Can sinking ship pull you down?

The Myth - A sinking ship creates enough suction to pull a person under if that person is too close (as was rumoured to occur when the RMS Titanic sank). Notes - Though using a small ship, neither Adam nor Jamie were sucked under when it sank, not even when they were riding directly on top of it.
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Can you swim out of a sinking ship?

Worst Case Scenario

Swim away from the boat, so as to avoid the propeller, and although television shows like Mythbusters busted the whole ship pulling you under myth, it has been reported to take place from actual survivors. Now, if you're in the water, no life jacket, no life preserver, no floatation device.
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What happens when a ship sinks?

Ships that sink upright onto a sand bottom tend to settle into the sand to a similar level to that at which they would normally float at the surface. The thinner materials of the upper works tend to break up first, followed by the decks and deck beams, and the hull sides unsupported by bulkheads.
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Should you jump off a sinking ship?

Jumping in

This may sound obvious, but it's really important. If you do need to jump into the water, don't dive head first. (Yep, that means you need to jump in feet first.) If you can't jump into a life boat directly, aim for deep and clear water, and be wary of obstacles, like propellers.
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Why did captains go down with the ship?

"The captain goes down with the ship" is a maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both their ship and everyone embarked on it, and in an emergency will either save those on board or die trying. Although often connected to the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912 and its captain, Edward J.
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Will a Sinking Ship Suck You Down with It? | MythBusters



How long can you survive in a sunken ship?

If the pressurized air pocket were about 216 cubic feet (6 cubic m), Umansky reckoned, it would contain enough oxygen to keep Okene alive for about two-and-a-half days, or 60 hours. But there is an additional danger: carbon dioxide (CO2), which is lethal to humans at concentrations of about 5 percent.
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Do Rats leave a sinking ship?

Alas, like Rats, they forsake a falling-House, or a sinking Ship. Rats continued to flee (or quit, abandon, and desert) houses that were falling down or burning, as well as doing the same with an increasing number of sinking ships throughout the 18th century.
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How cold was the water when the Titanic sank?

The temperature of the water was -2.2 degrees Celsius when Titanic was sinking.
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Did Titanic create suction?

The Myth - A sinking ship creates enough suction to pull a person under if that person is too close (as was rumoured to occur when the RMS Titanic sank). Notes - Though using a small ship, neither Adam nor Jamie were sucked under when it sank, not even when they were riding directly on top of it.
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What do you do if your boat sinks in the ocean?

Tips for a Sinking Boat
  1. Get Everyone Into a Life Jacket. If you don't already have your life jacket on, make sure that yours is secure and ensure that everyone else does the same. ...
  2. Put in a Distress Call. ...
  3. Find the Leak. ...
  4. Use Bilge and Crash Pumps. ...
  5. Head Back to Shore. ...
  6. Take Necessary Supplies. ...
  7. Tips for Preventing Leaks.
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Do you know when to abandon ship?

Abandoning ship is always your last resort. If your boat is rapidly sinking or there's a fire that can't be extinguished or contained, then it's time to abandon. In this moment of duress, you need to be prepared to act. Having a life raft on-board won't keep you safe unless you have a plan on how to use it.
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How long did the Titanic take to sink?

It was also considered unsinkable, due to a series of compartment doors that could be closed if the bow was breached. However, four days into its maiden voyage in 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg, and less than three hours later it sank.
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What did the Titanic sound like when it sank?

He describes a sound like buckling or breaking of iron. Many passengers describe in the throes of the sinking they heard anywhere from one to several "tremendous" explosions, to use the description by Mrs. J. Stuart White, and many of the witnesses attribute this as boiler explosions.
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How quickly can a ship sink?

It is impossible to tell exactly how long it will take a ship to sink. The reason for this is because the time it takes to sink depends on how damaged the ship is. The Titanic sank in under three hours because a good amount of air remained inside after the iceberg punctured it.
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What's the longest someone survived at sea?

José Salvador Alvarenga holds the record for the longest solo survival at sea. He was adrift for 438 days, and traveled over 6,700 miles. Alvarenga is a fisherman, and on November 17, 2012, he set sail from the fishing village of Costa Azul in Mexico.
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Was anyone trapped in the Titanic?

After the sinking, a storm blew up that was reported to have scattered bobbing corpses in a line 50 miles long. But some Titanic historians argue that as many as hundreds of people were trapped inside the sinking ship.
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Did a man survive a sunken ship for 3 days?

In the murky waters off the coast of Nigeria, divers were performing the grim task of recovering the bodies of 12 crew members from the Jascon 4, a sunken tug 100 feet below the surface on the ocean floor, when they got quite the surprise.
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What was the captain of the Titanic's last words?

Captain's last words

The ship's captain Edward Smith went down with his vessel and his last words were poignant. He said: "Well boys, you've done your duty and done it well. I ask no more of you. I release you.
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Was the Titanic captain found?

Smith's body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery—with no shortage of conflicting accounts. Smith's body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery—with no shortage of conflicting accounts.
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Can ships captains marry?

A ship's captain often doesn't have the legal right to perform weddings at sea unless he is also a judge, minister, justice of the peace or a Notary Public.
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