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From: mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus J. Ranum)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: TITANIC breakup ?
Message-ID: <150@gouldsd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Aug-86 10:55:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: gouldsd.150
Posted: Fri Aug  1 10:55:25 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Aug-86 09:42:09 EDT
Organization: Gould Inc, ASDD, Landover, MD
Lines: 31
Keywords: Boilers, I recall



	I was under the impression that the TITANIC didn't break up. Remember
that this is a very large, extremely solid piece of metal we're talking about.
I can't recall the title of my source so I can't afford to proselytize, but
the account I read went something along the lines of:
	1) TITANIC gashed, starts to sink
	2) tilts dramatically, problems getting lifeboats off davits as a
		result.
	3) finally upends itself with the stern pointing nearly straight up.
	4) loud crashing and grinding. (here's where some think it breaks up)
	5) ship goes straight down very fast.

	Now, remember that the boilers on the TITANIC were huge things with
fuel, water and all -and they were about a storey high. (remember the pictures?)
Some historians think that when the ship upended (from water filling the front
compartments) the boilers TORE LOOSE and all these multi-ton hunks of metal
crashed through the length of the ship, and essentially finished it off. 
This is not unreasonable, since survivors described a great rumbling and
tearing. it could have been a breakup, or it could have been the sound of
the boilers trashing the front of the hull. Also remeber that the boilers 
were very solidly mounted - but they were not designed to maintain thier
positions at a 90 degree angle ! The account I read maintained that the reason
the thing went so fast was because the boilers probably made a whole about
60 feet by 30 feet right through *everything* on the way out...

live free,
mjr
-- 

*All opinions expressed aren't even mine, let alone those of Gould, Inc.*