An Unsinkable Titanic

Speed, luxury and sheer size come under scrutiny in John Bernard Walker's argument for safer ocean liners. Published in July 1912, this engineering study asks why the Titanic sank so quickly after striking an iceberg. Walker sets the disaster against the construction of the Great Eastern, built more than fifty years earlier, and argues that passenger ships should recover its protective features: a double skin, longitudinal bulkheads and watertight decks.

The book explains how dividing a hull into sealed compartments can help a damaged ship remain afloat. Photographs, line drawings and comparisons of ship designs accompany discussions of lifeboats, sea hazards and protective construction in warships and liners. Walker also examines the Titanic's dimensions and the arrangements under which it was built. Readers interested in maritime history will find an early response to the disaster that turns public shock into a specific case for changes in shipbuilding.