Wheelhouse - The Wheelhouse effectively formed the forward end of the Officers’ Quarters deckhouse. Like the Navigating Bridge shelter, it was constructed entirely of wood so as not to influence the magnetic compass. Although the engine order telegraphs were not located here, the Wheelhouse could well be regarded as the main control center for the ship - it was not only steered from here while at sea, but four of the six telephone circuits in the navigating group terminated here. Also, the telemotor was located in the Wheelhouse, with the wheel in the Navigating Bridge shelter linked to it by means of a shaft that could be engaged or disengaged.

   Access to the Wheelhouse was gained from the open deck outside via a teak door fitted on each side. These doors would have been solid (without a round bull’s-eye light), consistent with other Harland & Wolff ships of the period. As evidenced from photographs, in later years bull’s-eye lights were added to Olympic’s wheelhouse doors, but the approximate date of this alteration is unknown . . . (continued)

   Exterior - The exterior of the Officers’ Quarters deckhouse (and most of the deckhouses on the Boat Deck), was fitted with white-painted iron storm rails. The margin planks around the roof of the Officer’s Deckhouse, 1st Class Entrance, and Gymnasium had a brown-painted wooden nosing running horizontally below the washboards on the roof. At the deck level on the port and starboard bulkheads were 10-inch circular windows which allowed air and light into the inner 1st Class staterooms below on A Deck. A shaft led from the backside of each of these “skid lights” through the Boat Deck room inside, passing downward at an angle into the A Deck stateroom ceilings below. These light-and-air shafts were ingeniously concealed behind the officers’ settees and were fitted with special prismatic glass to better disperse the light within the staterooms below . . . (continued)

   No. 4 Funnel deckhouse - The forward and side bulkheads of the No. 4 Funnel deckhouse surrounded the turbine engine casing. This casing contained ventilation fans, two additional light-and-air shafts to the Galley on D Deck and a spiral crew stairwell on the port side that led as far down as D Deck, opening out into the 1st and 2nd Class Galley. Along the port and starboard bulkheads were rows of rectangular glass windows mounted into the plating from inside, interrupted by ventilation fans and access doors. The after end of the deckhouse was used for storage, primarily for deck chairs, and also contained a Cloak Room. However, a mystery has surrounded this area of Titanic for years. It has been said by some that one of the two storage rooms was converted into a dog kennel at some point. This opinion is given further weight by the fact that Olympic would have a dog kennel in this area after 1912. Britannic was also built with a kennel very close to this area. The other opinion holds that the dog kennel was located below in the area of the 3rd Class Galley, a place convenient for feeding the pets, as one of the Cooks could feed the dogs kitchen scraps . . . (continued)

Image left-bottom, Looking aft along the port side of the Titanic’s Boat Deck at the raised roof over the 1st Class Reading and Writing Room. The bulkheads of the Reading and Writing Room and the Lounge were not in a straight line fore-and-aft because of the alcoves created by the bow and bay windows of the rooms below. On Olympic, the roof edge was contoured to follow all of these alcoves whereas on Titanic, the decking of the raised roof was plated and sheathed over above the alcoves between the bay windows of the Lounge. Also on Titanic, a 20-inch cowl and fan were added to this area of the roof.