Rope Dock Lines
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R.M.S Titanic help: need help with technical terms?
The Titanic’s sailing from Southampton, though quiet, was not wholly uneventful. As the liner moved slowly toward the end of her dock that April day, the surge of her passing sucked away from the quay the steamer New York, moored just to seaward of the Titanic’s berth. There were sharp cracks as the manila mooring lines of the New York parted under the strain.
The frayed ropes writhed and whistled through the air and snapped down among the waving crowd on the pier; the New York swung toward the Titanic’s bow, was checked and dragged back to the dock barely in time to avert a collision.
Seamen muttered, thought it an ominous start.
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I looked the words up but I still didn't get the overall understanding of what happened with the New York ship. What happened? Did New York almost crash with the Titanic and if yes, then why? What has gone wrong?
Thanks!
The Titanic was such a big ship that even moving slowly (the Titanic was moving at 6 knots when this incident occurred) it created a huge suction of water at the back of the ship as it moved along. As the Titanic passed the New York the suction pulled the New York towards the Titanic. However, because the New York was tied up, this caused the ropes holding the New York to be stretched so tightly that they snapped.
The text that you are quoting is probably from the book by Hanson W. Baldwin. However, it is actually incorrect. The New York was pulled towards the Titanic's stern, and not the bow as your text states. Also the New York wasn't tied up to the quay (the dock), it was tied up to another ship (The Oceanic).
The collision was avoided by the quick thinking of one of the tug boats that were following the Titanic down the channel. Even so, the New York came to within about 3 or 4 feet of the Titanic's stern.
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