first | previous | next | last | index   10 of 53  25kb Shoring under Olympic's hull. A double bottom extends out to the ship's sides, and is 5 to 6 feet deep. When Titanic was breached, she initially floated on the second bottom. There is evidence that the sinking of Titanic was caused by her grounding on the iceberg, which compromised her inner hull. The damage to her starboard side was above this double bottom. She was initially "floating on her pumps." Captain Smith gave the order to proceed at half-speed, and things quickly deteriorated. Crewmen reported rising water from below. Had Smith not given the order to proceed, Titanic may have remained afloat much longer.