Page 192 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

questions involved are not free from difficulty, but they will receive the immediate attention of the Committee. Pending their consideration the Committee note that assurances have been received by the Board of Trade from representatives of most of the large passenger lines to the effect that every effort will be made to equip their vessels, at the earliest possible moment, with boats and rafts sufficient to accommodate all persons on board. In regard to the recommendations forwarded with the Committee’s letter of the 4th July last that the Board of Trade should, having regard to the developments in shipbuilding since the Report of the Committee of 1891, on Spacing and Construction of Watertight Bulkheads, review the requirements designed to attain the standards at present enforced under Rule 12, the Advisory Committee note that the Board of Trade have under consideration the appointment of a Committee of equal standing to that of the Committee of 1891. In view of the great importance of this question the Advisory Committee desire us respectfully to urge that such a Committee be appointed at as early a date as possible. The subject of the general revision of the statutory regulations as to boats and life-saving appliances on all ships, which, apart from the questions on all ships, boat accommodation on vessels over 10,000 tons, is for the first time referred to the Advisory Committee by the letter of the 25th instant, together with the particular questions raised in the letters of the 16th, 20th, and 24th instant, are also receiving the immediate attention of the Committee. At yesterday’s meeting sub-committees were appointed to give immediate consideration to the subjects requiring detailed examination. These sub-committees will pursue their enquiries concurrently, and we are desired by the Advisory Committee to inform you that their investigation into the revision of the Life-Saving Appliances Rules will be proceeded with as expeditiously as possible.” That, I think, is all the correspondence that is really material. There are letters which refer to it, but I do not think they help at all. Now if I may just deal, while they are getting these minutes, with the report of July, 1911. It is quite clear from that, that if that Report had been adopted the boat accommodation on the “Titanic” would have been very far short of that which would have been necessary to take off all the passengers and crew from the vessel. The Witness: That is so. The Commissioner: And it appears to me it would have been very far short of what was, in fact, on the “Titanic.” The Attorney-General: Yes. If it took advantage of the right to apply for exemption provided they satisfied the Board of Trade as to the watertight compartments and also that they had the proper wireless telegraphy apparatus, that would be the case. The Commissioner: What was the tonnage? The Attorney-General: 46,000. The Commissioner: She would have had 16 boats under davits. The Attorney-General: Yes, and 8 which were to be readily available for attachment to davits. So that it would be 24 boats which must have a minimum cubic capacity of 8,300. The Commissioner: What was the cubic capacity of the boats on the “Titanic”? The Attorney-General: The total capacity was 11,325, of the 20 boats. The Commissioner: Comparing the boat accommodation by the cubic contents, the boat accommodation was, in fact, on board the “Titanic” considerably in excess. The Attorney-General: But I think we are measuring a little too soon, because you have to add something to the 8,300. I put the question a little too quickly yesterday to Mr. Carlisle, and then pointed out that it was not quite right. If you add the three-fourths you will get then 6,225 which must be added, giving a cubic capacity altogether of 14,525 as against 11,325, the actual cubic capacity of the boating accommodation on the “Titanic.” The Commissioner: It would be short by the difference between 11,000 and 14,000. The Attorney-General: Yes, there would have been accommodation for about 300 persons