WI: The Titanic didn't sink?

I think it was possible. If the lookouts are issued with BINOCULARS, which they DIDNT EVEN HAVE, they might avoid the icebergs. Apart from that, we need to use handwaving.

So, the question is, what would happen next? Would its survival lead to even bigger ships, bigger disasters, or even a slightly more steampunk world?

What do you all think?
 
From what I've read, If the lookout did not see the iceberg for another few minutes, the turning maneuver ordered by Captain Smith would have been too late and the Titanic would have hit the berg head-on at the bow. The result might have been a severely damaged ship, but one who's internal bulkheads actually saved the ship from sinking. Or, alternatively, a ship that stays afloat for hours longer, allowing the Carpathia and other ships to resecue everyone on board. If the Titanic survives and limps into port a week later, all of the British and American upper-class passengers survive. Some of the navigational and structural reforms later enacted may take longer to happen and DeCaprio doesn't get to star in a movie called Titanic
 
This particular POD has a very strong potential for re-shaping history. When the Titanic sank, many first class people perished and thus, wealth and power abruptly passed to their heirs. Out of 1500 casualties, we can easily assume dozens wielded power and influence. Since the passengers came from many nations, we can propose some big political butterflies.
 
1) Smith was in bed asleep I would presume, although a change in the vibrations coming from the engine room might of woken/alerted him
2) IIRC Fred Fleet (survived by the way) left his glasses in Southhampton
3) IMO a head-on into the berg would of caused massive mechanical damage and quite possibly caused fractures farther down the hull depending on who's metalurgy reports you believe. See Ship Models.com for Tatanic discussions
The people to blame in the Titanic disastar are numerous and start with the British Board of Trade for not increasing the number of lifeboats required as ship tonnage increased dramatically after 1900
 
Thanks for all your comments. Since I dont know much about the subject I cant really comment myself but still, it was an interestig question.
 
From what I've read, If the lookout did not see the iceberg for another few minutes, the turning maneuver ordered by Captain Smith would have been too late and the Titanic would have hit the berg head-on at the bow. The result might have been a severely damaged ship, but one who's internal bulkheads actually saved the ship from sinking. Or, alternatively, a ship that stays afloat for hours longer, allowing the Carpathia and other ships to resecue everyone on board. If the Titanic survives and limps into port a week later, all of the British and American upper-class passengers survive. Some of the navigational and structural reforms later enacted may take longer to happen and DeCaprio doesn't get to star in a movie called Titanic

This TL is sounding quite utopian to me. :D

Anyway, we'd get some more "unsinkable" ships, culminating in a similar disaster shortly after World War 1, whatever the outcome of that war.
 
From what I've read, If the lookout did not see the iceberg for another few minutes, the turning maneuver ordered by Captain Smith would have been too late and the Titanic would have hit the berg head-on at the bow. The result might have been a severely damaged ship, but one who's internal bulkheads actually saved the ship from sinking. Or, alternatively, a ship that stays afloat for hours longer, allowing the Carpathia and other ships to resecue everyone on board. If the Titanic survives and limps into port a week later, all of the British and American upper-class passengers survive. Some of the navigational and structural reforms later enacted may take longer to happen and DeCaprio doesn't get to star in a movie called Titanic

It wasn't Captain Smith, it was First Officer Murdoch who ordered the evasive action. A few minutes earlier and it might have succeeded. However who gave the order is irrelevant to the question.

No disaster and there would have been no tightening of safety regulations i.e particularly those about boats until the next major disaster struck or conversely safety regulatiomns were tightened up as part of a general process. A damaged but floating Titanic would have affected the fortunes of the White Star steamship company.

The movie makers would have had to have used other scenarios which didn't have quite the class implications i.e Empress of Ireland, Lusitania and Morro Castle
 
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