Shipbroker Notes : Bulkheads

Bulkheads are vertical partitions or walls. All ships must have a specified number of bulkheads, depending on their length. By dividing the ship into watertight divisions they reduce the danger of sinking if one compartment is holed. They also reduce the risk of fire spreading. The forward bulkhead, called the ‘collision bulkhead’, is made particularly strong as it would have to withstand considerable buffeting if the ship steams to a repair yard having had her bows severely damaged in a collision. Had the Titanic hit the iceberg head-on instead of swerving and ripping a long gash down her side, she would almost certainly have made New York safely under her own power, instead of being the most terrible maritime casualty of all time.