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88 Articles

Perhaps no ship in history has engendered such continued worldwide fascination as the White Star Line’s ill-fated Titanic. The largest man-made object ever to have been moved when she was launched at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard in May 1911, within the next 10 months she had also become the most luxuriously opulent ship ever to grace the waves. Everything about her was stunningly impressive, from her remarkable carved and moulded interiors, to the sheer massiveness of her component parts, to her technical features based on cutting-edge maritime technology. Yet, despite design and workmanship that led to her being branded by some as “unsinkable”, she took more than 1,500 passengers to watery graves after only five days of her maiden voyage, the result of a collision with an iceberg in…

THE AGE OF THE LINER

The era of Titanic marked the apogee of transatlantic luxury cruising. In a time before air travel, the grand ocean liner was the most impressive and luxurious form of transportation in the world, the embodiment of both opulence and man’s continuing achievement. But the ships that plied the oceans were also the result of competition founded on the burning desire for financial profits. In 1839, Samuel Cunard won a contract with the British government to provide a fortnightly mail service from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston. Within a year, the Cunard Line had produced Britannia, the first purpose-built ocean liner. Soon afterwards, other new Cunard ships – Acadia, Caledonia and Columbia – joined Britannia in the first regularly scheduled steamship service to North America, taking approximately 14 days for the…

THE AGE OF THE LINER

LARGEST AND FASTEST

City of New York and City of Paris were stunning achievements because they were the first liners weighing more than 9,072 tonnes (10,000 tons), while also having the speed to gain the Blue Riband. The following ships are those that held the distinction of being the world’s largest liner at the same time as holding the speed record for crossing the Atlantic. NDL = Norddeutscher Lloyd CGT = Compagnie Générale Transatlantique WB = westbound; EB = eastbound…

LARGEST AND FASTEST

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Cunard, the last major transatlantic shipping line with strictly British ownership, was under threat of takeover by J P Morgan’s IMMC, which had already acquired the Dominion Line, Red Star Line, Holland-Amerika Line and, in 1902, the White Star Line. In addition, Cunard ships were being outperformed by Norddeutscher Lloyd’s Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and a new, even faster ship: Deutschland of the Hamburg-Amerika Line. It was clear that Cunard needed faster, more lavish ships to compete with the Germans and the IMMC, but the company did not have the funding, so Lord Inverclyde, Cunard’s chairman, turned to the British government for help. Set against a backdrop of British unease with growing German power, he negotiated a multimillionpound loan and an annual subsidy.…

THE COMPETITION

In order that Cunard could put both new ships into service as quickly as possible, Lusitania and Mauretania were built at separate shipyards. This resulted in a competitive spirit that saw the shipbuilders incorporate every innovation they thought might make their respective ship the best. Although they appeared similar on the outside, the interiors contrasted starkly with one another: Lusitania’s gold leaf on plaster gave it an open, airy feeling, while the oak, mahogany and other dark wood of Mauretania produced a more sober, subdued atmosphere. Although Mauretania was faster, Lusitania ultimately proved more popular with passengers.…

THE COMPETITION

WHAT KIND OF ENGINE?

One of the key questions for shipbuilders at the start of the twentieth century was whether to power ships with traditional, piston-based reciprocating engines or with the more recent steam turbine. Cunard tested this in sister ships brought into service in 1905. Carmania’s steam turbine proved faster and more economical than Caronia’s reciprocating engine, leading Cunard to put turbines in both Lusitania and Mauretania. Similarly, White Star’s Megantic used reciprocating engines and her sister Laurentic a combination of the two engines. Based on Laurentic’s success, combination engines were designed for Olympic and Titanic.…

WHAT KIND OF ENGINE?

BUILDING THE BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD

The first task that now faced Harland & Wolff was to develop the infrastructure that would allow the monster ships to be built. Throughout the latter half of 1908, the two new giant slipways were prepared and the gantry constructed high above them. Finally, on 16 December 1908 at Slip Two, the first keel plate was laid for what would become Olympic. Then, on 31 March 1909, next door at Slip Three, a similar keel began to be laid. It was Harland & Wolff’s keel number 401, and the ship that would rise from it would become known as Titanic. The two ships were virtually identical in their initial construction. Up from the keel rose powerful frames that were set from 0.6–1 metre (2–3 feet) apart and were held in…

BUILDING THE BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD

THE LAUNCHING OF TITANIC

The launching of Titanic was a momentous occasion, with an estimated 100,000 people – one-third of Belfast – turning out to watch. J P Morgan, who had come from New York for the occasion, arrived on the chartered steamer Duke of Argyll, along with more than 100 reporters from England. Shortly before 12:15pm, Lord Pirrie ordered the last timber supports to be knocked away. Moving under her own weight, in 62 seconds the 21,772-tonne (24,000-ton) hull slid down a slipway greased with 20 tonnes (22 tons) of tallow, soap and train oil. As thousands cheered, the hull slipped into the water until being halted by special anchors.…

