The Engineering Behind the Titanic

Before its nemesis, the disastrous iceberg that struck the Titanic, the impressive ocean liner was the engineering marvel of the 20th century. Let's dive into just what innovative work the engineers behind RMC Titanic created and how it made it possible for the largest ship of its time to stay afloat.

Building the Titanic

When White Star Line first decided to build a fleet of ocean liners, they knew they could either match and beat the competition with either speed or size. They decided to take the size route and ended up building the largest ship of its time. 

Let's look at the Titanic and its impressive hull in numbers.

• 882 feet 9 inches (269.06 meters) long

• 92 feet 6 inches (28.19 meters) wide

• 104 feet (32 meters) tall

• 46,328 tonnes heavy

• 11 decks

• Three engines, two of which were steam engines, the other a turbine engine

 Those numbers are difficult to wrap your head around, especially when you consider that at this time, many households were still regularly using candles as primary light sources. 

Titanic Engines

If you've ever seen James Cameron's Titanic, you may have memories of the backbreaking work the workers below deck were doing to keep the engines going. The three engines, two of which were reciprocating steam engines and one low-pressure turbine, needed the steam of 29 impressive boilers, which could hold 48 tonnes of water each. One hundred seventy-five laborers were shoveling 600 tonnes of coal into the 159 furnaces every day. 

The average UK household uses 19,000kWh, which requires around 2.33 tonnes of coal. The Titanic needed as much coal per day as 250 (!) UK homes would need per year nowadays! 

Titanic Anchor

What type of anchor was needed to keep such an innovation in place? The Titanic's anchor held the record for the world's largest hand-forged anchor for many years after the completion and sinking of the ship. It weighed over 15 tonnes and measured 18 feet and 6 inches in length. 

When the wreck of the Titanic was found 73 years after the ship's unfortunate maiden voyage, the underwater footage showed the anchor eerily still affixed to the bow of the vessel.

Why Did the Titanic Sink?

An iceberg, duh. 

However, as STEM interested people and students, we want to know what caused the magnificent ship to sink from an engineering point of view. 

When the Titanic collided with the iceberg, it damaged 300 feet of the ship's hull, which allowed water to flood 6 of the sixteen watertight compartments. A little later, the bow pitched forward, causing the anchor chain holes to flood as well. As the bow continued to submerge, the propellers lifted out of the water until it tipped, causing the stern to rise vertically and sink rapidly. In the end, from hitting the iceberg to sinking, the marvel of engineering sunk in under 3 hours. 

We hope you've enjoyed this foray into the engineering behind the RMS Titanic. For more STEM education, have a look at our innovative learning software and hands-on maker kits.