Boat Regulations
Part of the reason there were so little survivors (705 out of around 2300 people survived), was because the Titanic did not carry nearly enough lifeboats. She carried 20 lifeboats (16 wooden and 4 collapsible) and exactly 40 were needed to carry all of the passengers and crew members aboard. Harland and Wolff, the ship's builders, wanted the Titanic to carry 64 lifeboats, but the owner refused, saying the Titanic wouldn't look as appealing with that amount of lifeboats. Also, another problem arose when they were boarding the lifeboats: Most of the boats held only a couple people; the first lifeboat that was lowered was capable of holding 65 people only held 12.
After the sinking, regulations stated that boats must carry enough lifeboats to hold all passengers. They also said that there should be regular lifeboat drills on boats because the Titanic's crew members did not know how to lower the lifeboats properly and the passengers did not know how to board the boats properly.
Another ship, the Californian, had been just ten miles away when the Titanic sank. However, the boat's radio was off during the time, and the boat did not pick up the Titanic's distress signals. If the radio had been manned, the Californian could have made it to the Titanic's aid and rescued the passengers. Boat regulations changed to state that boat radios must be on and manned at all times.
The Californian also saw the Titanic's distress flares, but because of the heavy marketing stating that the Titanic was "invincible", they refused to believe that the Titanic was actually sinking and did not come to it's aid.
After the sinking, regulations stated that boats must carry enough lifeboats to hold all passengers. They also said that there should be regular lifeboat drills on boats because the Titanic's crew members did not know how to lower the lifeboats properly and the passengers did not know how to board the boats properly.
Another ship, the Californian, had been just ten miles away when the Titanic sank. However, the boat's radio was off during the time, and the boat did not pick up the Titanic's distress signals. If the radio had been manned, the Californian could have made it to the Titanic's aid and rescued the passengers. Boat regulations changed to state that boat radios must be on and manned at all times.
The Californian also saw the Titanic's distress flares, but because of the heavy marketing stating that the Titanic was "invincible", they refused to believe that the Titanic was actually sinking and did not come to it's aid.