Distance between Californian and Titanic???

[thekma...@gmail.com]

I cannot seem to find this info on line. I've seen everything from 5 to 50 miles and in between.

All I know is that if I can see the Empire State Building naked-eye from 40 miles away(Titanic was 2/3 as tall if stood on her end), Titanic would have been easily identified from 5-10 miles away, even in pitch darkness.

[Dave Tuttle]

On Monday, June 25, 2012 12:24:35 PM UTC-4, thekma...@gmail.com wrote:
> I cannot seem to find this info on line. I've seen everything from 5 to 50 miles and in between.
>
>
>
> All I know is that if I can see the Empire State Building naked-eye from 40 miles away(Titanic was 2/3 as tall if stood on her end), Titanic would have been easily identified from 5-10 miles away, even in pitch darkness.

Well, first of all, only about 1/2 to 1/3 of titanic's length would have upended. But, let's not put the cart before the horse. Californian saw her masthead lights and her lighted decks and portholes; hence the description of a LARGE ship. Hence, the bulk of speculation and hard cold fact based on horizon and earth curvature says about 9, and possibly 12 miles.

[thekma...@gmail.com]

________________
Thanks Dave.

Sorry! I should have posed that as "Empire State Building laying flat". At night at least half(the side of the ESB not against the ground) would have been visible at 40 miles by its lights.

So at 9 miles, with Titanic = 1/6 mile in length, that would put her about 54 times her length from the Californian. And most of us can make out something 1 inch long when it is 54 inches away from our eyes.

So pretty much, the Cali's crew had no excuses for not being at Titanic's side within 1 hour of first sighting her.