters of the ship; too late for his warning to do much good.
It's been theorized that, had the ship turned without attempting to reverse the engines, the ship might have cleared the iceberg anyway; the center turbine and propeller could not be reversed and were instead merely stopped, which significantly reduced the turning effect of the rudder. Alternatively, the ship might have avoided sinking had it actually rammed the iceberg head-on (her sister ship Olympic survived several collisions, including one in which she rammed a German U-boat with her prow) ... the glancing blow that the ship suffered was, in some ways, the worst possible scenario.
Since the waters were so calm, there wouldn't be any braking water at the base of an iceberg, and their binoculars were missing
The iceberg was black in color and not a stark white color. It blended with the water and night. The ship had been warned there were icebergs in the area and ignored the warnings.
because they thought it was a sailboat
Fredrick Fleet is the first person to see the iceberg captin smith captin smith I thought it was the watch people
Well, the captain was not at blame for the Titanic sinking it was the guy who was on the lookout deck, and was in charge of seeing ahead to tell the captain. He forgot his binoculars therefore when the big iceberg came he did not see it soon enough. But when he did she it and he tried to warn the captain, it was to late
The lookouts on Titanic spotted the iceberg with less than forty seconds to impact.
If you mean the Titanic - see related question.
It could be said 2 people spotted it, as we will never know which saw it first. Frederick Fleet was the first of the two lookouts to spot the berg first, and he telephoned the bridge. By the time the sixth officer, who received the call, reported the sighting to the officer of the watch, first officer Murdoch, Murdoch had already seen the berg as well of his own accord as he was rushing into the wheelhouse with his orders of hard-a-starboard and full speed astern. As such, both the Murdoch and Fleet saw the iceberg at virtually the same time, though it is likely that Fleet saw it only seconds earlier than Murdoch.
There have been entire chapters and perhaps entire books written about Titanic's lookouts and the iceberg. Author Tim Maltin had proposed a "refraction" theory with devastating success. One of the many reasons, however, is that when water is rough, as it usually is, water sloshes against the base of an iceberg, making it visible. However, on the night of the sinking there were no waves and nothing to see (and no moonlight with which to see them).
Fredrick Fleet is the first person to see the iceberg captin smith captin smith I thought it was the watch people
a iceberg that the people on board didn't see
The compound word for someone who looks to see if anyone is coming is "lookout."
Well, the captain was not at blame for the Titanic sinking it was the guy who was on the lookout deck, and was in charge of seeing ahead to tell the captain. He forgot his binoculars therefore when the big iceberg came he did not see it soon enough. But when he did she it and he tried to warn the captain, it was to late
frederick fleet
The lookouts on Titanic spotted the iceberg with less than forty seconds to impact.
The actual iceberg would have surely been dissolved in a few days that far south.
One or both of the lookouts saw the iceberg before collision, and the pilot tried to steer away, but the forward speed of the Titanic took it into the iceberg anyway, smashing in the hull on the starboard (right) side near the bow.
Yes; and that strangely enough was probably what did the Titanic in. Just because the lookout saw the iceberg a minute before, the ship started making a sharp turn, however not sharp enough to avoid collision. Instead, the iceberg now tore a long gash along the lenght of the ship, flooding at least 5 waterproof compartments at the same time.Had no-one seen the iceberg before it hit, the ship would have rammed the nose into the iceberg. Given its moderate speed, that might have only breached one or two front compartments which might have been closed up in time.We'll never know for sure, but several maritime specialists have argued that the Titanic would then probably have stayed afloat
If you mean the Titanic - see related question.
They coudn't see or hear the waves crashing on the iceberg .