Titanic New Theory-C4Now

But WALOFS, it sank because it hit an iceberg, not because it had a fire in a boiler.

It was alright when it left Belfast.

I worked in the shipyard that built it and if you seen the mistakes I made, you'd fly in the Wright Bro's plane every time

You worked at Hardland & Wolff, what was your trade ?

amazing its taken so long to come to tv

i guess it was played down because it reflected badly on the shipping line

if they had spotted iceberg sooner i doubt the fire would have been an issue ?

The real reason for Titanic’s tragic sinking that claimed more than 1,500 lives in 1912 was a fire in the ocean liner’s boiler room and not simply a collision with a giant iceberg, a new documentary has claimed.

The Titanic’s hull was fatally weakened by a fire that had been smouldering in the coal bunker in the boiler room since she left the shipyard in Belfast, Irish journalist and author Senan Molony has claimed in the documentary.

Photographs of the ship with a dark mark on her hull before she left Southampton — at the same spot the iceberg struck — support the theory, Molony, who has spent 30 years researching the disaster, was quoted as saying by The Times.

He claimed that J Bruce Ismay, president of the company that built the ship and the man forever branded a coward for taking one of the few lifeboat places, knew about the fire but downplayed its significance in the aftermath.

In Molony’s documentary, Titanic: The New Evidence to be broadcast on Channel 4, he suggests that the prolonged fire subjected the partitions, or bulkheads, in the hull to temperatures in excess of 1,000C, making the hull so weak and brittle that what should have been a minor collision became a catastrophe that killed more than 1,500 people.

“The official Titanic inquiry branded the sinking as an act of God. This isn’t a simple story of colliding with an iceberg and sinking. It’s a perfect storm of extraordinary factors coming together: fire, ice and criminal negligence,” Molony is quoted as saying.

He points to dark marks that can be seen on the starboard side in a set of photographs that came to light in a private auction recently.

Molony believes it is evidence of the fire inside and the reason why the most luxurious ocean liner of her day was, unusually, reversed into her berth — presenting the unmarked side to passengers as they boarded.

“Nobody has investigated these marks before or dwelled upon them. It totally changes the narrative,” he said.

“Since 1912, there has been this myth of a 300-foot gash that opened the ship up but when the wreckage was examined, people were perplexed because they couldn’t find anything like it,” Molony said.

“We have metallurgy experts telling us that when you get that level of temperature against steel it makes it brittle, and reduces its strength by up to 75 per cent. The fire was known about and briefly addressed at the inquiry, but it was played down. She should never have been put to sea but the Titanic had already been delayed a couple of times and was committed to leaving on April 10th,” he said.

A secret fire, Molony claims, would go some way to explaining why the Titanic was going so fast through icy seas.

Richard De Kerbrech, the author of several books on the Titanic, said the theory was plausible.

If only there had been some handy nearby source of water to put the fire out.

I was a steelworker, the ones that welded, measured, cualked and burned the ships. Unfortunately the ships I made never stood up to the Titanic and stayed afloat

Didn't burning them void the warranty and provide an impediment to seaworthyness?

A lot of heat would warp the steel and weaken it but hitting an iceberg at 20 mile an hour would do more damage.

When I served my time there were 5k workers, at it's height there was 50k (I think they turned over 1 ship a week over the war.)

When I left there was 2k and the shipyard was closing, it's only ship repair now but they still have capabilities for the biggest ships in the World.

Billy Connolly was a left handed riveter, apparently a rare and prized species as you could work him in close vicinity to a right handed riveter or have I just made that up Ovalman

Billy Conolly done a tour of Ireland on his motorbike and interviewed my mate who worked on the crane. Yes he 100% worked in the Glasgow Shipyards.

For sure he worked there, it's the bit about the left and right handed combination that my memory may be playing tricks on me with .....

It was always one of my ambitions to climb the crane (smaller of the 2 cranes) but unfortunately I never got the chance, one of the missed opportunities in life especially as my mate worked there.

I've done a load of traveling in my time but, incredibly, have never made it across to the Emerald Isle.

Will need to put that right one of these days and could be a nice wee trip with the wife and kids one summer.
Will just make sure that we don't come over on one of the ferries you worked on 

We even keep our fireworks for the 12th July

NI is a super spot and Belfast a great weekend in a tour of NI or Ireland btw (Londonderry/ Giants Causway worth a visit.)

I would second that.
I reckon I have visited about 20 European Cities on long weekend breaks, and Belfast is in my top 3.
Friendly people, interesting history and scenery, great pubs, and the best mashed potato I have ever had

Poignant reply
OVALMAN

Thinking the insurance angle
But LLOYDS paid out in Full
After 30 days

Premium was only £7500

Never saw this...but...fire = smoke...where did the smoke go...?

poor limited hangout by CH4.
google for Titanic and Olympic
the-ship-that-never-sank