Mistake in movie, Titanic?

Question

Titanic was on last night, and I've noticed this mistake years ago too. When they are about to hit the iceberg, the first officer gives the order "hard to starboard", and pilot turns the wheel all the way to the left. Later, he gives the order "hard to port", and the pilot turns the wheel all the way to the right. Isn't this backwards? I'm sure a major blockbuster movie like Titanic wouldn't make this mistake, but Starboard is right, and Port is left.

Answer 1

They probley did it on purpose???

Answer 2

This wasn't a mistake. The orders related to the position of the tiller and not the direction of the wheel. This term was used by the British royal navy and discontinued in 1933.

Murdoch's order was "Hard-a- Starboard" and Hichens turned the wheel to port and the ship moved to the port.

This old term was used with tiller sailing vessels. Turn the tiller  handle starboard you move to port and vice versa.

This question was addressed when the movie was first viewed.

Answer 3

you are right way to pay attention to detail.  But also you have to notice that the digitial side also put the ice burg on the wrong side.

Answer 4

You are really observant, sailor.  Kudos!  yes the term for the left side of the boat, port, is derived from the practice of sailors mooring on the left side.  Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board the ship and facing the bow (front).

However I don't use those terms on the Enterprise.  lol

Answer 5

That is probaly how it is sopost to go.

Answer 6

Dude you're a nerd.

Answer 7

Caught that did you?

Try moviemistakes.com

Answer 8

It depends on the perspective.  Whose perspective was it?  Was the camera behind the sailor or in front of him?  Maybe in the filming, the person did it right, but somehow the footage got reversed.  Sometimes they do that in movie trailers; the image is reversed.

Answer 9

never knew that

Answer 10

yea i saw that movie Friday nite

hmm didn't realize that, but u know they cut out allot of parts

by the way..good movie!! :>

Answer 11

hmm ive never noticed that.

i love that movie! i watched the end of it last night...

its my fav movie. just thought i would state that haha

Answer 12

You are very observate.  Good for you.

Answer 13

Also, Lake Wissota, the lake Jack went icefishing on, was a man made lake not made until a few years after the Titanic sank.

Answer 14

I may be wrong, but I believe the rudder turns opposite to the direction of the wheel.

Answer 15

You're very observant.  I noticed this also a few years ago and found out that the helm, at the time, was turned opposite to the direction you wanted to travel in.  In fact, the movie is historically correct.  If you watch any other version of the movie, you'll see that they do the same thing; the helm is spun opposite to the order given.

Answer 16

c. karhuma and a few others gets it right.......up until the 1920's British helm orders were for how they wanted the tiller to turn.......and even on big ships there's a tiller; that  the lever arm attached to the rudder that the steering cables attach to.........so the wheel would be turned the opposite of the order.

This got WAY to confusing as everyone else did it different ( hard a starboard turn the wheel to starboard)  and the Brits changed over in the 20's

so the movie IS correct!

Answer 17

oh! you should talk to universal movies or something. you are veryyy aware

Answer 18

that is right, thats weired i nver noticed

Answer 19

idk but maybe the steering is dif. on a big boat like that?? I have no clue.

Answer 20

the film may have gotten flipped and when the actor was doing it he really was going the right way...it just got flipped around (i think that happens in editing) if that's not the case then in a blockbuster film who's got time to know a ship when there's lots of explosions to work on? hehe j/k but you're right they really should have noticed....but not everyones perfect...there's always mistakes (you can see a car driving past in the distance in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in one of the first scenes)

Answer 21

sweet

Answer 22

but maybe it was because the wheel turns and the rudders go in opposite directions meaning turning the wheel right would in turn, make the titanic go left.. just a thought.. i love picking apart movies..

Answer 23

Well the bridge commands were wrong anyways.  

The true commands to the helmsman would be "Full right rudder" or "Full left rudder", not hard to port or starboard, that is a movie myth that seems to go on and on.  

The term Port and Starboard are sides of the ship, just like Forward and Aft,  and not directions to turn.

A command to the engine room with two main engines may be "Full Astern Port engine", because that is where that engine is located, the Port side of the ship.  You may hear "Ten degrees Right Rudder" or the like, but never "Ten degrees Port Rudder".   That would mean you had two rudders that were steered separately, which doesn't happen in real life ships....

The term "Rudder Midships" means the middle, so you would put the rudder to the center line of the ship.

Answer 24

had no clue

Answer 25

you are right i never thought of that b4...

Answer 26

never knew that might have to check mistakeas on internet b4 i get another major blockbuster.

Answer 27

haha your awesome!!!! i would have never noticed that! i gotta see that movie again!!!

Answer 28

I think my brother-in-law had also mentioned that. I know he was in the military, not sure it may have been the Navy. And I thought I was good at catching errors in movies!

Answer 29

I only watched the entire film once in the theater.  After that I turn it off before it gets to that part because it makes me cry but that was most observant of you.