SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
James Cameron creates new Titanic sinking simulation
Using new data and forensic analysis, TV special may offer the best look at the disaster yet.
Fri, Apr 06 2012 at 1:28 PM
Photo: National Geographic Channel
Thanks to the National Geographic Channel, I received an early screener of "Titanic: The Final Word," a two-hour "forensic" analysis of the famed disaster hosted by James Cameron. Unlike the many previous television specials covering the doomed ship, this one offers a fresh, roundtable discussion involving engineers, naval architects, artists and historians.
The goal? To come up with the most plausible scenario for how the ship sank after striking an iceberg on the evening of April 14, 1912.
Naturally, the amount of information regarding Titanic's fate has increased over the years following the discovery of the wreck by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1985. Additional dives, sonar mapping, and the aid of computer simulations have all provided clues to what unfolded over the two hours and forty minutes of the ship's sinking.
With the 100-year anniversary approaching next week, Cameron and National Geographic decided the timing was right to gather experts, debate the remaining enigmas, and construct a new computer-generated imagery simulation of what may have happened. The result is our best look yet at the frightening demise of one of the world's greatest ships.
Here are some new details regarding the sinking to watch for in the animation:
-
Unlike what was represented in the movie "Titanic," the new theory is that the ship's stern only raised 23 degrees into the air before breaking away from the bow.
-
While Titanic's gentle sinking without capsizing is an extreme anomaly in maritime disasters, the ship did list 9 degrees to port.
-
The Titanic's massive double-keel actually managed to hold the ship together briefly before the bow slipped away.
-
When the stern section sank, it keeled dramatically over to port. This differs substantially from Cameron's film — in fact, he mentions in the special that it's something he wishes he could go back and re-shoot.
-
The force of the bow impacting the ocean floor was so great, that water from inside was actually pushed out, causing the fore cargo hatch to explode off the deck. Watch for it in the animation.
-
While the bow torpedoed to the bottom, the stern actually swirls around violently — shedding materials and becoming barely recognizable by the time it hits the ocean floor.
Have a look at the new simulation below. "Titanic: The Final Word" premieres on the National Geographic Channel on April 8 at 8 p.m. EST. Want more? Check out our gallery of images about the disaster here.
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
- Stone Age people may have battled against a zombie apocalypse
- 9 habits that may do more harm than good
- 10 false facts most people think are true
- A day in the life of the human hand
- Tattoos for the edgy environmentalist
- How to bike to work (or anywhere else)
- Best air-filtering houseplants, according to NASA
- 15 houseplants to improve indoor air quality
- Jon Stewart explains the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’
From our sponsor
NEWSLETTER
ABOUT Michael d'Estries
Pop-culture expert covers green celebrities, arts & culture.
Advertisement
An important ERROR !
When having hit the iceberg, the broken underwater blocs of ice must not sink to the abiss, but rise tot the surface of the ocean ...
For the rest it is a magnificent simulation - congratulations.
its a simulation not the real thing its a simulation so stop saying ''oh this is wrong it wasnt like that oohhh"
I can't believe this nonsense. The stern came much higher out of the water and more mistakes show that the bow went under before it was filled with water??? what kind of rubbish is that?
And her list was only 2 degrees.
Well thats simple...
Think about it.. the boiler rooms and cargo holds were under the waterline anyway. When the decks under the waterlined filled, it dragged the upper decks down which where not yet flooded.
If this doesn't make sense, watch the film again. when jack is handcuffed to the pipe he notices the porthole sinking deeper yet he is bone dry with no water in sight.
Another question - If Titanic had dumped its 3 anchors and chains, it would have removed about 40 tons from the bow. I am curious as how much time this would have gained for the passengers before she sunk? Dumping 40 tons of steel is the roughly the equivalent weight of 35 to 37 cubic meters of water.
As for the dumping of the chains and anchors, I'm not sure it would have made much of a difference. It's estimated that within 45 minutes after impact with the iceberg, Titanic had already taken on more than 15,000 tons of water.
Did anyone ever do an actual simulation of what would have happened if the Titanic had simply hit the iceberg head on? My guess is it would not have sunk but the loss of life would have been just as great or perhaps greater everyone would have slammed into a bulkhead at ~25 mph..
DAYS BEFORE THEY TAKE THE TRIP, ONE OF TITANIC´S OWNER SAID NOR GOD COULD SINK THIS SHIP!
maybe he could go back and mention 2nd class passengers too... but hey that didn't matter. Romeo and Juliet only had two families... so he only needed two classes of people to rip that one off...