Why did Titanic's funnels collapse during the sinking? | Oceanliner Designs Shorts

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Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s great ocean liners - from Titanic to Queen Mary but not forgetting the likes of Empress of Ireland or Chusan. Join Mike Brady as he uncovers the myths, explains the timelines, logistics and deep dives into the lives of the people and ocean liner ships that we all know and love.

[@captainsinclair7954]

There's also the fact that the first three funnels were still roaring hot in some areas because they were still drafting out excess heat from the boilers. When ice cold Atlantic Ocean water hits first-degree burning hot funnel metal... well, metal getting quenched in water tends to bend if not in a strong shape, especially if the water is hitting the metal unevenly. That was likely a factor, but the crush explanation makes sense, too. I believe it was a combination of factors, including the one I explained and the crush of the water.

[@NellWatson]

The heat surely must have been a factor, because the hollow crows nest mast remained upright even after hitting the bottom. It has a vastly lower surface area, but it surely should have buckled and snapped similarly. Another factor beyond the water depth crushing the funnel due to pressure is forward momentum of the sinking ship during the plunge period. This probably also greatly exacerbated the pressure upon the forward part of the funnels.

[@traceholstein3755]

​@@NellWatsonyes the pressure also played a role in them falling. It was definitely a combination of all three; the waves crashing onto them, the heat being quickly cooled, and the water pressure pressing down on them

[@chrishaan5766]

@@NellWatson Every picture I’ve seen of the ship at the bottom shows the mast with the birds nest laying backwards on the deck The speed of the descent through the water guaranteed that

[@j-bob_oreo]

first degree burning hot ? .... you know 3rd and 4th degree burns are the worst correct ...

[@Pipppo]

"first-degree"???? How do you know the temp? Plus first degree burn is the most minor kind of burn. Weird way to describe heat too.

[@AndyHappyGuy]

You were able to compress 10 minutes worth of video into 51 seconds.

[@robertdevito5001]

Or we’ve gotten used to 51 seconds of video being stretched out to 10 minutes

[@CaptnCrnch]

@@robertdevito5001 wow Robert Devito truly breathtaking

[@fruit9441]

@@robertdevito5001 he included history of construction and eye witness reports & it was actually a good watch. his videos are super in depth, informative and well researched. just because they dont answer the question quickly doesnt mean every person is stretching it out. although i do think people do it, i dont think michael is one of those people

[@jamesbizs]

A video just about funnels collapsing? 10 Minutes? No

[@fruit9441]

@@jamesbizs you didnt even read my comment

[@thefpvlife7785]

Those who got crushed were fortunate not to suffer for long.

[@the_rover1]

Same goes for the "propeller man" from the movie haha

[@zephyr8072]

*BONK*

[@Boktai87]

@@zephyr8072 Everyone in the theater laughed at that when I saw the movie back in '97.

[@Sniper_RX]

​@@the_rover1He didn't actually die instantly from that. He was severely concussed, and knocked unconscious. His skull was fractured and his brain (theoretically) began to swell due to the impact and he eventually succumbed to hypothermia. This was an account from his friend who jumped before him.

[@violentdavillain3430]

​@@Boktai87yeah I cant temember for sure laughing but were definitely entertained by it. It was one of my fav scenes.

[@gnashvillecat6654]

They were sad and very upset over what was going on around them and that's why they fell down

[@LynxStarAuto]

Lol

[@garettbroenner1945]

I actually thought only the rear funnel fell and hurt you and kill people because it was a fake put there for cosmetic looks only as the other ones were functional and bolted down much more securely not just held by paper.

[@movieman175]

too soon...

[@Zach.3246]

@@movieman175this literally happened over 100 years ago

[@ThestTinman]

​@@Zach.3246 r/woosh

[@indiatastic]

After they fell, the open holes sucked in even more survivors right into the boilers.

