This Thursday (14) marks the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the famous ship Titanic. The ship, considered by engineers at the time to be “sinking”, has been the subject of numerous studies around the world, the subject of numerous documentaries and the inspiration for the 1998 Oscar-winning James Cameron film. R7 Distinguished seven curiosities about the shipwreck.

1 – Speed ​​Record and “Blue Ribbon” Award

The Titanic was built in 1909 as the safest ship of her time. In addition, there was great interest from the British company White Star Line to win the “Blue Ribbon” award for a cruise ship sailing between Europe and the United States in the shortest possible time.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic sailed from Southampton, England, with 2,200 passengers on board for New York, USA.

Louis Philippe Aziz, a professor of naval and oceanic engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, explains that at the time there was a major dispute between shipping companies and countries such as England and Germany over the design of a ship. A reference to engineering at a time when the first aircraft were test flights and short distances.

“At that time, passenger ships represented the largest engineering work of mankind,” says the engineer.

2 – Travel

In the midst of the great migration between Europe and America in the early twentieth century, people wanted to travel on a fast and elegant ship that gave the modern ship a commercial and social aspect.

“It was a lifetime trip, in which people had no return ticket and wanted the crossing to be unforgettable,” Aziz emphasizes.

The passenger quarters on the plane are divided into three classes: the first with representatives of the upper class, the second with passengers in financial emergencies, and the third with migrants and workers.

3 – or iceberg

To achieve the goal of getting the “Blue Ribbon”, the ship needs to reach the United States at record speeds, so in the shortest possible time. According to the UFRJ professor, this aspect is one of the main reasons for the sinking of the ship.

Authorities at the time, who were affiliated with the British company White Star Line, did not authorize Commander Edward Smith to slow down when he received news that a large iceberg was nearby.

“A fast-moving ship has great difficulty managing to avoid an obstacle. It was too late when they saw the iceberg, “Aziz explains.

The collision caused more than 100 meters of tears, which took less than 3 hours to fully submerge.

4 – Technology

Experts explain that the Titanic was built using compartment technology, but the upgrade was incomplete as it was not present in the entire structure. The engineers made a design so that they could not move on to the next division if the floodwaters rose.

“It was a misconception to imagine that if the water went up it would reach a few compartments, but in reality the tears in the hall were so great that it reached many. With large volumes of water, the vessel loses its buoyancy space and sinks.

For him, even if there was technology throughout the ship, it would not be able to contain the severity of the damage done to the ship.

In addition to the problems associated with the construction of the ship, the technology of the time was very limited compared to today’s technology. With the help of radars, the iceberg can be detected very early. Modern ships are more equipped for dangerous situations because the crew receives intensive training.

The world

Another important aspect related to the crash was the number of boats on board. According to Reagan Library Education, the Titanic had only 20 lifeboats, but it was not enough to rescue all the passengers. There was room for about 2,200 people on board and only 1,178 people on boats.

In addition to the inadequate space, these additional ships were launched with fewer passengers, one of which was carrying 20 people and a capacity of 65 people. 706 passengers were able to escape from the sink.

“The ship’s great technology forced the authorities to reduce the number of lifeboats needed at that time, which was a big mistake. People outside the boats died of hypothermia due to the low seawater temperature.

The ship did not sink vertically

In James Cameron’s film, the scene where several passengers cling to the ship’s bow as the ship sinks vertically has become a cinematic classic, however, the professor claims that the event was not possible.

Assisi believes the Titanic’s bow may be slightly above sea level but will soon break. Also, the bow was found too far from the stern, which proves that vertical diving did not occur.

The ship is left at sea

The ship’s wreckage was searched for decades until it was discovered on September 1, 1985, at a depth of 3,843 meters. This structure was never taken from the sea and remains southwest of the island of Newfoundland in Canada.

“It is not possible to remove the Titanic from the sea, it is at great depths, and its structure will not resist removal and will crash. The damage over the last ten years is so great that the damage caused by the seawater to the metals will make the ship disappear in a few years. Many of the parts they discovered in 1985 have already turned to dust.