When Engineering Goes Wrong: Three Badly Designed Ships

Designing a ship is no easy task! Through history simple oversights or mistakes have had a range of impacts - from silly, quirky characteristics to outright deadliness. Today we'll look at three ships, each with inherent design issues; Royal Mail Lines' Asturias and Alcantara, Hamburg America Line's Imperator and Canadian Pacific's Empress of Ireland and Empress of Britain.
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels- from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!

[@sandy-pf9bb]

Mike, as a researcher myself, I am very impressed with your presentation. I know that it can be a challenge to sift through a multitude of facts and organize and present them in a cohesive manner. You are doing an amazing job.

[@draggy76]

"as a researcher myself☝🤓" shut up nerd.

[@Jack_Torrance.]

As a caretaker of an enormous, empty hotel, with little to break the monotony of seeing to the workings of the hotel, this channel breaks the maddening solitude and keeps Mr. Grady from telling me to do bad things.

[@WorldWokeApeCult]

All work and no play, Mr. Torrance?

[@_M_a_r_t_i_n_M]

We all know how this story ends...

[@NopiusMaximus]

Redrum ?

[@Nine-Signs]

Step 1. Take cameras to work. Step 2, set up in various empty spaces to look our for ghosts in big old empty hotel. step 3, replay the footage and be disappointed or suddenly feel the urge to find a new job due to furniture doing a waltz on its own! either way it would certainly break up the monotony. :)

[@LupusAries]

@@Nine-Signs Hmm as a hobbyist photographer, this sounds like a good idea to combine the necessary with the pleasurable...take lots of architectural photos and make a photobook about it. Hell one could tell the boss, it'll make it more famous and might attract a buyer/investor. Or they'll get a cut of the revenue for the license to photograph.

[@DelcoRailfan611]

“The imperator does get a bit quirky at night” - Phone guy

[@andrewnuke7639]

Fnaf reference

[@nonsensicalnauticalramblin3994]

Your rapid production of these high quality documentaries is amazing, to say the least. Can’t wait to finish this one!

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Thankyou my friend!

[@d2kwazza57]

Recently found your channel and love your content and you’re always the best dressed KZbinr out there

[@rdallas81]

Awe 😊

[@Irobert1115HD]

@@OceanlinerDesigns by all what i know the titanics damaged area is about 9 square meters wich is equal to 9 minecraft carpets for everyone who doenst use moonlanding metrics. also the way the empress of ireland went down it almost sound like the deisaster was designed to test her defenses.

[@Beautifulbrokenmusic]

i mean he is basically just reading wikipedia at us

[@PplEtr]

Costa Concordia raised my awareness about the recurring issue of too much heeling over. Next time you're on a cruise ship, try to picture how you would escape one of those huge indoor areas when the floors turn into walls.

[@davidelliott5843]

Even better - avoid these floating blocks of flats altogether.

[@tallyp.7643]

Costa Concordia made me aware that if for some reason I ever lost my mind and decided to take a cruise, I would avoid the elevators. The idea of being trapped in one during an emergency (and a listing ship would make the ability to recall it or move it impossible) scares the hell out of me.

[@PplEtr]

@@tallyp.7643 continuing along those lines: Concordia also made me again aware of the importance of being able to know when it makes more sense to follow "official instructions" vs your own survival instincts and skills. In far too many disasters and crises, the official instructions are a leading cause of death.

[@MsSteelphoenix]

I was on a safety training course years ago, but one thing the instructor said has stuck with me: "Safety regulations are written in blood." So true in these cases.

[@fbeet436]

Not just these cases, but all cases. Every safety rule, warning sign, protokol and so on has their own history

[@philiphumphrey1548]

The diesel engines were just a bit ahead of their time. The three German navy Panzershiffe (heavy cruisers sometimes called pocket battleships) built between 1929 and 1936 worked well with diesel engines. 28 knots max and the ability to accelerate to full speed very quickly compared to a steam turbine ship, extremely useful in a fight.

[@davidelliott5843]

The engines of German pocket battleships were demanding on maintenance. It became a reliability issue and is probably a significant part of why Graf Spee did not leave Montevideo.

[@philiphumphrey1548]

@@davidelliott5843 Graf Spee couldn't leave Montevideo because an 8" shell from HMS Exeter had penetrated her main armour and disabled her fuel refining plant. The plant effectively converted bunker fuel into diesel, it couldn't be promptly fixed in Montevideo and Graf Spee didn't have enough refined fuel to get very far, certainly not the 8000 miles or so to the nearest friendly harbour.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Yes but you have not mentioned the most remarkable thing about them- They had an almost unbelievable range of 16000 nautical miles !! What ship even today has a range of 16000 miles ?? ( Except nuclear of course )

[@grafhilgenhurst9717]

Graf Spee's Captain Lensgraft rented a hotel room in Montevideo, then commited suicide wearing his full dress uniform.

