The design and layout of the propulsion for the Titanic was a huge contributing factor in the hitting of the iceberg.
If the first officer had done what he was supposed to do, he likely would have missed it altogether. Instead, he reversed engines, shutting off the turbine powered center propeller, the one right in front of the rudder, massively reducing its effectiveness, so the ship couldnt/wouldnt/didnt answer the helm.
But, i agree, the technology to accomplish what they did at the time is amazing!
It's hard to say, but it sure didn't help. At any rate, at 23 knots they had only 30 seconds to make an avoidance. Calling for reverse from the bridge takes time; the engine controls such as seen in the movies aren't connected to the engines. They simply relay the request to the engine room where the engineers respond. Asking for full reverse isn't instantaneous, but is simple. The engineer must close the steam valve (lever), engage the reversing lever and re-open the valve, usually meaning 30-60 seconds to go from full ahead to full astern. Those enormous four cylinder steam engines with 23 1/2 foot bronze props didn't stop instantly.
Although it can't be proven, people have theorized that instead of trying to avoid the iceberg the ship had instead turned to ram it, it wouldn't have sunk. It would have had severe localized damage to the bow but likely would have flooded only two compartments. It was designed to stay afloat with four compartments flooded, but with the 300 foot gash it ended up flooding five.
The fact that the ship was on fire before it set sail, and during it's whole voyage, is also a theory behind the sinking. Coal bunker fires were common in ships of the era, but with the size of that ship, it wasn't possible to extinguish the fire before departure, and firemen were instructed not to mention anything to the passengers. Photos show a thirty foot dark mark where heat had scorched paint on the outer hull, and with an 1800 degree inferno right at the area of collision, it has been speculated that the steel was weakened and had become brittle.
Besides this hull damage, it also gives an answer for the speed of the ship. To economize, White Star had told the press that speed would be limited to 20 knots (there was a coal strike at the time) however it was thought that firemen were feeding extra coal into the boilers to get rid of it, in order to reach the burning part to extinguish it.
click here for a computer view of the engine room:
https://momento360.com/e/u/c84b9c0c...paign=embed&utm_source=other&utm_medium=other
