For the first time, the circumstances leading up to the collision that took place on 20 September 1911 is objectively analyzed and
presented.  Like most collision cases, there are two different, and mutually exclusive versions as to what had happened in the
minutes before the two vessels involved came into contact with each other.  To those on
Olympic, it appeared that Hawke, after
first coming up from behind, deliberately turned toward the massive ocean liner in a failed attempt to go under her stern.  To those
on
Hawke, their protected cruiser was mysteriously drawn into Olympic as the pride of the White Star Line was accelerating past
them in the restricted waters of the Solent.

This project had its beginnings in early 2010 after work was completed on an analysis of the collision that took place in July 1956
between the Italian liner
Andrea Doria and the Swedish liner Stockholm (see Lights To Port - Lights to Starboard).  Available to us
for this project was a wealth of primary source materials, including access to transcripts of the Naval inquiry that took place just
two days after the collision, the subsequent court trial that followed in November, as well as subsequent appeals and other related
materials that dealt with the specifics of the case.  In this book, we examine all aspects leading up to the collision, and critically
analyze the claims made by both sides as to what happened.  We also look at the role of adverse hydrodynamic interaction between
two vessels in restricted waterways, and look at the contributory circumstances leading up to a situation that caught both sides by
surprise. Based on all the evidence presented, we present a detailed scenario of what most likely happened in the Solent that
September day showing the minute-by-minute movements of each vessel before and after the collision.  Finally, we address the
question of could the collision have been prevented and what was learned, if anything, from a collision that seemingly should not
have happened.
                      CONTENTS
Preface
Prologue
Ch 1.  “There’s Going to be a Collision”
Ch 2.    A One-Sided Enquiry
Ch 3.    Trial in the High Court of Justice
Ch 4.    Appeals and Judgments
Ch 5.    An
Olympic Tale
Ch 6.    A
Hawke’s Tale
Ch 7.    In Search of  Reality  
Ch 8.    Damages and Repairs
Ch 9.    Causes and Alternatives
Ch 10.  Incident at Southampton
Epilogue
Appendix A. Hydrodynamic Forces and  Interactions
Appendix B. The Equation of Continuity
Acknowledgements
Index
The Sting of the Hawke: Collision in the Solent

by Samuel Halpern and Mark Chirnside

Kindle Direct Publishing; Revised September 2023.  121 pages.