[@CaptnCrnch]

Imagine getting whipped by one of the snapped cables

[@Oliverii]

Probably wouldve been best way out of that

[@cartertran270]

@@Oliverii I prefer the life boat escape but that’s just me. 😅

[@Oliverii]

@@cartertran270 but u r male so you wudve been kicked out so donno bout that init

[@cartertran270]

@@Oliverii not if you have money evidently just be sure to always have bribe money on you 😉 Did you just assume my gender 😂

[@Oliverii]

@@cartertran270 no, i know ur gender cause of ur selfish ideology

[@joshuakruty6967]

You're the only one that has ever said accurately how they fell everyone thinks it just because the cables snapped. The cables snapping were subsequent after they started to lean in another direction. Funnels crushing in at the base causing them to fall.

[@JorganzaTheGreat]

@@greyghostscsa394 ah, sir, do you have no trust to anyone else other than you? It is the human nature to be curious and this man must have done his research.

[@dean8811]

I cal bull shit 15 feet of water around the base wouldn’t have “crushed them like a coke can”

[@joshuakruty6967]

@@dean8811 Yes 100% accurate simple physics. The funnels were not 1 inch steel plates. It's very thin steel. Implosions can occur at much shallower depths than you think. Just think about it what is going to cause those steel cables to snap The shifting of the funnel itself not the cable snapping and then the funnels falling. Perfect example if you're in a car that's being submerged even if it's 5 ft of water. The pressure is so great the strongest man in the world wouldn't be able to open the door until the The pressure equalized within the car itself.

[@joshuakruty6967]

@@dean8811 The way the funnels were designed they were more like upside down funnels with the uptakes going to the main funnel failing first. Also the funnels still being pretty hot with accounts of people being burned as the number one fell. Thin steel plates hitting freezing cold water like that will compromise the structural integrity of the steel itself. It's like 9/11 now everyone thinks it's an inside job. Yes the jet fuel was not burning hot enough to melt the steel but it was hot enough to compromise the integrity of the metal enough to cause it to soften thus bow under the weight once one floor collapsed it was a domino effect. Same thing with the funnels It was a secession of different parts failing before the funnel actually gave way. It's not just cables snapping and that's it. It wasn't the soul reason why they felt. You could say that for funnels three and four because of the angle they were at and the force of the stern dropping ripping the cables from their anchor points. Even funnel two which was scolding hot. There are eyewitness accounts of the funnel literally blowing out of its mounts.

[@joshuakruty6967]

@@dean8811 I'm not trying to rant but a lot of people underestimate the power of the ocean.

[@kearneydillon4803]

I was in the navy and in talking to our XO one day, he told me that high heavy structures such as ships masts and funnels are designed to break off beyond a 40°+ roll to avoid capsizing the vessel. Broadside rogue waves can roll a vessel. The heavy weight at a height above the vessel can act as a lever a force it over upside down.

[@gwendolynrobinson3900]

The black and white footage is from a old movie called A Night To Remember which is about the titanic sinking, but it follows the stories of multiple real victims and survivors, not just one couple. It's really good, you can find it on youtube, including colorized versions! The movie was made before the titanic was found and confirmed to have split in half and separated, so the movie shows the ship sinking as a whole and never splitting. Testimonies from survivors about this fact was really split

[@idiomasentusiasticos7954]

Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, but the people being crushed by the funnels had a merciful death. They didn’t have to freeze or drown. Just get crushed. They probably died almost instantly with untold tons of forced pushed down on them at once. That was probably the best death you could get on the titanic. Quick, probably a bit of pain for some people, but over just as it started.

[@miuvans]

Mm I think frozen it’s better 😅

[@edgytoucan3444]

@@miuvans would you rather go instantly or slowly?

[@drakoinx]

Somone times I imagine what it would be like to be a piece of the titanic. It’s kinda terrifying, sitting in ice cold water thousands of miles away from everything. Surrounded by the deepest darkest places on earth

[@yvonnebaltimore7729]

I couldn't do it. Not only would I have PTSD, but I would be afraid of the dark for the rest of my life😓

[@iiiSK8orDI3iii]

Something in my brain says "go there"

[@happytobeme1983]

​@iiiSK8orDI3iii someone saw your comment and decided to take 4 other people to the titanic in a submersible and now their souls are stuck in the dark forever.