[@20chocsaday]

And a ship to resupply them. ​@@scabbycatcat4202

[@boonmbach]

It's really incredible to see your development. Your animations, the storytelling and the whole structure of the videos are now at a first-class level. The development over the last few months is really great to see! Never stop - thank you and your team!

[@user-et2xc2ww6q]

Couldn't agree more boonmbach

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Yeah, our friend Mike is a very talented & classy young man indeed. Mike knows how to dream & how to organise. Wonderful combo imho. Cheers. _PS: Can't wait for the full 'game'.-

[@Lindowman888]

I agree, thanks Mike

[@ir0n392]

You could almost say they were "White Star Line-class" or "Cunard Line-Class" level 😁 👌 Absolute perfection, I was never truly interested in boats or the sailing of them (beyond the occasional interested in like the Titanic) but your videos have completely in captivated me! 👍

[@boonmbach]

@@thesterrave I’d recommend taking your meds regularly mate.

[@danielrollin5542]

Very good episode. I learned something rarely told about the Empress of Ireland (I live in Eastern Canada and the sinking of the Empress is still a frequent topic in the media). One detail though : at the location of her sinking, the Empress of Ireland was in the estuary of St-Lawrence. Water is predominently salty and subject to tides. So the water rushing in her hull was not river water but sea water.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Thanks so much! Unfortunately if I had said ‘sea water’ I’d have had more people rushing to point out that the ship sank in the St Lawrence River and not the ocean! Haha

[@_M_a_r_t_i_n_M]

@@OceanlinerDesigns Unless you got all technical and pedantic about it in your video of course 🤓 But really, what's more pedantic is those types who _need_ to dog pile on every small detail like that. Because the 'sea water' people absolutely would be flooding in more than us Canadians who have heard the story before and know the difference enough to not care much either way anyhow lol.

[@giggiddy]

Mike, this is a "what are you wearing?" question. I do many Zoom meetings from home and although I'm wearing a suit jacket, shirt and tie. I wear gym shorts instead of slacks because its more comfortable. Are you wearing slacks, shoes, etc or something more comfortable? Either way, you always look crisp and your videos are top- notch. Cheers!

[@wailingalen]

I really like this question

[@LFC4LIFEJEDI]

Now I'm just imagining Mike being in just his pants from the waist down..

[@giggiddy]

@@LFC4LIFEJEDI 😆 lol. Im waiting for all the "that's creepy!!!""" Lol

[@msytdc1577]

A skirt and clown shoes, now go away.

[@theBlankScroll]

Pants? Shorts? Undies? You rookies. If its not on screen its not being seen

[@trichellsmith8084]

I just want to say I’m newer to the whole maritime history subject but after deep diving for almost a year I can say I’ve learned so much from you !!! This subject is so fascinating to me and I really enjoy your videos so thank you!

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

That’s awesome! Really glad you’re enjoying the stories :)

[@nthgth]

Mike Brady and his team really have a way of pulling in even the likes of us laypeople, don't they? It's wonderful

[@trichellsmith8084]

Truly a gift that keeps giving!

[@lukasz7487]

Well done again 👏 Especially the part about the design fails of Empress of Ireland's watertight compartments was very interesting

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Another outstanding Mike Brady production! Thank you, Mike, for all t he time and work that go into your videos. These videos are of such high quality they could be on television networks. --- I once read a book called "Fourteen Minutes", about the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. Something that stood out for me from the book was how the Canadian Pacific line after Titanic sank had a policy that crew members were to be so familiarized with the layout of their ship that they could find their way out onto the open deck in complete darkness. My recollection is that many of the survivors were crew members rather than passengers who had boarded the ship only hours before. Because of the conditions of the sinking, the crew could do little beyond trying to save themselves. I'd like to encourage viewers/readers to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the layout of their homes, workplaces, schools, etc. so that they know how to get out in an emergency and maybe get other people out as well. Even in stores and malls and other public spaces, it could be good to look around and have an idea about how to quickly get out in a crisis situation. I'm not talking about living in fear, and parnoia, but about being realistic and having a sensible plan of action.

[@rael5469]

I had a class in survival in the Air Force and one of the many things that stuck with me from that class was that.....survivors of disasters had planned their escape in advance. They said, "If this happens or that happens what will I do? Where will I go?" They also dressed for success. We were told to wear shoes that weren't going to come off in a crash....lace up shoes.....whatever. Clothing less likely to burn and would provide protection. Also I always have some sort of flashlight with me at all times. Especially when traveling.

[@andrewbrendan1579]

@@rael5469 Thank you for your comments! I don't have a car so I often travel by bike and with a backpack on me. In one of the pockets of my backpack I always have a little flashlight.

