"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror)
07/13/2015 at 10:30 • Filed to: boatlopnik, fc, essay
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"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror)
07/13/2015 at 10:30 • Filed to: boatlopnik, fc, essay | 3
| 5 |
Lately I’ve decided to expand my horizons and start learning about boats, and I feel that I gathered enough knowledge to start writing about the subject. For my first boatlopnik essay, I’ve decided to think out of the box and and I’m proud to present the first ever virtual road test of a boat. Buckle up because today we are travelling back in time and taking the RMS Titanic for a road spin !
I’ve made the editorial decision to avoid writing about the shipwreck of the Titanic, everyone knows about that, and if you don’t, there’s and excellent documentary starring Leonardo DiCaprio that you should watch. Instead, we are going to focus on the boat, the machine.
Engines :
The RMS Titanic was powered by two reciprocating engines that had a combined output of 30,000 hp. Another 16,000 hp was contributed by a centrally placed low-pressure Parsons turbine connected to a propeller. That’s 46,000 hp, not bad for 1912.
Controls :
The control room was was clean and uncluttered. The wooden steering wheel was centrally mounted for optimal visibility and some other navigational instruments were mounted on each side. Despite tipping the scale at 50,000 and being as long as the Eiffel tower, the Titanic was extremely fast and nimble, it was known as a “driver’s boat” back then.
Gadgets :
Titanic was loaded with the latest in terms of technologies. It featured wireless communication, the equivalent of today’s wi-fi. The on-board Marconi room was fitted with a wireless Telegraph system similar to today’s fax machines. It was mainly use for navigation but passengers could ask for personal messages to be sent to relatives.
An on-board telephone system was also available for first and second class passengers. The Titanic was also fitted with Electric baths, which were some kind of early tanning beds.
Fit and Finish :
Titanic was a luxury boat, so the the craftsmanship was outstanding. On the outside, decks were made of Teak wood. on the interior, well let’s just say that designers went balls out with rich Persian carpeting, exotics woods, gold plating and whatnot.
Performances :
The RMS Titanic was capable of a top speed of 28 MPH and could accommodate 3,500 passengers and crew with a total weight of 50,000 tons. By comparison, The Queen Mary 2, an ocean liner built almost 100 years after the Titanic can do 35 MPH and carry 4,000 passengers and crew with a total weight of 75,000 tons.
Conclusion :
Because of its disastrous fate, we all think we know the Titanic, but we don’t. We know the story, the orchestra, the captain, the lack of lifeboat, etc, but we don’t know the machine itself. I certainly hope this essay will helps shed some light on the fantastic engineering marvel that was the RMS Titanic.
Thanks for reading.
Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
> Margin Of Error
07/13/2015 at 10:42 |
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Teak as a ship deck wasn’t really that remarkable, afaik.
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Margin Of Error
> Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/13/2015 at 10:48 |
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It’s one the best decking wood for boats
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Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
> Margin Of Error
07/13/2015 at 10:51 |
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That’s what I thought. And I believe it was quite common for that reason.
tromoly
> Margin Of Error
07/13/2015 at 12:04 |
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Came here expecting a review of the Poop Deck, left disappointed.
RallyWrench
> Margin Of Error
07/13/2015 at 12:25 |
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Amazing though it was, I wouldn’t really call the Titanic an engineering marvel. Its size & opulence was astonishing, but it was quite conventional and in fact poorly engineered in several important respects.