[@pantherplatform]

Sheet metal less than an inch thick. I would hope so. If it's an inch thick it's plate steel like they used on the hull.

[@adamfpv8294]

I think it would be just a bit top heavy if they were.

[@sovietcomrade7733]

@@adamfpv8294 yeah no the Hull wasnt made of 1 inch plates. Thats way too thin

[@adamfpv8294]

@@sovietcomrade7733 I assume it’s not a constant thickness, how thick was it?

[@hugoslr]

​@@adamfpv8294 2cm, so about three quarters of an inch? Not sure about the conversion.

[@bertbergers9171]

If you build a somewhat streamlined ship an inch thick all around you cannot carry anything usefull without sinking immediately. Ships strength is from keel, beams, girders, frames, ribs, bulkheads, decks and hull combined, not just the hull plating alone. Some areas near the waterline can be thicker to withstand sheat ice and small crafts collisions, but elsewhere hulls are probably 3/4" maybe 5/8" (don't wanna go 16ths here). As for the funnels, maybe 1/2" or even less, google will probably tell you.

[@nifty3000]

I like a man who puts a tie and a waste coat on to film a short.

[@DataLal]

He does that for every video, actually.

[@mikethespike7579]

I'm a qualified sheet metal worker so I should know. Yep, that sheet metal was definitely less than an inch thick.

[@supers0nic77]

Thank you for your service

[@dco1019]

That fact about the sheet metal seemed rather peculiar to me too. But i thought perhaps they were designed with an inner and outer layer of sheet metal on a frame... making them a bit less than an inch thick.

[@DrCranberry]

@@dco1019 For metal to be considered "sheet" I believe it has to be less than 1/8th thick or something.

[@dco1019]

@@DrCranberry sure,.but like said if you double layer it with something in between (a framework) then something made of sheet metal can be an inch thick

[@mikezunker]

Right now, there are 772 comments. This is the only one before I got bored that addressed the dumbest comment in the history of titanic.

[@jakebolger6248]

What a great little channel. Hope the algorithms shines favour upon you soon

[@TheDailyKnife009]

We’ll clearly the algorithm did he has 123k subs

[@UnccSnoop]

I did lol

[@TopHatTITAN]

Water pressure can do some scary things. The ship was essential dropping like a rock and the rapid change in pressure crushed the funnel base.

[@rosannehernandez2514]

In the Titanic movie, I'll forget about Jack and Rose scenes. My favorite scenes in the film are the propellers, the funnel that collapsed and that gigantic engine.

[@Snipeeヅ]

Just imagine seeing a giant tunnel coming down on you and you couldn't move because it was too fast

[@crying.corner.]

It was really dark when it sunk, so you probably wouldn't even see it coming (really scary)

[@Saint_deniz]

7 years ago i was facinated about titanic. Not about the movie but the ship itself, i was like a star wars fan nerding about star wars but it was titanic and after thr oceangate incident i remembered my facination with this ship and i know that it will never go

[@leifswalling3226]

“Fairly thin sheet metal less than an inch thick” my boy doesn’t know how strong even 1/2 inch steel is

[@shinichi6235]

One was just for show the others actually worked

[@carlost856]

​@@shinichi6235it's irrelevant to that post and it wasn't just for show, it exhausted the kitchen and chimney fires.

[@totalkatastrophe]

not strong enough

[@_STITCHER_]

My boy doesn’t realize all the pressure being put on the funnels, and how it wouldn’t matter how thick it was.

[@lindsayshanks7555]

Water is pretty freaking heavy, my man. Have you ever put a sizeable fish tank in just the wrong spot in your house before? I haven't, but I've still lived in a house where the ceiling on the first floor sagged where a fish tank used to be on the floor above it.

[@oddvar6654]

Thank you for all these informative and greatly presented Titanic-videos! I've been consuming them all the past few days and they are all so impressive. Keep up the good work!