[@garybrown1404]

Excellent advice, thank you!

[@crazyguy32100]

The longitudinal bulkheads used as coal bunkers weren't unique to the Empress, the Lusitania had them too. Both ships suffered catatrophic damage to their sides and developed a heavy enough list lifeboats couldn't be lowered. The main differences is Lusitania was struck closer to the bow, was operating with its watertight doors shut and had more time before the flooding reached parts of the ship with longitudial separation. A converse example is the SS Justica, a ship worthy of a comparision video in its own right. The 2nd largest ship lost in WWI (after Brittanic), built by Harland & Wolff at the same time as Brittanic, launched 5 months after Brittanic, registered in Liverpool, operated by White Star and is marginally larger than Lusitania. She took 3 torpedos to the midship over the course of 2 days to put on the bottom and sank on an even keel, the Lusitania took 1 torpedo, 18 minutes and went down in a spiral. I feel if Lusitania had been struck amidship the result would have been nearly identical to the Empress and the loss of life even larger.

[@tinypoolmodelshipyard]

Love the Justicia. She was 37 ft shorter than Lusi but they were about the same GRT. Justicia having around 1000 more GRT

[@numbersstationsarchive194]

Also worth noting the U-boat which sunk SS Justicia was in turn depth charged then sunk with deck guns with the loss of all hands immediately afterwards.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Yes what is most interesting is that had the Lusitania or Mauritania suffered exactly the same damage as Titanic in exactly the same place it is almost certain they would have survived because of the inner longitudinal watertight bulkheads.

[@numbersstationsarchive194]

@@thesterrave There are other ways of repenting for your sins than by turning to the false moshiach Jesus. He is not the son of Hashem, and Hashem is not a trinity, He is one, He is Adonai Elohim, only through Him and through yourself can you repent for sins. Jesus was a good man, but NOT the moshiach.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

@@thesterrave I wonder if you would be kind enough to tell me what on earth your comment has to do with ships and shipping ????

[@michaelimbesi2314]

The problem of longitudinal watertight bulkheads causing asymmetric flooding which capsizes the ship is now considered a well-known issue and isn’t done anymore unless provisions are made for cross-flooding devices to ensure that if too much of a compartment is flooded, the opposite side of the compartment will also automatically flood. Also, floodability is termed floodable length, at least here in the US. And we now calculate damaged stability to make sure that as a ship floods, it remains upright, and use a thing called V-lines to ensure that neither heel nor waves will cause down flooding that would sink a ship the way the Empress of Ireland did.

[@Sagart999]

Retired naval architect here. Great explanation and video production qualities. Longitudinal bulkheads also contributed to the sinking of IJNS Shinano, a WW2 Japanese aircraft carrier. A severe list developed which prevented voids on the other side of the ship to be counter-flooded - their intake valves had quickly been raised above the new (heeled) waterline.

[@MrHws5mp]

IIRC the same was also true of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (91) which sank in 1941 in the Mediterranean following a torpedo hit by a submarine. Her machinery spaces were divided into three by longitudinal bulkheads and she had three propellors. Flooding of one boiler room caused a list to develop quickly, convincing the captain that she was about to go down quickly as two other RN carriers had done, so he prioritised getting the crew evacuated over damage control. He was later court-martialled for this, but on the up-side, there was only one fatality from the entire episode.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

The Shinano part is very close, but not completely correct. What happened was that immediately after the torpedo hits on starboard, counter flooding was done on the port side of the ship in the dedicated counterflooding compartments, and that kept the list of the ship at manageable levels at first. But since the ship was still under construction and was not fully watertight, flooding continued, and at some point the captain had to order one of the port **boiler** rooms flooded. And the valves from that boiler room were now above water.

[@Sagart999]

@@xxnightdriverxx9576 Thanks. I was remembering an account I read many years ago. I appreciate the correction. Thinking about things now, four torpedo hits would likely have sunk Shinano even without its longitudinal bulkheads. They sure didn’t help.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

@@Sagart999 @TheVirginiaGuy you were like 99% correct, far more correct than most of the internet and most KZbin videos, so don't sweat on it :D And I appreciate your insight as someone who actually worked in the field, as opposed to people who just read up on incidents as a hobby (like I do).

[@keithammleter3824]

A minor error by mike. He said a steam turbine needs a reversible gearbox. Actually, many turbine ships were built with reverse-torque turbines on a common shaft with the forward turbines. This is possible because a turbine not receiving steam offers negligible friction and turbines are very compact. Usually a ship doesn't need to go backwards very fast, so the reversing turbines can be very small.

