The Technical Scope of the Olympic-class Ship Project
Bruce Ismay, the principal stakeholder and sponsor, was very concerned about any requirements that could negatively impact the project mantra. Indeed, there are several examples illustrating this. Ismay wanted a spacious first-class dining room salon - the largest room ever to go to sea - as a centerpiece for the first-class passage. It was to be used not for just the dining experience but also for galas, balls and dances. Figure 2 shows the splendor of the first-class dining room salon, the largest room ever to go to sea, and a centerpiece for the first-class passage, contributing to that experience.
Figure 2: The splendor of the first-class dining room salon
The splendor of the first-class dining room salon would be core to the ship's planned entertainment and ultimately to the customer experience. However, at 168 feet by 92 feet, the huge size of the salon compromised the height of three of the fifteen vertical bulkhead walls. The bulkheads divided each ship into sixteen watertight compartments, a really important safety feature (or non-functional requirement in today's language). The architects were put under undue pressure to lower the bulkheads to accommodate the ballroom, and finally yielded to pressure. After adjusting, three of the bulkhead walls ended just below the dining room, two decks above the water line.
Figure 3 shows the Deck D through the Olympic-class ships with the position of the first-class dining room which at 168 feet by 92 feet (that is 114 feet combined with the 54 feet reception room) was 20% of the 882 foot length and compromised three of the fifteen vertical bulkhead walls in height.
Figure 3: Deck D through the Olympic-class ships and the first-class dining room salon.
Figure 4 shows the decks through the Olympic-class ships. The first-class dining room salon was situated on Deck D, just two decks above the waterline.
Figure 4: The decks through the Olympic-class ships, with the first-class
dining room salon on Deck D
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The
Essence of the Olympic-class Ship Project
