Pulled by six tugs she was not yet under her own power, the Titanic crept out of the slip and into the channel of the River Test. There she was carefully maneuvered to port and released by the restraining tugs. Free at last and under her own power, she began to pick up speed, reaching around six knots. Negotiating the narrow channel constituted a delicate piece of navigation for any sizable ship, but with a liner as vast as the Titanic, it was fraught with potential problems. The space was further restricted by the presence of two liners, Oceanic and New York, tied up in tandem (with the later on the outside) at berths 38 and 39. Normally, only one ship would have been tethered there, but more vessels than usual were docked at Southampton that day, waiting for clearance to sail after the coal strike.
After passing two smaller liners, the Titanic was to make another turn to port into the River Itchen before heading out to sea. But first there was high dram, caused by the same problem that had resulted in the collision between the Olympic and HMS Hawke. As the Titanic approached the 517ft long New York, the turbulence caused by her forward movement washed innocuously into the River Test on her starboard side. But on her port side, where the New York was berthed the displaced water had nowhere to go. With the Titanic now alongside, the surge of water from her swept the New York up and down with such force that the new York's six mooring lines snapped. A series of sharp cracks, like pistol shots, rang out across the Test. The Titanic forged ahead, leaving in her wake further waves, which had the effect of drawing the unshackled New York inexorably towards her. As the stern of the New York swung to within three or four feet of the Titanic's port side, a collision appeared inevitable.
The day was saved by Captain Gale of the Vulcan, one of the tugs escorting the Titanic. Alert to the danger, but not wishing to end up as meat in a sandwich between two liners, he manager to swing his tug behind the NewYork's stern and, at the second attempt, to get the line over her. This succeeded in slowing her drift towards the Titanic. At the same time, on the bridge of the Titanic, Captain Smith and Iolt Bowyer reacted quickly to the danger. Bowyer order 'Stop engines' the 'Full astern' and Smith had the starboard anchor lowered to just above the level of the water, ready for dropping in the even of a sudden turn. By these combined efforts, contract between the two liners was averted and the Titanic revered slowly back towards the White Star Dock. Further tugs raced to the aid of the Vulcan and succeeded in finally bringing the New York under control. It had been a near miss.
The near miss had delayed Titanic's for another hour, to allow for additional lines to be attached to the Oceanic so there was no repeat performance when Titanic steamed past again. Whatever else, it was an ominously bad start to a new ship's career at sea.
The second departure from Southampton was uneventful and after Pilot Boowyer had been dropped off, the Titanic was soon out in the English Channel, bound for her first port of call, Cherboug in Normandy. It was a journey of under 80 miles, but it took just over four hours.
The Making of History
| Owners | A
Grand Design | Construction | Sister
Ships - Olympic and Britannic
|
| Strict Segregation | Outdated
Lifeboat regulations | The Aura of Invincibility
|
| Launch | Specifications
|
Leaving for the New World
| Southampton | Southampton
- The New York and a Near Miss | Cherbourg
| Queenstown |
Provisions |
Passenger Lists
| First Class | Second
Class | Third Class |
Alphabtical list | Crew
| The Band |
Lifeboat Lists
| Lifeboats 1- 3 | Lifeboats
4 - 6 | Lifeboats 7-9 | Lifeboats
10-12 | Lifeboats 13 -16 |
Collapsibles |
Aftermath
| American Inquiry |
| Causes - An extract from February 1995 Edition
of Popular Mechanic |
Facts and Figures
| Harland and Wolff's 101 Answers to
the most asked questions about the RMS Titanic |