[@ScramasaxeRA]

He also reversed the effects of high and short metacentric heights

[@grahamc887]

The gearbox has nothing to do with reversing the direction of the propeller or the vessel it is only there to reduce the high speed produced by the turbine to the propeller shaft speed. Most steam vessels only use one set of low pressure blades within the turbine casing to drive the vessel astern, as a result steam vessels have poor astern speed and can be difficult to manoeuvre and berth. The poor astern performance was one of the main reasons why the use of steam turbines was phased out on cargo vessels as they required several tugs to assist in berthing. the cost of the tugs coupled with high fuel consumption spelt the end for steam ships.

[@keithammleter3824]

@@grahamc887 Correct - well almost. Some steam ships did have reversing gearboxes, eg USN Iowa class. Some had turbines that could re-route the steam so as to run the turbine in reverse, e.eg, Royal Navy Tribal class. It was quite common to have better reversing turbines than just single stage types, which would give extremely poor performance. The main reasons why steam was phased out in favour of diesel in cargo and passenger ships is better fuel consumption and saving in space. The more cargo and passengers you can stuff in the more profit you make.

[@grahamc887]

@@keithammleter3824 thanks Keith, I can only speak from experience. As you say there is a vast difference in fuel casts, the steam vessel I sail on at the end of the 70’s seen fuel consumption half, after the plant was changed for a diesel, but at reduced service speed. However the main reasons sited by the owners was the reduced manoeuvring capacity which required the use of additional tugs and higher insurance cost particularly when transiting the canals. Even back in the late 70’s the environmentalists started to raise issues regarding the sake and acid rain generated by steam ships particularly when manoeuvring in port. The writing was on the wall for steam cargo vessels.

[@keithammleter3824]

@@grahamc887 : Good point - I had forgotten about the environmental aspect, and it is important, thanks to the euro greenies. The trend now in big ships is not to use direct diesel propulsion and instead have an engine room of various size diesel engines turning generators feeding a redundant bus system. with the bus powering electric propulsion motors. When at sea cruising, you run 2 or 3 big diesels to generate the power required, but in port you shut the big diesels down and just run a couple of (relatively - they are still megawatt size) small diesels to provide just enough power for port manoevering speeds - fuel consumption is even better, emissions still lower, and reliability is actually improved. And no compromise on manoeverability. Tied up at the dock and you only need to run one little diesel to provide lights and auxiliaries.

[@EpicJoshua314]

There was a Greek ferry called Express Samina which struck a rock off the island of Paros and although the damage was minimal, 9 out of the 11 watertight doors were open and the ship sank.

[@vulture3874]

And became porous.

[@mbryson2899]

I had no idea that the _Empress of Ireland_ was built with longitudinal bulkheads even though I've read and watched dozens of accounts of her life and sinking. Thank you so much, Mr. Brady, for sharing your knowledge and research. Your channel is amazing!

[@noahwail2444]

Very good video, thank you so much. It is allways a good day when you upload a new one. In 1912 the Sealandia and the Jutlandia was lounched from the Burmeister & Wein shipyard in Copenhagen, as the first diesel ships in the world. Rudolf Diesel him selves was involved in the construktion, shortly before his untimely demise... It made quite a fuss, since none of them had a smokestack, but exhausted through the mast, making them look like nothing else. The Jutlandia served for decades, and took part in the Korean war as a hospital ship.

[@user-hj5xb1vc1z]

Hi Mike. My father migrated to Australia on the Asturias from Malta in 1951. When I was a child in the early 70’s Dad called me over to look at a film about a huge ship that sank on her maiden voyage. Yes A night to remember. That day started a love of ocean liners that lived to this day. I did not find out until after my father passed away that the ship was used in that film. If there really is an afterlife, that will be the first thing I will tell him! Keep up the great work. Regards Peter

[@yknott9873]

