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N0KFQ > TODAY 21.11.11 20:39l 61 Lines 2772 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Nov 21
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Sent: 111121/1928Z 14150@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.0.4
Nov 21, 1916:
Britannic sinks in Aegean Sea
The Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, sinks in the Aegean
Sea on this day in 1916, killing 30 people. More than 1,000
others were rescued.
In the wake of the Titanic disaster on April 14, 1912, the White
Star Line made several modifications in the construction of its
already-planned sister ship. First, the name was changed from
Gigantic to Britannic (probably because it seemed more humble)
and the design of the hull was altered to make it less vulnerable
to icebergs. In addition, it was mandated that there be enough
lifeboats on board to accommodate all passengers, which had not
been the case with the Titanic.
The nearly 50,000-ton luxury vessel, the largest in the world,
was launched in 1914, but was requisitioned soon afterward by the
British government to serve as a hospital ship during World War
I. In this capacity, Captain Charlie Bartlett led the Britannic
on five successful voyages bringing wounded British troops back
to England from various ports around the world.
On November 21, the Britannic was on its way to pick up more
wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, when at 8:12 a.m., a
violent explosion rocked the ship. Captain Bartlett ordered the
closure of the watertight doors and sent out a distress signal.
However, the blast had already managed to flood six whole
compartments_even more extensive damage than that which had sunk
the Titanic. Still, the Britannic had been prepared for such a
disaster and would have stayed afloat except for two critical
matters.
First, Captain Bartlett decided to try to run the Britannic
aground on the nearby island of Kea. This might have been
successful, but, earlier, the ship's nursing staff had opened the
portholes to air out the sick wards. Water poured in through the
portholes as the Britannic headed toward Kea. Second, the
disaster was compounded when some of the crew attempted to launch
lifeboats without orders. Since the ship was still moving as fast
as it could, the boats were sucked into the propellers, killing
those on board.
Less than 30 minutes later, Bartlett realized that the ship was
going to sink and ordered it abandoned. The lifeboats were
launched and even though the Britannic sank at 9:07, less than an
hour after the explosion, nearly 1,100 people managed to make it
off the ship. In fact, most of the 30 people who died were in the
prematurely launched lifeboats. In 1976, famed ocean explorer
Jacques Cousteau found the Britannic lying on its side 400 feet
below the surface of the Aegean. The cause of the explosion
remains unknown, but many believe that the Britannic hit a mine.
73, K.O. n0kfq
Another old retired guy
E-mail: n0kfq@winlink.org
N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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