Only 30 seconds separated the largest passenger liner Titanic and fifteen hundred passengers from rescue in April 1912. This is the conclusion reached by American researchers of the causes of the tragedy, led by Samuel Halpern
In a report released by the local press, "The causes of the sinking of the Titanic: Reassessment after a century" indicates that exactly half a minute on duty on the bridge, first officer 39-year-old William Murdoch did not dare to change course after warning about the appearance of an iceberg right in the direction of the ship. “The command given immediately after the warning could have been a life-saver for the Titanic,” the authors of the report believe.
This conclusion is made on the basis of the testimony of the lookout Frederick Fleet and Robert Hitchens at the helm, as well as the outgoing sailor Alfred Olliver.
According to the conclusions of the commission of inquiry from 1912, the iceberg was seen at a distance of about 500 meters, and the team to change the course followed immediately after three rings of the lookout bell - warning of the appearance of an obstacle ahead - and his phone call to the captain's bridge. This is the version adopted in the famous film by James Cameron "Titanic" (1997).
However, the latest research by a group of experts, according to the report, indicates that the iceberg was at the time of warning almost 700 meters from the ship - almost a minute before the collision. The 30-second delay of the duty officer was fatal for the liner. “If Murdoch had reacted to the warning at least 15 seconds earlier, the tragedy would have been avoided,” the study notes. According to recently obtained technical data, the maneuvering of the Titanic began just 20 seconds before the collision.
At the same time, as the authors of the report state, the blame cannot be placed on the first officer - he was right in trying to assess whether the liner would be able to bypass the iceberg on its own: after all, in the event of a turn, the blow could have come further along the hull.
One more detail from the marine biography of William Murdoch was also revealed. He had already found himself in a similar situation in 1903 on another ship Erebic, which managed to avoid a collision with an oncoming vessel after the officer made the right decision not to change course.
