Joking aside for a moment, the Titanic actually was a very well-built ship. Its fatal flaw, that the walls of the watertight compartments didn't reach to the ceiling, wouldn't have been such an issue if the conditions that led to her sinking weren't so unusually perfect. The most watertight design for a ship is an enclosed metal container. Obviously that wouldn't be very practical, so compromises have to be made in order to accomodate staff and passengers. Walkways, entryways, electrical and water channels have to cut into the original watertight design; each of these elements simply adds to the list of things that can go wrong. As it is, she was able to remain viable for hours (after not hitting the iceberg) rather than foundering straight away.
The other big 'flaw' that's often cited is the lack of sufficient lifeboat provision. Couple of things to bear in mind: she actually carried the required number of lifeboats - sixteen standard boats and four collapsibles - to satisfy Board of Trade regulations for a vessel of her class; in fact many people were of the opinion that she carried too many lifeboats. The reasoning for this is that Titanic was intended to be her own lifeboat - that stretch of the Atlantic was very well travelled and it was considered preferable to await rescue aboard the ship, than risk the open sea in an open boat. Were it not for the Californian infamously standing to nearby watching her sink, the strategy would have worked.
Sorry for this digression; it just happens to be a pet subject of mine.
The other big 'flaw' that's often cited is the lack of sufficient lifeboat provision. Couple of things to bear in mind: she actually carried the required number of lifeboats - sixteen standard boats and four collapsibles - to satisfy Board of Trade regulations for a vessel of her class; in fact many people were of the opinion that she carried too many lifeboats. The reasoning for this is that Titanic was intended to be her own lifeboat - that stretch of the Atlantic was very well travelled and it was considered preferable to await rescue aboard the ship, than risk the open sea in an open boat. Were it not for the Californian infamously standing to nearby watching her sink, the strategy would have worked.
Sorry for this digression; it just happens to be a pet subject of mine.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'