Titanics' suction
Dan Frechette
Is it REALLY true that a sinking ship will suck boats around it under?
I would think there would be some suction above a decending boat,
much like there is less wind drag for flying geese. I would also guess
this would only effect something that was submersed in water already,
not a boat which is floating on top of the water. Of course a boat might
be swamped by rough water around a sinking ship, but that is another
matter.
So, will a sinking ship suck nearby boats under water along with it or
is it an old wives tale?
Hugh1959
I asked a seaman about this. I was told that water pouring into open spaces of
the ship could suck people in as the ship goes below the waves. For instance,
if there was a hatchway open into an interior space that was not already full
of water, as the ship goes down, water pours into that space. Anyone unlucky
enough to be swimming near that hatch is going to get sucked in.
As it turns out, there was no suction when the Titanic went down. I recall
that one crewmember was riding the stern down and said it was like riding an
elevator. As he reached the water level, he stepped off into the ocean without
getting his hair wet.
I recently read a book on the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano;
there was significant suction there, mainly because of flooding of the hangar
deck as the ship went down.
Tom Pappas
Dan Frechette <ac...@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<34F8EB...@earthlink.net>...
The suction is caused by water flowing into the ship. In the case of
Titanic, a lot of water poured into the huge ventilation shafts surrounding
the smokestacks, making it difficult for the men trying to launch the
collapsibles from the roof of the officers' quarters nearby.
The stern section was already full of water when it sank, so it was
possible for Chief Baker Charles Joughin to ride it down "like an elevator"
and step off into the water "without getting his head wet."
--
Tom Pappas {:ož http://home.att.net/~tompappas
"But this script can't sink!"
"She is made of irony, sir. I assure you, she can. And she will."
Dan Frechette
Jacks' italian friend was almost sucked trough a boat deck window as the
Titanic was sinking. Thanks for the answer.
Hugh1959
Sigh...I wish I had access to a decent library; instead of having to rely on
dusty memories of books read long ago.
Eric Smith
hugh...@aol.com (Hugh1959) writes:
>I asked a seaman about this. I was told that water pouring into open spaces of
>the ship could suck people in as the ship goes below the waves. For instance,
>if there was a hatchway open into an interior space that was not already full
>of water, as the ship goes down, water pours into that space. Anyone unlucky
>enough to be swimming near that hatch is going to get sucked in.
>As it turns out, there was no suction when the Titanic went down. I recall
>that one crewmember was riding the stern down and said it was like riding an
>elevator. As he reached the water level, he stepped off into the ocean without
>getting his hair wet.
I think that was the story of the baker, Charles Joughin.
Lightoller related being sucked against a ventilation grate as the ship
went down, and wondering if the grate would hold his weight. (I imagine
if it hadn't, and he got sucked into the ventilation shaft, that would
have been the end.) But then as the ship was going down a blast of hot
air blew him away from the grate and the ship. I expect others had
similar experiances, with many not so fortunate.
-----
Eric Smith | "They were like travellers unwillingly
erics @netcom .com | returned from brilliant realms, not yet
http://www.catsdogs.com | adjusted to their return." - Olivia Manning
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Eric Smith
hugh...@aol.com (Hugh1959) writes:
>Sigh...I wish I had access to a decent library; instead of having to rely on
>dusty memories of books read long ago.
Well, one positive result of the success of the movie is that publishers
are reissuing just about everything written on the Titanic, including
some works that have been out of print, and bookstores are featuring
them prominently.
Eric Smith
hugh...@aol.com (Hugh1959) writes:
>Sigh...I wish I had access to a decent library; instead of having to rely on
>dusty memories of books read long ago.
Well, one positive result of the movie is that publishers are reissuing
Andrew and Rebecca Hall
Eric Smith wrote:
> Lightoller related being sucked against a ventilation grate as the ship
> went down, and wondering if the grate would hold his weight. (I imagine
> if it hadn't, and he got sucked into the ventilation shaft, that would
> have been the end.) But then as the ship was going down a blast of hot
> air blew him away from the grate and the ship. I expect others had
> similar experiances, with many not so fortunate.
Yes. One has to take reports like Joughin's that there was no suction for
what they are -- individual experiences only. Those in the water who *did*
experience the suction from the ship wouldn't be around to tell about it
later.
----------> Andy Hall
Steven Abbott
The problem with sinking ships is not so much suction but lack of bouyancy
in the water. If a ship goes down rapidly, there is usually a great deal
of air and gasses leaking from the hull section. These air bubbles rob
the water of density and things sink quicker. If you want to test this
theory get an aquarium air pump and sparging stone and drop it into a
tall glass of water. Put a small toy boat on the water surface and turn
on the pump. It'll sink like a rock.
Titanic took a long time to go down. A lot of air was purged from the
forward hull before it broke from the stern (plus it was underwater when
it broke away) and planed away. Cameron does a pretty good job of showing
the air being purged from the stern section as it sinks. I also believe
there is an account of one of the survivors literally stepping off the
stern railing as the ship went under.
All I can say is thank God the ships today pack eight inflatable rafts to
a rack and our SAR crews are amongst the best in the world.
PTfuzzface
Yea. I remember reading that they had difficulty launching the collapsibles
because they were stuck to with fresh paint.
After the Titanic was discovered by Ballard is when I did most of my reading. I
had a nice local library.