[butlerweave]

With the poor metal in the hull and the cold you could have shattered the hull with a hammer

[battousai]

I saw a documentary that showed there was also a coal fire smoldering away for several days in her bunkers which was the culprit for weakening the steel in the hull.

[upchuck]

With the poor metal in the hull and the cold you could have shattered the hull with a hammer

The poor rivets sure didn't help.

[sparklite2]

I just watched a fascinating documentary about just-surfaced photos of the pre-sailing Titanic that show a black streak down the side of the hull at the spot where the iceberg hit.

It is believed to be an indication of the smoldering fire that was occurring in one of the coal bunkers. The heat would have warped the steel hull plates and reduced their strength by seventy-five percent. A fireman down in the bunkers heard the hull give way and saw the foam on incoming water. He got topside ASAP and made it onto a lifeboat.

The UK hearing suppressed testimony dealing with the fire, and the US hearing did little better. The photographs lay undiscovered for over a hundred years.