On a clear day icebergs can be seen 15 to 20 miles from the bridge of a ship -- farther from the crow’s nest. On a moon-lit night, that distance is greatly reduced to only a few miles, depending on the relative positions of the berg, ship and moon. The night of the Titanic Disaster presented unusual conditions that helped conceal the presence of the iceberg until it was too late to avoid. There was no moon to help illuminate the ocean. Icebergs are frequently spotted by small waves that break against the water line, but the absence of wind or swells prevented this. Without these cues, the iceberg appeared as a black mass against the black background of the sky, and the berg was spotted only a few hundred yards from the bow of the Titanic.

Yeah & 37 seconds later she hits, so think if the engines hadn't been full astern she would of hit a whole lot quicker unless they turned at full speed of course then they would of missed totaly

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i bet you can't say that 3 times real fast.

Here are some facts that I learned from researching on the internet and from my own Navy training:

#1 - The Titanic's lookout who initially spotted the iceberg did not have binoculars.

#2 - The iceberg in question was blue ice which is harder to see at night.

#3 - The initial report of the iceberg was delayed since the bridge did not answer the telephone call from the lookout immediately.

#4 - According to the US Coast Guard, on a clear moonless night, icebergs can be spotted no farther than 1/2 mile away. At the speed that the Titanic was travelling, it would cover that distance in one minute.

$5 - Because of the curvature of the earth, there is a limit as to how far away you can spot distant objects. The best way to overcome this is to increase the height of the observer. Unfortunately, increasing the height of the lookouts causes a severe limitation. I will explain this with an example. Suppose you have two lookouts looking up ahead for floating objects. The first lookout is located close to the water and the second observer is directly above the first lookout but high up in a crows nest. The distance of any forward object from the first observer is actually shorter than the distance from the second observer (basic triangle math theory). This means that the first observer would see an object first. And if you place that first observer closer towards the object (such as in the forward section of the ship) the distance is even less, thereby giving you more time to react. Also, sighting objects is easier when it contrasts with its background. A lookout near the water will have the sky as a background, thereby making an object at any distance easier to spot. A lookout up high is restricted observing close in objects since the sea will be the background.
From this information, we learn two things. When looking for objects on the water that is close to your ship, keep your lookouts up forward and close to the water. When looking for objects off in the distance, keep your lookouts high above the water. Unfortunately, Titanic's lookouts were 90 feet above the water in a crows nest.

Yeah there was nothing they could do, just a freak accident. But with todays technology things are alot different. We have good radar etc

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How true that is.

I have cruised the Pacific Ocean. The oceans are huge. I used to wonder how can one ship collide with anything?

But accidents do happen, even in this age of advanced maritime technology. And they often involve very experienced sailors.

From all of my experiences, I have learned the following three important safety tips:
#1 - No matter how safe you operate, you still have to watch out for the other guy.
#2 - Expect the unexpected. In otherwords, plan ahead and be prepared for anything.
#3 - Overconfidence can kill you.

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Hello,

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While the figure of 37 seconds was the time the Olympic took to turn an estimated 2 1/2 points at around 21 1/2 knots, there's a fair bit of evidence putting Titanic's speed just over a knot higher -- so straightaway we have a small variation. The 37 second figure is from the time that the helm was shifted; in Titanic's case, it doesn't allow for the time before the helm was shifted, but after the lookouts had signalled their warning. So in my view, the 37 figure is incorrect. For instance, the estimate of 2 1/2 points might be wrong, and in any case no time is allowed for the 'hard a port' order which was later given.

As for the order of 'full astern,' nobody from the engine room (such as Frederick Scott or Thomas Dillon) recalled the engines being reversed before the collision. Boxhall is the only source for that order, and many people have come to believe that the engines were not reversed.

Best wishes,

Mark.

Hello,

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While I realise that you know there is some debate as to this, I do think it's important to emphasize that binoculars are more important for identifying objects than sighting them. At least that's a view I've encountered several times. Then again, there's always a debate in that.

Best wishes,

Mark.

Because they left the binoculars and extra lifeboats ashore.