The two guys in the crow's nest didn't see the iceberg until it was too late. But why? One theory says the sea was too calm and the lookouts weren't able to see waves breaking at the base of the iceberg. According to another theory, the crow's nest didn't have any binoculars. Except that one isn't a theory; it's a really unfortunate fact.
So let's get this straight, the Titanic had rowing machines, an electric horse, a squash court, and a heated swimming pool, but it didn't have binoculars onboard? Actually it did, but they were unhelpfully locked away in a cabinet and no one could find the key. It seems that the key was in David Blair's pocket, and David Blair had disembarked in Southampton.
According to the Telegraph, Blair served as the ship's second officer between Belfast and Southampton, but at the last minute the White Star Line decided to replace him. In his rush to disembark, he forgot to give the key to his replacement.
You can look at this a couple of ways — the last-minute reassignment saved Blair's life or the last-minute reassignment didn't save Blair's life because it was responsible for the entire disaster. If you believe binoculars could have helped the crew avoid the iceberg, then Blair's life was never really in any danger. On the other hand, his failure to turn over that key may have doomed more than 1,500 people, so there's that.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9lGprbXBfqbWmecyoqq1llJ7AtcHRnaammZmjrHh506Ggp59dlq%2BwwdNmq6GdXam2ta3Noppmq5mjuKq6xmagrKakYsSprdNmsKitXam1qrrKaA%3D%3D