The dreadnought revolution shows how much maritime technology changed between 1894 and 1912. Lifeboat and subdivision rules did not keep pace, even though passenger ships had already exceeded the tonnage assumptions behind the regulations. More extensive watertight decks and longitudinal division were within contemporary engineering ability. Their weight, cost, and effect on open cargo space tied regulatory delay directly to commercial incentives.
Notable Point · 1:10:54-1:16:14
Eighteen years of innovation under old rules
Titanic was governed by 1894 rules despite the extraordinary change in ship size and technology by 1912.