3so SHIPS AND SHIPBUILDING 



which they ply, and of greater readiness on the part of the Classification Societies to 

 regard such designs on their merits without too hard and fast adherence to well worn 

 rules. It is a compliment to Great Britain that the Austrian Veritas Society has 

 arranged with Lloyd's Register to adopt their Rules for building ships in their en- 

 tirety, and that authorised translations in French and German have become necessary. 



The " Titanic " Disaster. Notwithstanding great progress recent years have been 

 notable for serious disasters, such as the disappearance of the " Waratah " in 1909, the 

 wrecks of the " Delhi " and " Oravia " and the sinking of the " Oceana " in 1912, but 

 the foundering of the " Titanic " in mid-ocean on April 15, 1912, after collision with 

 an iceberg, when out of 2,224 persons on board only 711 were saved, has eclipsed all 

 previous experiences, and has led to much searching of heart as to means of providing 

 better security. Enquiries were conducted in New York under Senator W. A. Smith of 

 Michigan, and in London under Lord Mersey sitting as Wreck Commissioner with five 

 experts as assessors. In both cases recommendations were made that liners should 

 have boats for all, regular boat drill, more efficient Wireless Telegraphy arrangements, 

 and improved sub-division in construction. Lord Mersey's Report covers 74 pages and 

 deals exhaustively with all the circumstances, as well as the details of the " Titanic;" 

 it showed that six out of fifteen of the main compartments of the vessel were damaged, 

 that the ship filled and went gradually down by the head without capsizing, and recom- 

 mended (a) improvements as above, (b) supervision of ship designs. The recommenda- 

 tions (a) were generally endorsed by the Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee of the 

 Board of Trade, who did not however concur in (b). The Board of Trade appointed 

 two committees, one (Bulkheads), with Dr. Denny of Dumbarton as chairman, to 

 consider the best means of improving the subdivision of new ships, the second (Boats 

 and Davits), with Professor Biles as chairman, to consider questions relating to design 

 and handling of boats, supply of motor boats, &c. The Board of Trade also laid draft 

 rules before Parliament (Parl. paper Cd. 6402 of 1912), requiring (i) great increases in 

 the numbers and capacity of boats to be carried by all classes of passenger vessels, and 

 (2) the submission of the designs of new ships for examination of stability, proposed 

 subdivision &c.; and the Board also took steps to secure international agreement as to 

 Wireless Telegraphy and all questions affecting safety at sea. The draft rules went 

 considerably beyond the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, and met with 

 very serious opposition from many quarters, but many steamship companies proceeded 

 even before official action was taken to supply boats for all on board their vessels, while 

 the White Star Company announced that improved .subdivision would be built into the 

 " Britannic," and that the " Olympic " would be similarly improved. 



The collision between the " Olympic " and H.M.S. " Hawke " in Spithead on 

 September 20, 1911 led to a legal inquiry before the Admiralty Court which showed 

 that the interaction (due to " suction ") between two vessels passing each other was 

 much greater than was generally known (see Taylor, Am. Soc. N.A. 1909; also Gibson 

 and Thompson, Brit. Assoc. 1912). The President, Sir Samuel Evans, found that the 

 cause of the collision was the faulty navigation of the " Olympic " by her pilot in going 

 dangerously near the " Hawke." On the Government's case for damages, he entered 

 judgment however for the owners of the " Olympic," since the pilot was solely respon- 

 sible, and their plea of " compulsory pilotage " was therefore a good defence. Both 

 parties appealed against the findings. 



Warships. The introduction of the Dreadnought design and the development from 

 this vessel to the " Neptune," in which the broadside guns are placed en echelon so that 

 both pairs of midship guns may fire on either broadside, and then to the Orion, in 

 which all the heavy guns are placed on the middle line with a good arc of training on 

 each side, were fully discussed by Sir Philip Watts in E. B. xxiv (art. "Ship"). This 

 arrangement has been adopted in all the U. S. ships, and in other navies it has been 

 closely followed. Particulars of the later vessels of the Orion type the "King 

 George V" &c. as well as of recent foreign vessels, are given in Table III. Table IV 

 shows the several vessels grouped according to Class. The " Invincible " has remained as 



