Titanic defended

Authors of popular books on the Titanic tragedy often criticize the design of the ship, e.g., writing that it was deficient in that it lacked watertight decks and longitudinal subdivision. On the other hand, experts in ship design spoke quite differently in the public evaluations of the ship that followed, particularly in the Board of Trade investigation of 1912, and in the SOLAS conferences of 1914 and 1929. Pertinent excerpts from their findings and rule-makings are quoted, and discussed with respect to their posthumous application to the Titanic. With one exception, this process supports the present author's assertion that the Titanic was neither an unsafe nor poorly designed ship.