The Titanic was the most unlucky boat of all times. Had it been a head on crash only water tight compartment #1 and maybe #2 would have been compromised at the most even #3 even at +20 knots speed. The Titanic was constructed to stay afloat with 4 of the front compartment spaces filled but not 5. This caused the the Titanic to go down at the bow. The water was then allowed to go over the water tight wall because it only reached as high as the E deck. The damage extended over 300 feet at the bow back toward the 5th, which breached the 5th compartment which was only 5 to 8 feet . Considering the Morse Code like holes/separation in plates that are initially created no more than 12 cubic square feet of damage which was actually not that severe. One problem was that it appears from research that many port holes were opened and left open by passengers trying see the iceberg when it struck. These open port holes allowed air to vent out of the hull which would have much the same way as vent hole works on a gas can only in reverse. Had all the port holes been closed the ship would in likelihood stayed afloat a little longer. Head on or even a puncture like the Olympia had received in her sea trial either one would have been better that the 300 feet of damage of a near miss collision the Titanic had received.
The Titanic was a unlucky ship from the very start. There were the numerous deaths during construction, the deaths during the launch where a man was crushed during the launching ceremony. Even the occasionion sound of what was reported as a hammering on the hull sound by a unfortunate worker who had been trapped inside while the last out plate was riveted on. Not a uncommon thing to occur in the tight schudules the workers had. This caused many a walk off of workers and many that never returned back to work. But not enough to slow down the construction.
It is bad luck "not" to christen a ship. Christening a ship was a way to protect a ship while it was at sea. The Titanic was not christened, the builders of Harland & Wolff just didn't believe in the ritual. It was said of the company that "They build them and just push them off in the water." The ancient ceremony of christening a ship started right after the Black Plague period where newborn unbaptized babies where slung across the bow of a ship. Later it was chanced to bottled wines and liquors than to the present champaign.
The 1858 "Great Eastern" was another ship of the times that was plagued with nearly sinking on its sea trial, deaths of construction workers,numerous collisions, other mishaps and later sinking. It's name had been changed! What was it's original name? It was the Titanic. Names of ships should be "humble" nor profound as to offend the Gods of the Sea.
Crewmen not showing up is considered bad luck. There were 22 of the crew of the Titanic that never showed up the morning she set sail. Did they have bad dreams the night before or some other bad omens? Sailors are one of the most superstitious bunch there are.
It has always been a ancient belief to place a .01 cent coin with the heads up and with the same year stamped on it as the launch date under the main mast for good luck. Even at worst if there was no luck there was always a aid and record the construction date of the ship if needed as identifications a wreckage aid.
Probably the most overlooked warning was of a penny novel written some 14 years earlier. The book was called "The Wreck of the Titan" by Morgan Robertson. In it tells of a luxury ship of the most grand size that set sale on a April night and strikes a iceberg and over a thousand people die because they had too few lifeboats. In the book he wrote of a sister ship to the Titan called the Gigantic. Which was struck by a mine or torpedo and it sank with it's stern sticking straight up just as the Titanic did when it sank. The Titanic had it's sister ship called the Gigantic which had it's name changed latter on after the Titanic sank, it was changed to Britannic. Like the Titanic and the Titan both sank on their maiden voyage and both were called "Unsinkable"! The stories written by Robertson about 14 years earlier are so closely simulair it is unbelievable. I found a copy of this book rather easy on the internet so don't be mislead that it was not ever published as noted on the first website link below.

http://www.gettysburgghosts.net/titan.htm

http://www.skystarr.net/titanic/prophecy.htm

http://members.aol.com/ken63728/morgan.htm

They should have named her, "IF" or "Should Have", Cause "IF" they had field glasses available for the lookouts, they "SHOULD HAVE" seen the glacier and could have started to turn sooner. Only if!

Thanks sundance, very interesting

port holes were opened and left open by passengers
^That is new to me.

Regards,
Webmaster

Yes the portholes were a major concern to the master ship designer Thomas Andrews so much that merely minutes after the crash this was one of the main concerns when it was determined Titanic was floundering so much that Andrews and a team of men set out to secure the portholes according to Charles Lightoller.
http://www.charlespellegrino.com/charles_lightoller.htm

"While Thomas Andrews and a small team toiled throughout the bow section, seeking out open portholes and closing them against the rising waters (for each porthole potentially opened an additional square foot to the ocean,..."

Dr. Charles Pellegrino's sight is full of interesting insights.

This with the testimony I found that the water tight doors were reopened and left opened actually help explain why the Titanic went down so fast.