"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Purely and simply, the Titanic sank because it rammed an iceberg at nearly
full speed. The strength
of plates, of rivets, formulation of the metal in the plates; all had very
little to do with it.
Take any modern vessel and ram an iceberg at full speed and it will sink
also. The "improved"
strength of modern materials might only account for a few minutes
difference in sink time.

Bob (doesn't quibble over a few k-pounds) Swinney


I think the ability of seawater to cascade from one compartment to the other
had something to do with it, too, IIRC. Had the compartments been truly
watertight, only a few of them would have flooded, and the ship could have
stayed afloat with the buoyancy of the rest.

DO NOT quote me on this.

Steve