Page 161 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

immediately under the bulkhead deck, may be under the control of the crew or passengers, and need not be arranged to close automatically, provided the freeboard for the purpose of bulkhead spacing is measured not from the bulkhead deck, but from a line 3/100ths of the depth amidships below the line of the sills of any such sidelights and ports “(g) That all other openings in a vessel’s side below the bulkhead deck, such as scupper and sanitary pipes, etc, be fitted with efficient non-return valves, and that these be carefully examined before sailing on each voyage. “2 Although all vessels, whatever their length, can be subdivided so as to be able to float in moderate weather with any two adjoining compartments in free communication with the sea, yet if small vessels were subdivided to that extent their holds would be so reduced in length as to impair their value for commercial purposes. Having regard therefore to the exigencies of trade, we recommend that the following six grades be adopted according to which certain vessels should be fitted with bulkheads in the manner indicated in Appendix A, viz.: - “FIRST GRADE. - Vessels subdivided throughout their lengths so that they may float in moderate weather with any two adjoining compartments in free communication with the sea. “This grade should apply to: - “(a.) Sea-going steam vessels whether paddle or screw which have passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Act, and which are not less than 425 feet in length. “(b) Cross-channel steamers, irrespective of their length, whose principal employment is the carriage of passengers, or passengers and mails - as, for instance, those running between Holyhead and Dublin or Kingstown, Dover and Calais, Folkestone and Boulogne, Newhaven and Dieppe, Liverpool and Isle of Man. “SECOND GRADE. - Vessels subdivided throughout their length so that they may float in moderate weather with any two adjoining forebody compartments, or with any one afterbody compartment, in free communication with the sea. A compartment, the fore end of which does not extend more than a quarter of its length forward of the centre of the vessels length may be treated as an afterbody compartment. “This grade should apply to sea-going steam vessels which have passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Acts, and are less than 425 feet but not less than 350 feet in length. “THIRD GRADE. - Vessels subdivided throughout their length, so that they may float in moderate weather with any adjoining two of the three foremost compartments or with any one of the other compartments, in free communication with the sea. This grade should apply to sea-going steam vessels which have passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Acts, and are less than 350 feet, but not less than 300 feet in length. “FOURTH GRADE. - Vessels subdivided throughout their length, so that they may float in moderate weather with the two foremost compartments, or with any one of the other compartments in free communication with the sea. “This grade should apply to: - “(a.) Sea-going steam vessels which have passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Acts, and are less than 300 feet in length. “(b) Sea-going sailing vessels, irrespective of their length, which carry more than fifty passengers in all, or a greater number of passengers, cabin and other, than in the proportion of one statute adult passenger to every 33 tons of the registered tonnage of such ships. “FIFTH GRADE. - Vessels subdivided throughout their length, so that they may float in