In the movie, there was a sign on the rail of the stern that said: "NOTICE. This vessle has triple screws. Stay clear of the blade." What exactly did this mean?

-- Rose (rose364@earthlink.net), March 31, 1998

Answers

Response to triple screws

I believe that it was relating to Titanic's three propellors. I don't know how you were supposed to stay clear of them if you were up on deck though. Hope that helps! :-)

-- Emma (nohave@sorry.com), March 31, 1998.

Response to triple screws

That sign was intended for approaching vessels, small or otherwise. The screws certainly could raise the devil with anything near them when they were operating. They managed to rip the liner New York from her moorings almost causing a severe collision. Lots of turbulent water happening in that area! I believe a sign with a similar message is still posted on commercial ships today as the physics of the that occurance certainly has not changed.

Regards, Peter

-- Peter Nivling (pcnivling@capecod.net), March 31, 1998.

Response to triple screws

As if any further proof were needed, beyond what Peter says, remember what happened when the Britannic went down. Several lifeboats were launched before authorization by the bridge, while the ship was still under way (the captain had thoughts of trying to beach her). As the propellers came out of the water, still turning, they pulled two of the lifeboats into them, which caused most of the thirty or so deaths of the Britannic's sinking.

Lesson: don't get too close to big ships; they are POWERFUL.

-- Thomas Shoebotham (cathytom@ix.netcom.com), April 01, 1998.

Response to triple screws

A similar incident occurred at the conclusion of Titanic sistership Olympic's maiden arrival in New York in 1911; she pulled a tugboat into one of her screws. Nobody was hurt but the tugboat sustained some serious damage.

Cheers!

-- Kip Henry (kip-henry@ouhsc.edu), April 01, 1998.

Response to triple screws

Also note that if you were up on deck you could NOT read the signs because they all faced away from the deck and were mounted on the outside of the rail.

-- Miranda Swearingen (Kylen1@hotmail.com), April 01, 1998.

Response to triple screws

Hi Tom: I remember, in my Navy days on an Attack Transport, we were going into our home port of Little Creek, VA at a less than fair tide and to reduce the draft of the ship, we had to offload several LCVP landing craft while still underway (albeit at a slow bell) in Chesapeake Bay. As we were being lowered, in a Welin davit BTW, I looked toward the stern of the ship, and saw the ship's propellar, which always had one blade out of the water, turning and whacking the water. That is a sight and sound I won't soon forget and can visualize 30 years later. I can imagine the horror of what happened to the boats and people in the water during the sinking of Britannic!

Regards, Peter

-- Peter Nivling (pcnivling@capecod.net), April 02, 1998.