A Technical Event in Toledo, Ohio
Hosted by Capt. Erik D. Wood and Capt. David G. Brown

A symposium focusing on a variety of technical aspects relating to the RMS Titanic was held September 29 to October 1, 2006, in Toledo, Ohio. Hosted by Capt. Erik Wood and Capt. David Brown, “Titanic In Toledo 2006” was held at the Sleep Inn in nearby Oregon, Ohio, and aboard the museum ship SS Willis B. Boyer. Sixteen attendees from nine states came to hear presentations from group participants about Titanic, her encounter with an iceberg, and other related topics. Both formal and informal discussions about the Titanic and other ships took place at the hotel and on the Boyer.

The group also enjoyed a short tour of Toledo’s riverfront aboard Capt. Dave’s Maumee River Water Taxi, and witnessed a working demonstration of a “hard-a-starboard” maneuver around a stationary object in the river. A highlight of the weekend was a visit to the former Bob-Lo Island excursion steamer SS Ste. Claire, which still houses her original 1910 triple expansion reciprocating steam engine.

Each day’s schedule ended with dinner and discussion at a local restaurant, followed by late night chit chat, beverages, and the occasional cigar back at the hotel.
View photos from Titanic in Toledo 2006
View photos from our visit to the museum ship SS Willis B. Boyer
View photos from our visit to the former Bob-Lo excursion steamer SS Ste. Claire
Schedule of Events:

Thursday, September 28th:
Dinner at Tony Packo’s Cafe (made famous by Cpl. Klinger on M*A*S*H) followed by chit chat back at the hotel.

Friday, September 29th:
Roy Mengot “What Thomas Andrews Knew at 11:55, and How He Knew It” (PowerPoint)
Sam Halpern “Sideswipe or Grounding?” (PowerPoint)
Sam Halpern “A Californian Voyage – A coherent and comprehensive analysis of the movements and locations of the SS Californian 14-15 April 1912” (PowerPoint)
The remainder of the day’s activities were held on the Maumee River waterfront at Toledo’s International Park, the location of the SS Willis B. Boyer and SS Ste. Claire
Erik Wood Following introductory remarks on shipboard operations and the life of a merchant marine officer, Capt. Erik led a tour of the Boyer, discussing ships of the era (lakers in particular) and the Edmund Fitzgerald
This was followed by a visit to the engine room of the 1910 excursion steamer Ste. Claire to view its triple expansion reciprocating steam engine
Dave Brown A ride on the Maumee River Water Taxi, demonstrating basic ship handling and maneuvering with the assistance of Capt. Erik.
Dinner at Navy Bistro, friendly chit chat, beer and a lot of Titanic talk!

Saturday, September 30th:
Marty Bailey “Diving on the Wreck of the Empress of Ireland” (Slides)
Sam Halpern “Turning in Circles - Deriving the turning characteristics of the SS Titanic” (PowerPoint)
Dave Brown “Dodging Ice – Titanic did not steam blindly to its doom”
Bob Williams Presentation on the grounding and breakup of Titanic (PowerPoint)
Sam Halpern “Speed and Revolutions - The development of a slip table for the SS Titanic” (PowerPoint)
Dinner at Applebee’s, lots more chit chat, beer, cigars and Titanic talk!

Sunday, October 1st:
Breakfast and wrap up
In addition to the scheduled presentations listed above, the following four papers were distributed at the event:
Capt. Erik D. Wood “Understanding the Merchant Marine Officer”
Capt. David G. Brown “Dodging Ice – Titanic did not steam blindly to its doom”
Samuel Halpern “Keeping Track of a Maiden Voyage”
Dave Gittins “The PM, MPs and KCs”
    Attendees
Erik Wood Marty Bailey Yuri Singleton
Dave Brown Maggie Bailey Denise Hunyadi
Roy Mengot Michael Standart John Hays
Sam Halpern Bill Wormstedt Rob Ottmers
Bob Williams Tad Fitch Erin Jones
Joshua Gulch
Thank you for joining us for “Titanic in Toledo 2006”!

[ Follow a discussion of this event under “Let’s Meet!” on the Encyclopedia Titanica Message Board ]

DIRECTIONS:

The Boyer is located in International Park, directly across from downtown Toledo on the east side of the Maumee River. Take I-75 to the Miami Street exit and go east past the grain elevators. A sign for International Park is on your left. If you miss it, keep going to Main Street (a corner with Wendy's and McDonald's) and turn left. Turn left again at the light after going under the railroad bridge.
Click on Google’s map control icons to move and resize image
S = Location of Sleep Inn, Oregon, OH
T = Location of Tony Packo’s Cafe, Toledo, OH

| Home | Back to Top |