Just a quick FYI... Fuel oil works as well in boilers as it does in diesels. Most of the big liners converted to burning Bunker C after WW1 - much cleaner to work with for the Liners, which previously had to be cleaned from bottom to top from all the coal dust after refuelling, ans the stokers found themselves out of work. Also as John Maxtone-Graham points out, the shipping companies now refuelled in New York, and thereby avoided the endless strikes in British collieries. Sneaking back to the topic of Titanic, there was a coal strike going-on when Titanic was readying for its maiden voyage; most of its coal crossed from America in bags in Olympic's public rooms. Gassy Welsh steam coal was widely acknowledged to be just about the best - the stuff Titanic was fuelled with was low-grade, and indeed a troublesome spontaneous-combustion fire was smouldering in one of the ship's bunkers throughout the voyage, but it did go out eventually... Most ships today are driven by marine diesels, which are one of the most efficient fuel-burning engines the human race makes. They start on diesel fuel when cold, but once warmed-up they also run on Bunker C, which is the cheapest liquid fuel. The stuff is essentially animated tar, and it must be heated before it will flow through the engines' injectors. Diesel-propelled ships came-out before WW1, and passenger motorships were becoming all-the-rage in the 'Twenties - When the German liners Bremen and Europa were designed, they installed extra-low funnels to ape motor liners, which do not need tall funnels. The act was a publicity faux-pas as the two German liners caked their after decks with soot until in a refit, their funnels were doubled in height. - And again, turbines do not use gearboxes to reverse. 😉 A further tragic note about the Empress of Ireland - Canada has had two massive marine tragedies over the years, SS Atlantic (an early White Star liner, no less) and the Empress. Two other factors played-into the death toll; they'd left Quebec just before dinner, and were hit at 2:00ish in the morning, so most of the passengers were asleep; and the ship sank in 14 minutes. I'm led to believe (and your deck plan blueprint would show this) that a further design bedevilment for passengers who were up in time and trying to get to the boat deck was that on the Empress, the stairs mostly ran across-ship; so once the ship rolled, one flight of stairs would be vertical and the other wouldn't take you anywhere you wanted to go. And the book I read, mentioned that the Empress was barely on the bottom before Canadian Pacific was being inundated with expensive loss claims for jewelry and other high-value items supposedly stowed in the purser's safe. Canadian Pacific had divers on the wreck anyway, recovering bodies - a horrific task as the shellfish on the bottom of the St Lawrence, reluctant to let all that good protein go to waste, invaded the wreck and were happily chowing-down on the bodies - and the claims on items in the Purser's safe were so high that CP thought, "we might as well have those divers recover the safe and return all the property to its individual owners, rather than having to pay for it all". So the safe was duly recovered and brought under police escort to the CP offices in (Montreal, I think), where it was opened in front of witnesses - and there was almost enough of value actually stored in the safe, to compensate CP for dragging it to the surface in the first place. "Ghouls 'R Us", anybody? 😂

[@chelsea_Xxo]

Most diesel engines can run on lots of stuff, even vegetable oils or animal fat’s.. so idk why people don’t just use the name combustion motors

[@lemagicbaguette1917]

@@chelsea_Xxo the diesel engine is named after its inventor. Internal combustion is its technical name, and is a bit unwieldy to use.

[@keith6706]

Yep. Note that well into the second half of the 20th century steam turbines were still in widespread use in commercial ships and warships (I'm not counting the ones using reactors as the heat source). The US Navy still has a few operational ones.

[@lemagicbaguette1917]

@@thesterrave the more you senselessly advertise your little religion, the more people will grow to detest it. Just saying.

[@lemagicbaguette1917]

@@thesterrave at least you're understanding about it. I get what you're doing, but it can be rather detrimental, as can be seen with my aggressive dismissal. Speaking of which, sorry for the attitude. Personally, I believe missions are no longer effective in today's world. Nowadays, secularism is much more common; people are increasingly close minded for various reasons, especially when it comes to religious matters. I'd recommend you to let your religion speak for itself. Instead of bringing it to others, allow them to find it and make their choice naturally. If you see being a missionary as your sacred duty, however, just be mindful of the environment you're in.

[@murryburnett2562]

I have worked in the maritime industry for many years. This is the first time i have found your site and I think we're well researched and presented.

[@aikawaayumu9003]

Just want to say I love your content. I came across one of your vids recently when I was recovering from surgery. I've always enjoyed history and I've learned so much from your excellent presentations. Thank you and keep up the excellent work!

[@missscarling]

The Empress of Ireland story is so heartbreaking. The thing that stuck in my mind most in your video about it was that passengers could not fit out through the portholes. So sad.

[@gaoxiaen1]

I could do that when in the USN, but it required some practice and pain.

[@toasterhavingabath6980]

@@gaoxiaen1 usn?

[@MGower4465]

​@@toasterhavingabath6980US Navy

[@CrNcHyFROG5]

Another banger from our friend Mike Brady. So well-researched and written everytime, thanks for the content you produce man!

[@delphinebeland5649]

I was born in Rimouski, near where the Empress sank, and I grew up fascinated with her story. And yet, you taught me something here! I had always assumed her list to starboard was so severe due to the Storstad hitting her on that side, but I had never heard of the longitudinal compartments and their impact! I’ll be happy to tell the tour guides next time I visit Father Point (citing your amazing work of course). Thanks Mike!

[@sfs2040]

This channel is very good at taking a few major incidents in the oceanliner era and making much more content out of it. Well done, sir.

[@alanbennett7199]

Great work Mike. I like how you get on with the story without too much preamble. Always informative and so well documented. Cheers.

