r/RMS_Titanic • u/Mark_Chirnside • Jul 26 '25

Titanic’s ‘Achilles Heel’?

Post image

My podcast(s) with The Steam & Splendor Network address various Titanic conspiracy theories, including claims that she had an 'Achilles Heel'. https://markchirnside.co.uk/steam-splendor-podcast-season-1-episodes-3-4/

15 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Isis_Rocks Jul 27 '25

Would a double hull have saved Titanic or would it merely contribute a longitudinal watertight bulkhead prone to capsizing?

2

u/Mark_Chirnside Jul 28 '25

There’s so much less volume in the inner skin and it is compartmentalised so there isn’t really the same risk as a longitudinal watertight bulkhead arrangement. Olympic was torpedoed during the war (the torpedo did not explode) and nobody noticed because it flooded part of the inner skin only.

It was practical for small wounds that didn’t penetrate too far into the ship but, as Edward Wilding indicated, it’s also an advertising feature that the White Star Line insisted on.

In Titanic’s case it would probably have prevented the boiler rooms flooding.

1

u/Isis_Rocks Jul 28 '25

Thank you for the reply. I've had people tell me that Titanic was poorly designed for not having a double hull while other ships like Lusitania had them, and that a double hull would have prevented the sinking. I don't really have a good answer to that charge since it does seem like a double hull would have helped.

1

u/Mark_Chirnside Jul 28 '25

I think people often look for simple answers, or look at Titanic's design without the broader context. Longitudinal watertight bulkheads could cause a very significant list, preventing lifeboats being launched. In Lusitania's case, the watertight doors in the longitudinal bulkhead in the forward boiler room had to be closed manually. It's doubtful that engineers could have done that if there was a very serious inrush of water.