On 14 April 1912, watchmen in the crow’s nest surveyed the surrounding sea. None had binoculars (they were misplaced during the rush before departure). A dark mass appeared suddenly before the ship’s bow. One of the watchmen grabbed the clock’s clapper, banged three times, then turned toward the telephone and announced to the bridge, "Iceberg right ahead!" The Titanic evaded the largest part of the iceberg, but crashed into a submerged projection that scraped and pierced the hull for 100 meters, opening water channels into six watertight compartments. The Titanic was designed to stay afloat with two inundated compartments and survive the loss of the first four, but six damaged compartments sealed the fate of ship and made its sinking inevitable.