[@keithclark1863]

Hi Mike, another great video as usual. The graphics are superb and really 'make' your videos stand out from any competitors. Thank you so much for all the efforts you and your team go to producing so many outstanding ship videos . kmdc from Riddells Creek Vic.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Thanks so much mate! :)

[@jameswebb4593]

I was fortunate to have sailed as a passenger on the 1956 Empress of Britain in Feb 1957 from Liverpool to St Johns New Brunswick . Beautiful ship , wonderful voyage.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

I have a feeling that the designers of the Imperator would've adored modern computer design simulations. WOuld likely have saved them a lot of headaches.

[@setituptoblowitup]

Yup....she probably wasn't as heavy a girl as They thought

[@mariegrasmeier9499]

They could have just calculated the centre of gravity and metazentren properly so to not build her with negative initial stability. No need for computer simulations to do that

[@philtkaswahl2124]

@@mariegrasmeier9499 Computers can let you model and simulate designs before actually building them. Now while they certainly are far from perfect and mistakes have still slipped through despite their capabilities, they have also helped saved some engineers grief by catching some design issues before committing to said building. "Calculate it all right in the first place" is a nice ideal, but as we see even professionals can slip, and slip badly.

[@MaydayAcademy]

@@philtkaswahl2124Yes, mistakes can happen. But building a ship and then discovering that she has negative initial stability (angle of loll) is quite a big one. And you do not need a computer to calculate it. Just a lot of time and diligence while compiling the weights and hull geometry.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

@@MaydayAcademy Which again misses my point. "Just never make mistakes before you build it then" is nice to say, but having another way to catch those mistakes when they do slip through before you do take the time and expense to build something is good thing.

[@josephconray]

Despite the horrible failure of Asturias's and Alcantara's engines, the ships were absolutely beautiful, I fear however that they may not have been up to standard with the other liners in the route.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Oh for sure, they were gorgeous ships!

[@josephconray]

@@OceanlinerDesigns Indeed, that's what made the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company so famous, the fact that they had such pretty liners in service. It was so badly mismanaged by Kylsant though.

[@MrNethianrogga]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I could listen to Mike talk all day long. Love your voice. Easy on the eyes too!

[@davidvik1451]

I've viewed all your wonderful videos that covered the Empress since it played a major in why I'm here in the USA today. Fleeing poverty in Norway, my father, his mother and three siblings crossed the Atlantic on the Empress of Ireland in 1910 when he was eight years old. I doubt that they saw much of the luxurious accommodations the ship was known for. FYI: The stability diagram should show the center of buoyancy shifting in the direction of the role thus providing the righting moment to push the ship back upright. The greater the metacentric height the greater the shift of the center of buoyancy.

[@andrzejpaczynski8533]

Excellent presentation! Thank you Michael, from an alumnus (1977) of the Shipbuilding Faculty of the Gdańsk University of Technology...

[@DeBaRe]

It's so nice to see you (and other related channels) growing that much. Always thought I'm the only ship nerd in the world :D Good work as always! THX! Did you guys know, that Rudolf Diesel was killed? He was pushed off of a ship and drowend. :(

[@christhorney]

im not so much a ship nerd as i am an engeneering nerd, and ships are one heck of an engeneering feat so i do like to nerd out on them lol but im not really specifically a ship nerd

[@christhorney]

@@KillerofWestoids your english is perfect dont stress mate

[@baronvonjo1929]

I am not nearly into ships like I use to be. But back in high school I was known as that weird guy who always drew boats or had wikis up on them at all times. I think I could remember 160 ships off the top of my head once. I would just spend so long on Wikipedia as it was the easiest source and i wpuld click to link after link. Eventually I basically read everything I could easily fine. Then I graduated and I really got into cars. But I will always remember my obsession with ocean liners

[@b.l.norden9163]

Interesting discussion about the arrangement of the bulkheads and the size of the hall opening. I recall reading a book about the sinking of the Empress of Ireland -- the book was " Fourteen minutes: The last voyage of the Empress of Ireland" published in 1980. I came away with several other faults -- design and otherwise. One had to do with the potholes in the passenger cabins; the room stewards would generally not enforce the requirement that they be closed at night. Another was the arrangement of the water tight doors; the doors were stored outboard of the passageway they were to seal off. As I recall, there was a way of remotely activating the doors and then use gravity to effect the closing. However, with the ship rolling over, gravity kept the doors in place on the side that needed them open.

[@robg5958]

Excellent presentation, thank you so much for your wonderful and informative channel. I am originally from Belfast and my father worked in Harland and Wolff for most of his working life. However, he actually began his shipbuilding trade with Workman and Clark Shipbuilders. They were known as " the wee yard" in Belfast before they were absorbed by Harland and Wolff in 1935. Perhaps you might consider taking a look at the ships Workman and Clark built.