[@smam5548]

as someone who’s been obsessed with titanic since a young age i have LOVED coming across your shorts. thank you for sharing your knowledge and explaining things in such a quick and easy to understand way!!

[@Dyl_Apple]

Damn that must’ve been terrifying to watch

[@Channel-ng2cd]

Just found this channel, and it's amazing! Props to you!

[@malcomx1924]

He looks like mister beans his son.

[@KWally]

James Cameron explained during his animation before finding it that the pressure of the water was putting so much stress on the support cables that they snapped and fell over.

[@ChristianJiang]

Yh I recall reading an answer on quora where the guy basically said “It’s just gravity”… I was sure it wasn’t just that!

[@GenericOceanLinerHistorian]

I knew that the metal was thin, but I didn’t think it was *that* thin! That’s crazy! Ya learn something new everyday!

[@FoxMacLeod2501]

All he said was that it was "less than an inch thick." If it was even 1/4 (0.25) inch, it would have probably stood just fine without support cables. Given that he said "sheet metal," though, it can be inferred that it was probably closer to 0.06, 0.04, 0.03, somewhere in that neighborhood. Definitely less than an inch!

[@GenericOceanLinerHistorian]

@@FoxMacLeod2501 wow, you sure do know your measurements! I would have never thought that the funnels could stand up with that thin of metal, especially since they are top-heavy. Once again, I have learned something new.

[@patrickhorvath2684]

They were sheet iron, not steel. A lot thicker than what others are suggesting..

[@marvindebot3264]

That is sarcasm, right?

[@Dumbassdog]

I have no idea why I've been getting all these titanic videos but they are mighty interesting I must say

[@nixxonnor]

"...thin sheet metal less than an inch thick..." That is the understatement of the day ;) The sheet metal of the funnels probably was 1/25 of an inch. Like ~1 mm rather than ~25 mm. Just a guess

[@arg31ify]

Was gonna say there a vast gulf between "thin sheet metal" and 1 inch thick plate

[@FoxMacLeod2501]

I would expect this from a product of contemporary American education, but it surprised me to hear it from a Brit. I weigh less than a ton, and I'm less than a mile tall. Let's not split hairs or anything... 🙄

[@patrickhorvath2684]

Would probably have to be at least half inch (13mm) thick to support their own weight. (?)

[@nixxonnor]

@@patrickhorvath2684 The sheet metal was possibly riveted to a self supporting "skeleton" of L-profiles or similar. Just a guess.

[@patrickhorvath2684]

@@nixxonnor Could be. I have no idea. Whatever method was cheapest i guess. Shipyard sure skimped on materials. Iron instead of modern steel plates that were available. Low grade rivets, etc

[@consumeeverything1227]

reminds me of a demonstration my teacher showed us, to demonstrate how easy it is to break a drive axle if there’s a weak spot, he got an empty can of red bull and put the differential gear of a semi-truck on it, it weighed about 50-70 pounds, and it held it up just fine, but then he lightly tapped it with a pencil and it immediately broke the strength and crushed the can

[@kaffemachine102]

Epic video like always mike!

[@artbau-z4t]

this is 100% spot on, those pipes were exhaust towers, so they were also very hot most of the time, so right when they touched the water they cracked instead of crumpled, some pieces did contract after it split, but theres a bunch of forces at play here

[@electriceyeball]

Damn the world had changed. You're the only creator I've ever seen who dresses professionally. Subscribe

[@aidankilleen7372]

Its also buoyancy. The funnels are also more buoyant than the ship around it, but there was nothing structure wise stopping them from being lifted up. So when they did, they snapped the thin rivets and briefly floated up, then buckled under their own weight and collapsed.

[@Jup1ter_1173]

Um no??

[@scpish6700]

I've always wondered this

[@Dallas_K]

Funnel #1 had stays that crossed over an expansion joint in the deck. As the bow was filling with water the weight was pulling this joint open. The cables stretching over it were stressed until they snapped. At the same time the ship had taken a sudden plunge forward thrusting the funnel forward.

