From increased training and appropriate personal protection to standardizing requirements for emergency procedures, maritime safety has improved and many lives have been saved.Ībout the Author: Mandy Savage is a copywriter with Graphic Products.The 25-ft cutters (the two forward-most boats) were referred to as "emergency boats" and were kept uncovered and swung out in case someone fell overboard. Lessons have been learned from the 1,500 lives lost on the Titanic. The United States Coast Guard formed the agency to monitor and report on the location of North Atlantic Ocean icebergs that could pose a threat to transatlantic sea traffic. 12, 1913 in response to the Titanic disaster. A treaty was signed by the conference in January 1914, resulting in the formation of the International Ice Patrol. These plans include, but are not limited to, required training and emergency response from nearby vessels.Īgencies Formed and Protocol Set – The first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convened Nov. In response to this, vessel emergency response plans were implemented by governing agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom. What is clear is that rather than issue the order to respond, the captain of the Californian went to bed. Some say he didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation or that there was a miscommunication, while others claim it was negligence. Over the years, people have speculated about why the captain of the Californian decided not to respond to the distress calls. Senate subcommittee and the British Board of Trade both concluded that the Californian could have rescued some of the 700 people who were left floating in the water for three hours before the Carpathia made it to that location to rescue survivors. During investigations after the Titanic sinking, a U.S. Each minute gained potentially could have saved hundreds more lives.Įmergency Backup – There was another ship, the Californian, within 30 miles of the Titanic, and its crew saw flares and intercepted emergency response requests. This fact, among many others, may have contributed to the officers only having 37 seconds to react before they hit the iceberg. Some of the officers on the bridge did not have binoculars or search lights. There is speculation that the training could have impacted the outcome of the emergency escape, potentially saving more lives.Īdequate Tools and Protection – The ship was short on safety equipment. ![]() The lifeboat drill that was scheduled to take place the day the Titanic hit the iceberg was cancelled by Captain Edward J. One lifeboat that could carry 40 people only had 12 passengers. At least four lifeboats were filled at 50 percent capacity or less. Lack of Training – The 20 lifeboats were not used to full capacity. That rule may have sufficed, but the act only provided calculations for ships up to 10,000 tons, in which 16 life boats were required. Titanic was more than four times that size, some 46,000 tons, and carried only 20 lifeboats. The only requirement in place was the 1894 Merchant Shipping Act, which required that the number of lifeboats be in direct proportion with the ship's gross tonnage. The Board of Trade had no safety regulations in place for a ship of that size. Outdated Standards and Requirements – The Titanic only was supplied with enough life boats and life jackets for half of its maximum number of passengers. Here are five lessons about Titanic that impacted the safety of future vessels: The sinking of the Titanic, and the subsequent inquiries and investigations, should be seen as one of the factors that turned the tide in maritime safety. One hundred years and counting after the tragedy, maybe it’s time to celebrate the safety improvements that resulted from the tragedy, and the ideas generated, shared and implemented for future use. There were many lessons learned from the mistakes that led to the sinking of the Titanic. The tragedy shocked the world, because the Titanic had been touted as “the safest ship ever built.” The sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. Headlines about catastrophes, accidents and fines related to safety performance grab our attention, and there often is more than enough finger-pointing to go around.Īpril 15th marks the 103rd year anniversary of a major maritime catastrophe: the sinking of the Titanic, arguably one of the most talked about safety tragedies of 20th century.
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