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Excellent posting, sir. All of us who travel the seas today are indebted to the engineers and builders who have made ships ever safer, often through trial and error, it seems!

[@jonathanswink2682]

I absolutely love your videos. Never knew how interested I was in ships until watching all your videos 😂. Great visuals and commentary as always

[@mikehenson819]

Mike I always enjoy your content. I’m amazed at how you continue to bring such interesting topics on ships on a regular basis. Keep up the good work!

[@Local-Of-The-Mitten-State]

Mike, I absolutely love your work and your knowledge on maritime history.

[@bottom-gun]

The Titan sub news and revived interest in the titanic got me to your channel but the high production value and great storytelling style keep me here. Keep up the awesome work, my friend!

[@scottzema3103]

A reliable expert worth listening to. A real pleasure. A real professional.

[@leonnehaaijman4709]

Mike, as always, an incredibly detailed and respectful video. Thank you!

[@monty9463]

Mate ships are not even a significant interest of mine but you make every session absolutely enthralling. Your delivery and exhaustive knowledge are just the best but you also make the videos unusually fascinating. Can't believe you've got me addicted to your channel. Can now appreciate how amazing ships can be. Thank you 🎉

[@mkendallpk4321]

Bravo! Excellent explanations of the three bad ship designs. Done in both an easy to understand way and still entertaining. Thank you.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Fabulous images, both your graphics and the original newsreel footage. Thank you for the video! Have an amazing week!

[@jacklempke7779]

Discovered your channel a couple weeks ago and I am nothing short of obsessed. So excited for a new video Mike!

[@josemiguelmarquescampo4902]

Absolutamente fascinating accounts. Very knowledgeable and you have a talent for presenting. Once you start watching an episode, you can’t stop! Very well done, Mr. Brady.

[@Hairnicks]

Brilliant, really enjoyed learning about these ships. Thank you Mike.

[@DarkBaum]

Thank you very much for your great stories about the design of great ships :) it would have been one of my other career choices to go into shipbuilding

[@Epimotion]

These kind of videos are my favourites. Great video again!

[@ericcriteser4001]

Sunday morning complete. Thank you for sharing!

[@peterperacchio528]

Thanks for another brilliantly crafted history chapter.

[@nanabutner]

Thank you once again for an amazing video. The knowledge you present is always interesting and informative. Once again you make my Sunday afternoons so much more enjoyable.

[@rottenthoughts8936]

Wonderful video. Im gonna send this to my grandpa who was a sailor in the US navy. I've sent others of your videos to him and he loves what you're doing❤

[@drstevenrey]

Total master piece. Great work. As an engineer I have a really hard time to understand how these people back in the day did not know these details. Some of these problems, to me at least, are simple basics and are normally to be found in semester one of studying engineering.

[@mz4637]

You have a hard time understanding how someone didn't know about something that nobody experienced before?

[@straswa]

Great work Oceanliner Designs! Love your presentation.

[@giladpellaeon2223]

2:05, my favourite liner. The legendary RMS Aquitania.

[@danmcdonald9117]

Classy video Mike. Your content just gets better and better!

[@ginaanddenes9059]

Excellent explanation - again . Thank you.

[@waynebokum6675]

Excellent prepresentation! Informative, well researched, and visually appealing! Thank you!

[@mattdaugherty7865]

I never how interested I would be in ocean liners until I watched your channel! Thank you!

[@toddbonin6926]

Mike, it gets so tiring telling you how brilliant you are and how much I enjoy your work. But, you’re brilliant and I really enjoyed this video!!!!

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Baha thanks Todd and thanks for the kind words!

[@IntrepidMilo]

While I was studying Marine Navigvation we learned about floodable length and the permeability of a compartment. It was an interesting subject to learn.

[@Blackhawkflute]

You are one of the few on KZbin that speak perfect kings. English.

[@asya9493]

This is far better quality than anything on commercial media 👍

[@asya9493]

@@thesterrave On to that right now mate.

[@catsfive]

Thank you so much for producing this

[@jazzmodern]

Thank you for another wonderful one

[@danielkennedy1524]

Fascinating! terrific history especially for a gearhead! thank you!

[@cowbanchalam9725]

Wow! Excellent subject and presentation. Many thanks

[@richardkohlhof]

Thank you so much for everything that you do this is really awesome to watch all of your input and illustration and all of your research I remember when I was in the Titanic Historical Society growing up in the early 80s and I remember the Empress of Ireland and Mandy Moore ships that you have covered which I find awesome I thought I was the only person that was interested in these things other than those out there putting the materials that I would get every month or so!

[@ericdavis6342]

Fascinating and well worth the viewing time. Thank you.

[@AddeDaMan]

I love your films, and your channel is now my favourite subscription. Well presented, well thought out and presented. Good work!

