A marine forensic analysis of the RMS TITANIC

During Oceans Conference in 1994, there was a panel discussion on how the RMS Titanic met her fate on 14 April 1912. Was it a case of brittle fracture? Was there a 300-foot gash as some writers have written? Did the ship fracture in two or three pieces and, if so, why did it happen? In 1994 and again in 1998, the Discovery Channel and the RMS Titanic, Inc. Mounted expeditions to the wreck site to answer these questions. The assistance of the Marine Forensics Panel of the Society of the Naval Architects and Marine Engineers was requested to provide technical assistance for a marine forensic investigation. This paper will demonstrate the techniques that are now available for solving the riddle of famous ship losses such as the Titanic using modern technology and computer analysis.