The Titanic Was on Fire for Days Before It Sank

Despite warnings of icebergs in the area, the Titanic ran full speed when crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The excessive speed could have been caused by the firefighting onboard.

To fight the fire, the stokers had been shovelling the burning coal into furnaces for three days to burn the fire away, causing the ship to speed up. 

When the Titanic struck an iceberg, it tore into its hull. But the bulkhead compartments appeared to be holding the water back. 

The Titanic’s designer aboard the ship seemed to think the ship wouldn’t sink as long as the bulkheads held up - except that one of the main bulkheads had been damaged in the fire. After two hours, lead firefighter/stoker Fred Barrett reported seeing “green foam come tearing between the boilers.” Then, the bulkhead failed, and water came pouring in, sinking the ship.

According to journalist Senan Molony, who have been studying the Titanic for over 30 years, the ship left port with a fire on board because the White Star Line (operator of the Titanic) was in financial trouble. As a result, the Titanic needed to sail on schedule, or the company may have folded.

 Others disagree with Molony’s conclusions. The previous secretary of the British Titanic Society, David Hill, admits to the fire but thinks the iceberg was the ultimate reason.