Changing of Maritime Laws after the Titanic
Ben Tillett’s letter as well as the inquiry that occurred after the disaster caused a change in Maritime laws in both Britain and the United States. The first law to be changed was the amount of lifeboats required on board every ship (Lane, 2004). The United States changed their laws to include that every ship would carry sufficient life boats to accommodate all passengers and crew members. Also, no less than four crew members with the knowledge of handing the lifeboats would be assigned to each lifeboat and life boat drills would be logged twice a month. Before each voyage crew members and passengers would be assigned to a life boat and each stateroom would be equipped with both the assignments and directions to the lifeboats (Lane, 2004). The necessity for posting a lifeboat assignment list and practicing drills came from the crew of the Titanic not knowing their lifeboats assignments until the voyage started, barely looking at them, and the cancellation of a lifeboat drill on April 14, 1912 (Barratt, 2010).
The British Board of Trade would handle their regulations differently and go more in depth than the United States. Instead of including enough lifeboats for every passenger, which they thought was unnecessary under certain circumstances, the number of lifeboats on passenger ships would be based on a projected number of passengers that the ship could carry. In cases where the Board of Trade deemed that including lifeboats for all passengers and crew unnecessary requirements would be altered. This would involve changing the size and type of lifeboat used on the ship and changing the manner of stowing them which could include setting aside a whole deck for storage. All lifeboats would be fitted with a bumper or “protective fender to prevent the lifeboat from sustaining damage while being lowered. A committee also recommended that some lifeboats be equipped with an engine and that all lifeboats be fitted with lamps, pyrotechnics for signaling, and also a compass and provisions. The committee’s final recommendation was for the Board of Trade to conduct stricter and more searching life boat inspections in the future (Lane, 2004).
The British Board of Trade’s regulations went more in depth than the United States regulations and included more items that a lifeboat should be provided with. The United States did not include regulations on the inclusion of provisions, compasses, lights, or devices that could be used for signaling. The United States regulation simply covered lifeboats and drills, but it did include the designation of every passenger and crew member to a lifeboat and that the assignments would be posted in the staterooms, something that the British Board of Trade left. Overall, the British Board of Trade’s regulations went more in depth and included items that lifeboats would need after they had left the ship (Lane, 2004).
In addition to the lifeboat regulations being updated and changed the navigation in ice was also looked at. An international conference was held in London on November 12, 1913 to establish and maintain a permanent ice patrol in areas that were the most dangerous to shipping. This convention created the International Ice Patrol which has been run by the United States Coast Guard since February 7, 1914. The International Ice Patrol has been patrolling the area non-stop with the exception of both World Wars (Lane, 2004; "Titanic's timeline," 2012). Before the International Ice Patrol, two U.S. Navy vessels were in charge of patrolling the area so the Revenue Cutter Service, predecessor the Coast Guard, took control beginning in 1913. Ben Tillett’s letter to the Board of Trade was a push for change in the maritime laws to increase the lifesaving devices on board a vessel, which did occur along with other changes, but too late to save the 1,500 souls that perished on the Titanic.
The image above is of a International Ice Patrol patch ("International Ice Patrol," International Ice Patrol patch).
The British Board of Trade would handle their regulations differently and go more in depth than the United States. Instead of including enough lifeboats for every passenger, which they thought was unnecessary under certain circumstances, the number of lifeboats on passenger ships would be based on a projected number of passengers that the ship could carry. In cases where the Board of Trade deemed that including lifeboats for all passengers and crew unnecessary requirements would be altered. This would involve changing the size and type of lifeboat used on the ship and changing the manner of stowing them which could include setting aside a whole deck for storage. All lifeboats would be fitted with a bumper or “protective fender to prevent the lifeboat from sustaining damage while being lowered. A committee also recommended that some lifeboats be equipped with an engine and that all lifeboats be fitted with lamps, pyrotechnics for signaling, and also a compass and provisions. The committee’s final recommendation was for the Board of Trade to conduct stricter and more searching life boat inspections in the future (Lane, 2004).
The British Board of Trade’s regulations went more in depth than the United States regulations and included more items that a lifeboat should be provided with. The United States did not include regulations on the inclusion of provisions, compasses, lights, or devices that could be used for signaling. The United States regulation simply covered lifeboats and drills, but it did include the designation of every passenger and crew member to a lifeboat and that the assignments would be posted in the staterooms, something that the British Board of Trade left. Overall, the British Board of Trade’s regulations went more in depth and included items that lifeboats would need after they had left the ship (Lane, 2004).
In addition to the lifeboat regulations being updated and changed the navigation in ice was also looked at. An international conference was held in London on November 12, 1913 to establish and maintain a permanent ice patrol in areas that were the most dangerous to shipping. This convention created the International Ice Patrol which has been run by the United States Coast Guard since February 7, 1914. The International Ice Patrol has been patrolling the area non-stop with the exception of both World Wars (Lane, 2004; "Titanic's timeline," 2012). Before the International Ice Patrol, two U.S. Navy vessels were in charge of patrolling the area so the Revenue Cutter Service, predecessor the Coast Guard, took control beginning in 1913. Ben Tillett’s letter to the Board of Trade was a push for change in the maritime laws to increase the lifesaving devices on board a vessel, which did occur along with other changes, but too late to save the 1,500 souls that perished on the Titanic.
The image above is of a International Ice Patrol patch ("International Ice Patrol," International Ice Patrol patch).