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Re: Did the Titanic helmsman turn the wrong way?
From: Jeremy C
Date: 2010 Sep 23, 17:48 EDT
From: Jeremy C
Date: 2010 Sep 23, 17:48 EDT
As a matter of course, I NEVER have full faith that my
helmsman/quartermaster will comply with my rudder commands or the captain's
order. When the conning officer gives an order, I will ALWAYS
look at the rudder angle indicator immediately to see if it is going in the
correct direction. If it is to a specific angle, I check that the rudder
achieves that order.
In several instances, including one higher stress circumstance, my helmsman
went the wrong way and it was immediately corrected. The ship will take
some time to begin to swing, so it is very important to observe the rudder angle
indicator before the swing commences to correct helm error.
Jeremy
In a message dated 9/23/2010 3:01:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
geoffreykolbe@compuserve.com writes:
Douglas Denny wrote:
>I simply do NOT believe it. I admit too I find it annoying.
>
>A helmsman used to being given instructions days in, days out; hours
>in, hours out on watch and perfectly used to helming in a particular
>fashion (whichever way that might be).... suddenly panicking and
>turning the wrong way? - NO, simply not credible.
Hmm. I think that the "instructions" that our hapless helmsman would
have been given "day in, day out" would have been of the kind...
"Steer 295 degrees magnetic". So he turned the wheel until that is
the heading indicated in the binnacle. But if, in an emergency, he
was given the instruction, "Hard a-port!" that would - or could -
have been a quite different sort of instruction, depending on the
helmsman's background. And could have led to a quite different
response from the one intended.
Just a thought.
Geoffrey Kolbe.