[@epicuniversal]

The Titanics band members started jamming out to "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO, and the funnels were listening.

[@gerarditogm2181]

And went down

[@DumbassGTVR]

Rip Fabrizio, he was chill like that

[@Angelthewolf]

Britannic‘s funnels: let me introduce myself

[@The_M4ze]

I kinda always thought it was the sheer weight of the water, the cables snapping, and gravity LOL (Also for quite a while I thought it was because hot metal meets -2C water and bad things happen to hot metal lol)

[@AnalogueAndroid]

Hello Mike,very well explained.i love these little snippets of info and just out of curiosity do you know how the whistles were operated?I've always wondered if their was a chain to pull located on the bridge or a lever maybe?any how love your channel shipmate 😁👍

[@RetroDeeMonkey]

Fun fact, the fourth funnel was actually used for air ventilation.

[@emmabauer1906]

Yes, for the kitchen.

[@kaffemachine102]

I forgot who said it but it might have been Tom Lynskey that suggested the hot escaping steam could’ve weekend the metal in the funnels aswell

[@InchFab]

212 degree steam will not weaken steel in any way whatsoever

[@wbtx2075]

While being crushed by a giant funnel is equally horrific, I also wonder if bystanding people died from the snapping support cables. Big marine cables or ropes are under tremendous amount of structural stress and in a snapping-scenario can very easily cause deadly injuries or Amputations for those unfortunate to stand in the way. For most of modern marine history, it was not totally uncommon for Seamen to lose Arms, legs or even worse from cables snapping during heavy storms.

[@HemiChrysler]

The funnels were WAY less than 1" thickness. I would be surprised if the steel of the funnels exceeded 1/8", except for flanges. The hull was 1" thick. A medium duty forklift mast is 3/4" thick, and that's a lot of steel. A typical car lift has posts 1/4" thick.

[@Volohosy]

You can think of it more like that one experiment with a soda can. Because it was still steaming hot from the boilers hitting ice cold water, when the funnel hit the water, the particles inside start to rapidly come together. Crushing the bottom, and causing its weak bottom to detach from the ship.

[@jamirimaj6880]

The ones who designed and engineered the Titanic must be one of the designers and engineers of all time.

[@jasontovar1776]

Did you all know that John Jacob Aster died this way. He had been crushed by one of the funnels. His body was found crushed.

[@Hypenage]

I always forget how horrible the titanic actually was. I normally think about it as a movie, or as “long in the past”. I always seem to forget how many other bad things happened on top of a ship sinking and 1,500 people dying. A lot of these people died in some horrible ways besides just drowning

[@TheEnginator]

1 inch (25mm) thick sheet metal funels would have been pretty surprising. As a comparison, the Mark V was armoured with 0.5 inches (12 mm) and the MarkV had 0.63 inch (16mm) thick front armour.

[@kathrynleaser5093]

When Robert Ballard gave his famous interview after he found the Titanic he stated that the 2 middle funnels where still standing. Check it out.

[@Blobgame]

Me be like when he ask: GRAVITY (pauses) I'm the smartest (unpause) him: no its not gravity me : (packman noises)

[@MichaelCouvillion]

The hull plates of a large ship are typically less than an inch thick (20mm is common), so this sheet steel would obviously be far less than an inch thick. Maybe closer to 1/8 of an inch.

[@ZionNathanielCaldejon]

Maybe, The waves was so heavy, So the waves snapped the ropes of Titanic funnels.

[@jjrailfanalt2924]

Actually, if you think about it, the titanic’s funnels could’ve stayed on the ship even if it’s at the bottom, but what really happened as in the ones in the titanic they were cutting lines and it looks like they’re cutting the funnel ropes to the point where your theory kicked in and then the funnels went down

[@tychoremy1401]

I wonder if anyone remembers that when Ballard found Her, it was reported that she was intact and upright, like in Raise The Titanic.

