What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries

By Jennifer Hooper McCarty and Tim Foecke

Book Overview

With the same methodology used by forensic scientists in crime scene investigations, researchers Jennifer Hooper McCarty and Tim Foecke applied new tools to the century-old mystery. By analysing how the ship was designed and constructed, what vulnerabilities were overlooked and how this marvel of modern engineering may have been a disaster waiting to happen, they build a compelling new scenario with shattering impact. Also illustrated with fascinating period photographs mixed with modern scientific investigation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806528958
• ISBN13: 9780806528953
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Analysis of Technical Explanations

This is a good forensic and historical evaluation of some factors that may have played a key role in the Titanic's sinking. The role of metallurgy, quality control, construction techniques and poor design assumptions is highlighted, with painstaking efforts to replicate the material and workmanship prevalent at the time of the doomed ship's fabrication. Naturally, any engineer can quibble with the authors' details and conclusions, but overall I think they have it right. Connections are typically what fail first in any structure, and the rivets used to waterseal the big boat were subject to considerable variation in quality. The toughness issue which earler investigators had pinpointed as the cause of the hull rupture is debunked, but not entirely, in my opinion as a materials engineer. Unquestionably the material would be deemed poor in toughness by the ubiquitous Charpy test, but the key question for the authors is, was it tough enough to resist fracture while the riveted seams parted anyway? At the end of that cold tragic day, it mattered not a whit whether the flooding holes in the ship's side were caused by cracked metal or torn seams. The primary lesson for engineers is that your structure is only as good as its weakest link and your assumptions had better make sure that link is tested to the max. A good little book that may require the reader to know a smidgen about steel.

A Forensic Ananlysis

The authors did a superb job on assessing the quality and workmanship issues regarding the steel and rivets used in the construction of the Titanic and her sister ships. I especially liked the way they explained some of the complexities of steel making and the riveting process in the early part of the 20th century. All the explanations of technical matters were written so that someone without a technical background is able to appreciate and understand them. I especially liked the many analogies that are used throughout the book, and some of the sidebar issues that were brought up. The authors did an excellent job in assessing the claims of others, and in presenting their own assessment of the various issues involved and work that they did in the search for answers. They fully supported their conclusions, and made a very clear and logical case for what contributed to the sinking of this great ship.

Based on hard facts and scientific analysis

Far too often, books dealing with the sinking of RMS Titanic contain little more than old information covered with groundless speculation. "What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries" is entirely different. Both McCarty and Foecke have doctorates in Materials Science, and both have long been engaged with testing metal samples recovered in the past two decades from the Titanic wreck site. Although in passing they examine various previously discussed facts and theories (such as the speed of the vessel on the fatal night, a fire in a coal bunker, and the variability of witness testimony), the heart of their book revolves around the testing and analysis of rivets used to hold together the ship's steel hull plates. I suppose that the ideal audience for this book is a Titanic buff with a technical background (I qualify on both grounds), and although I found myself reflecting back to my single college metallury course, I think it written lucidly enough for any intelligent reader. The authors present a convincing case that many of the rivets used in the Titanic's construction were of inferior material and many probably not optimally installed. The result was that, under stress from the glancing blow against the iceberg, too many rivets failed and allowed the seams between some of the hull plates to open, admitting water and causing the ship to sink before any help could arrive. Along the way, McCarty and Foecke refute the formerly popular theory that the hull plate material itself was overly brittle and failed during the collision.

An Essential Facet of Titanic History

I have a few minor nits here and there (including a too brief and too simplistic overview of rusticle biology); but not even all of them put together are of such magnitude as to preclude a five-star rating. Even the sidebars (or long foot notes) are not only must reading on this subject, but fascinating reading as well. New data are presented requiring, among other things, a re-examination of questions surrounding the coal bunker fire, and whether or not the steel was sufficiently damaged at a critical bulkbead to make any difference in the rate of the ship's sinking - or even to determine whether or not she floated through the crisis altogether. Just when you thought there was nothing really new or interesting (or sane) to be written about the Titanic, Hooper and Foecke come along.

Highly entertaining !! Fascinating, fact based theory!

Absolutly fascinating!! The authors provide a detailed, yet highly readable and enjoyable(and understandable) theory for the sinking of the Titanic. The book focuses of metallurgic analysis of the rivets used in the construction of the ship. The book gives short, informative background in the different processing methods involved in making the different types of metals used in the rivet construction (and how these may have affected the ultimate sinking of Titanic) so the average reader is not lost in "techno-speak". Now I know that sounds a bit dry, but the authors explain it in such a way that it is absolutely fascinating. The book also conatin several sidebars with little known facts and non-sequitors to the main story. I found the book very entertaining. It is definatley worth buying!