What if a modern day cruise ship today hit the same iceberg as the Titanic?

[alex2345]

Would it be catastrophic? If not, why? Assuming the ship is roughly the same size as Titantic, such as the Queen Mary, for example. And assuming the ship hit it at the same speed, and at the same angle. The Costa Concordia may be my answer, I realize. But I guess my real question is -- hasn't the 100 year advance in materials, and material strength, that go into making hulls, improved, and improved safety?
I would like to know about hull thickness and its composition -- why was the hull of the Costa Concordia not strong enough to hold? Is it still physically impossible to build a hull that will withstand an encounter with coral, rock or an iceberg in 2012?

 

[LouiseC]

Ships have to carry enough lifeboats for everyone now, so the same circumstances would not arise. In the days of the Titanic, it was not thought necessary to have enough lifeboats for everyone, because it was assumed another ship would come and rescue them (shipping lanes were very busy in those days).

 

[Yun]

It would not be nearly as catastrophic, though not for the reasons that you may have mentioned.

Actual examination of the wreck of the Titanic shows that the construction of the ship was flawed by both poorer quality steel than should have been used and less steel than should have been used. The damage ended up being more extreme and spread faster because of the corners that had been cut to make the ship less expensive.
So, since those processes are more carefully watched today, the damage would most likely be significantly less devastating. Also, the designs of ships have progressed to make them even more safe and redundant in safety.

Also, we could get rescue ships and aircraft to the scene much more rapidly, so that more people could be saved.