[@metallicasnake]

Compelling work by you and your team. Great job!

[@EpicTrainsCanada]

You're by far my favorite maritime KZbinr!

[@JPFanBoy2]

Mike Brady's "stay happy" is such a mood booster and I can't explain why

[@DescendingVelocity]

Hey OD, you should do a video on aircraft carriers and the groups they have to defend them, like destroyers and submarines and such. It’s an incredible topic that you could get at least 5 videos out of.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Agreed, they are amazing ships! Floating armadas in and of themselves!

[@nursestoyland]

Task Force 38/58 video when?

[@kenboydart]

5 star presentation buster , well done !

[@richardhecht7261]

As usual, a very interesting and enlightening video on ship design. Great work!

[@timheller8475]

I love these videos, and eagerly await the new ones. Would you kindly consider doing some videos about Great Lakes Boats, it may not be worth you're time, but I thought I'd ask, Greetings and happy holidays from Minnesota USA

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

The great lake ships are fascinating! I’d love to do more about them!

[@jeffgann6613]

You never disappoint Mike. Another interesting and informative episode. Thank you friend 👍

[@dhepker]

Extremely interesting! Thank you for these vids. Very informative

[@trevorpedlow2305]

Interesting the bit about the water tight doors. When you find them on a big ocean liner there amazing to see even more amazing to find it open when it was ment to be closed.

[@batarasiagian9635]

Informative and well-presented. Excellent.

[@colinormsby6972]

Really enjoy your videos! Thank you so much!

[@tardismole]

It's not a subject I ever gave much thought. Thanks for a clear and understandable explanation. I've learned a lot today.

[@jaquigreenlees]

About 5 years ago a luxury motor yacht about 100 feet ( 30 metres ) was being launched prior to sea trials, it didn't go well. She lifted from the trailer as part of the launch, then lay over on her port side. The crew on board did all make it to safety, the engineer having the climb out a rescuer broken porthole. The type of issues you mention with the big ships happen with smaller yachts as well, just usually with no lost lives. The much lower number of people on board make it far easier for everyone to get to safety in time. The designer of a yacht can also be the designer of a cruise ship, so they learn the lessons and use the knowledge on all designs.

[@TonyPartington]

Great video Mike. Thank you for your talent time and art.

[@Redhand1949]

I must say, your substance and presentation style is supurb. And there is a sincerity in your delivery that is infectious. I always enjoy your videos. Much future success with the Channel!

[@sailingfishcake]

Another excellent video. I just love the storytelling and the presentation. Just perfect 👌

[@jayoneill1533]

Fantastic episode, well done Mike my friend.

[@cerneysmallengines]

The imperator, if my memory serves me right, would only lean when she had people on board, which makes sense as humans are a lot heavier than we give them credit for. Modern marvels did an episode on the Golden Gate bridge. When it first opened, people were allowed to walk across. The weight of people was the greatest strain the bridge had ever undertaken. Modern semis and cars are nothing compared to the tens of thousands of people crammed onto the bridge deck. I used to be a transit bus driver. My busiest route would see up to 80 people on it. The math I figured was 250-300 pounds per person when you consider their actual body weight, plus their attire and whatever they were bringing with for work such as briefcases or bikes or even their lunch. 80*250=20,000 pounds. That's a heavy cargo. With a cruise ship, you have extra weight allocations such as luggage, food required, and servants for the people like waiters and room keepers. 100 extra people probably added 50,000 pounds to a ships weight. Trimming 3meters of steel off the funnel, or even adding all that concrete ballast seems trivial to that number.

[@cerneysmallengines]

@readJohn316itsnotlong bro, I'm catholic. I attend weekly mass. I don't know what your problem is, but I don't think God punishes us for conquering nature, he put us on earth to do so.

[@cerneysmallengines]

@@thesterrave did Noah not conquer the flood to save himself. Did Moses not conquer the red sea. Jesus himself defied nature when he turned water into wine. We are the top of the food chain for a reason, while I do not condone destroying nature, we are called to tame it, to conquer it.

[@cerneysmallengines]

@readJohn316itsnotlong are we not called to follow the example of the lord...

[@Sarasdad91]

Another great video. Thank you Mike.

[@TheDroppedAnchor]

Outstanding video. Thank you.

[@dougbourdo2589]

First time visitor. Very nicely done presentation. I have long desired to see some of the wonderful ships "of the day". I have dove many stately ships in the Great Lakes finding them to be wonderful pieces of engineering & design beauty. Looking forward to enjoying more of your video library.

[@cessnadriver6813]

Awesome and informative video. Thanks!

[@roberttaylor6295]

You are the master! You easy and friendly style masks what must be a considerable amount of research and hard work. The graceful glidingswan syndrome! I loved the review Thank you. Rob