[@korraraava1704]

I love how they expected them to survive so worse weather yet they were not built to being less than an inch thick

[@davidfowler5181]

I can see the Statue of Liberty. Very small, of course!

[@minecraftshipbuilder]

I love ocean liner designs because I learn so much and when I hear miss information about titanic or other ships I tell them there mistakes and ask them to go watch ocean liner designs to learn more

[@theduke7539]

also, the funnels were very hot, not glowing hot, but hot enough that you would have burned yourself if you walked up and put your hand on them. Then suddenly they were hit with sub freezing water, which just sent a thermal shock through the funnels and greatly weakened them structurally

[@EzekielLedzian]

i'm more of a military nerd now-a-days but a few years ago i was a titanic nerd for like 5 years. i have subscribed because you teach me things i never knew. awesome channle. keep up the good work :3

[@nicknameisvero]

The fact that just one falling over killed so many in an instant 😔

[@NiklasAdv]

Finally short Titanic info i did not know

[@jakepatchogue9478]

I’d rather get knocked out by the falling funnel than freeze to death in the pitch black Atlantic Ocean

[@1earedwolf]

Knocked out? You mean killed. There's no way that falls on you and you survive.

[@carlost856]

An 8nch sheet metal would have been extremely strong, heavy and expensive.

[@biblio_nosleep]

“And naeur, it wasn’t just gravity” - an American, with love

[@drewski5558]

I was always expecting that answer but didn’t expect it to be correct

[@DonMeaker]

The water pressing inward at the bottom of the funnels was, in fact, just gravity.

[@leostrawinski2574]

The most popular victim of the falling funnels was john jacob astor IV. His body was found smashed on the next day

[@Trucking_Central56]

It was stress in the hull which made the funnels and the hull break in half

[@BKAngmar]

RIP Fabrizio 😞😞😞

[@magnumcipher4971]

“Less than an inch thick steel”…bro. As a fabricator who’s worked offshore and welded aboard all sorts of vessels, anything close to 1” steel is freaking thick… it’s all about support.

[@PowerSerge]

When I was younger I noticed that the funnels collapsed when the water hit them. It makes sense now.

[@sawyernorthrop4078]

I love how you say "less than an inch thick" as though an inch of solid steel isn't massive overkill for most applications

[@Unhinged_Pegasus69]

Short answer: the increasing water pressure crushed the base of the funnels.

[@braydondixon1960]

It was way more than 2-5° so the center of mass leaned past the base and toppled, the boilers didn’t actually kill dozens of people that was just a movie and they’re called boilers not funnels

[@Sinerwray]

Fun fact the last funnel at the end is actually for air circulation not for the smoke to come out :)

[@kevina5337]

When I saw the movie or any other recreation I just assumed they could float, since they detached almost as soon as they went underwater

[@LaneCurtis-n2s]

They didn’t fall on the sinking of the titanic people, released the wires to make them fall because they thought the ship would stop sinking if they did

[@lilladykd5348]

While I’m sure that is part of it. You also have to remember that the ship was at full extension due to the pressure the bow and Saturn where under. As a result the tension cables simply had to much force placed upon them. They snapped which then lead to the funnels falling.

[@iznot2]

I read years ago that o ly 3 of the 4 funnels were operational. One funnel was basically for looks.

[@bigmwsb3928]

Yes, the frontal three were used for venting smoke and steam from the boilers and engines, the rear was only used for thinks like kitchens.

[@georges7340]

Good job Mike....... love your videos!😉

[@ggrumbles]

Great Channel and content! I've seen it said many times that the water caused the funnels to fall. I don't agree. My answer is that as the ship sank, the hull was bending down by the head, and the forward first funnel's shrouds connected to the deck across the expansion joint. The shrouds were being pulled by the bending structure putting high tension on the top of the funnel. I also suspect that the crew cut some of the funnel shrouds to the first funnel (over the bridge) to have more room to launch boats. This weakened the first funnel's standing rigging and when the bow began to pull apart from the rest of the ship, (the big wave at 2am), it snapped the aft shrouds which released all that tension and sprung the funnel forward. With the middle stays cut already by the crew, the funnel fell forward, bending at the base and collapsing onto the bridge. That's what I think happened. Not water or steam explosions. The hull was tearing itself apart.

[@NickSilcox3]

I might also add note, those funnels were probably designed for side to side leans, not front to back lean like those angles before it went down

[@Immafraid]

It's also notable that the last funnel was actually just a nonfunctioning prop.

[@DerpyPossum]

It served more purposes than the other 3, technically speaking. It was used for many important ventilation purposes, and provided ventilation for the galley stoves, the turbine engine room casing, various lavatories, other machinery spaces and even the 1st class smoking room fireplace. It also housed an important crew passage. While aesthetics did play a role in its existence, it definitely wasn’t necessarily fake, or “just a prop”, as many have claimed.

[@Immafraid]

@@DerpyPossum I stand corrected. You are very knowledgable.

[@williampowell3106]

Jack Thayer reported that the second funnel "exploded” when it fell.

[@DerpyPossum]

He reported that it threw a shower of sparks as it fell, IIRC.

[@mattikaki]

”Less than an inch thick”. As I recall, it was 1/2” thick.

[@kevina5337]

I'm more surprised that Titanic went down at only a 2-5° angle... That's barely noticeable in most cases. Especially when compared to James Cameron's recreation where he made it look more like 45°, if not more... Ya I get he wanted to exaggerate it for dramatic effect nothing wrong with that, I'm actually more surprised the actual tilt was that minor

[@DerpyPossum]

It was somewhat shallow *at the time the funnels fell.* It definitely reached higher angles later in the sinking, breaking at anywhere between 20 and 30 degrees by most modern estimates.

[@toddteagarden2200]

Also because the funnel “stays” get slack when they cool off allowing more flex

[@auntiem873]

I would think that when she ship broke in two, cables snapped that were holding the funnels up. Without those cables, to keep them in place, they fell over as the ship listed.

[@jakecavendish3470]

Almost everything that could go wrong went wrong. People must have been saying "Oh gosh, not _another_ issue. This has been one of my least good nights of the year so far"

[@prophoenix212]

They was compressed like a Titan submarine

[@Tomcatntbird]

I would really love for multiple channels to quit regarding ships to "set sail", when they obviously don't have sails. A ship gets underway that doesn't have sails.

[@sofijahavelkova]

Very logical, because the perfect example of falling ship funnel is when you use your hands to deform the coke can before throwing away.

[@ryans413]

Ships at an angle in the water the heavy ship is being pulled down the pressure the front side of the funnels had on the water surface crumbled the funnels like crumbling a pop can. The gables snapped once the funnels started falling the weight snapped the cables as the funnel fell

[@kimopuppy]

Pick one... A) get crushed by a failing smoke stack B) Freeze to death

[@kiwigaming09]

being crushed would have the chance to be a fast death while freezing would take a long time

[@lordjiraiya2068]

Long story short, every piece of that ship held up far better than it should have given all the variables at play. Especially with the sheer weight of everything at a angle as she VERY slowly sank.

[@cerneysmallengines]

it's also the stress within the hull. hulls are meant to flex to an extent, but have the limit at which point failures start happening. titanic major failure was the split, but as the hull was flexing, it may have started to snap the cables that kept the funnels stable. add in the crushing action of the water as stated, and the unnatural angle that they were being held at, it was a multitude of causes coming together to cause a failure of the funnel structure

[@EngineeringSiblings]

"less than an inch" while most modern merchant ships structure (albeit with a lot of reinforcment ribes/girders) are around 1/2"

[@JoeKubinec]

I was surprised that you described 1 inch thick steel plate as "relatively thin sheet metal". Never heard that used at any shipyard I've worked in or with! We call that heavy steel plate.

[@Tozzpot500]

The hull was made from inch thick steel, the funnels were made from a few mm thick sheet steel.