THE LAUNCHING OF TITANIC

THE GLAMOUR OF TITANIC

By the end of her outfitting, Titanic had become the most luxurious and elegant ship in the world, and one that could not fail to impress. The designers had even learned from the early voyages of Olympic, following which Titanic received several alterations before going into service. The major change to the exterior was the addition of a glass canopy with sliding windows along the first-class promenade on A deck, so that the passengers would be protected from bad weather and sea spray. The interior was extravagantly grand, and firstclass passengers were treated to staterooms, public rooms, fittings and furnishings, and food that could be expected from the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. Yet although the ship was strictly segregated by class, it was as impressive for those…

THE GLAMOUR OF TITANIC

FIRST-CLASS SUITES

There were numerous first-class suites on Titanic, but the most expensive were the four parlour suites on decks B and C. Each of these had a sitting room, two bedrooms, two wardrobe rooms and a private bath and lavatory. Thomas Drake Cardeza and his mother Charlotte occupied the suite on the starboard side of B deck, paying £512 6s 7d, the most for any passengers aboard; this price also included cabins for their two servants. On the port side, opposite the Cardezas, J Bruce Ismay’s suite included its own private 15.2-metre (50-foot) promenade.…

FIRST-CLASS SUITES

THE WORKINGS OF TITANIC

As magnificent as Titanic was in terms of cabins and public rooms, she was perhaps even more remarkable in areas passengers never saw. Her propulsion came mainly from two four-cylinder, triple-expansion reciprocating engines sending 15,000 horsepower apiece to the massive 34-tonne (38-ton), three-bladed wing propellers. In addition, a 381-tonne (420-ton), low-pressure turbine recycled steam from the other engines, providing 16,000 horsepower to drive the 20 tonne (22-ton), four-bladed, manganese-bronze centre propeller, which had been cast in one piece. This allowed her a projected top speed of approximately 24 knots. There were 29 gigantic boilers, most measuring 6.1 metres long by 4.8 metres in diameter (20 feet by 15 feet 9 inches), providing the steam for these engines, at a pressure of 15 kilograms per square centimetre (215 pounds per square…

THE WORKINGS OF TITANIC

THE WATERTIGHT DOORS

Another design feature that led to Titanic being considered unsinkable was the set of massive watertight doors linking the 15 supposedly watertight compartments. These doors, extending through each bulkhead, were normally held open by a friction clutch. In an emergency, the clutch could, in theory, be released by the captain using a control panel on the bridge. Each door could also be closed individually at its location. Finally, each door was equipped with a float mechanism that would automatically lift and trip a switch to close the door if water entered that compartment.…

THE WATERTIGHT DOORS

WHY WERE THERE SO FEW LIFEBOATS?

In 1894, British Board of Trade regulations were established that required all British ships of more than 9,072 tonnes (10,000 tons) to carry 16 lifeboats able to provide space for 962 people. This had not been unreasonable as, at 12,952 tons, Lucania was the largest ship in the world. Eighteen years later, however, these regulations had not been updated, despite the fact that at more than 41,730 tonnes (46,000 tons) Titanic could take four times that many passengers and crew. Alexander Carlisle was well aware of such safety issues, and his original design planned for Titanic to have 64 lifeboats – enough to carry all passengers and crew. However, key figures at the White Star Line or the IMMC insisted on larger promenades, which were gained at the expense of…

WHY WERE THERE SO FEW LIFEBOATS?

There was never any doubt who would captain Titanic during her maiden voyage. Edward J Smith had joined the White Star Line in 1880 as fourth officer of Celtic. By 1887, he had earned his first command, and in 1904 he was made commodore of White Star’s fleet, for which he generally thereafter commanded the new ships on their first cruises. Smith looked every part the rugged ship’s master, but he was also calm, softspoken and had such a reassuring disposition that many passengers would only go to sea with him as captain. His crews had equal confidence in him. In June 1911, Smith took Olympic on her first transatlantic cruise, the success of which was offset only by an incident in New York Harbor, when the forces from the…

COLLISION WITH HMS HAWKE

Even a master with Edward Smith’s experience had much to learn about handling giant liners. On 20 September 1911, Olympic departed from Southampton on her fifth voyage. After sailing on a course parallel to HMS Hawke, Olympic turned, and the 6,804-tonne (7,500-ton) naval cruiser rammed into her, puncturing her in two places. It was later determined that dynamic forces caused by massive water displacement had pulled Hawke into Olympic, and the harbour pilot, rather than Smith, received the official blame. Meanwhile, Olympic’s repairs in Belfast assumed priority over work on Titanic, thereby delaying Titanic’s first cruise for three weeks.…

PREMONITIONS OF DISASTER

Perhaps the eeriest aspect of the Titanic disaster was the large number of prophetic tales and premonitions that seemed to foretell its terrible fate. As early as 1886, the famed British journalist W T Stead wrote a fictional story entitled “How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid-Atlantic” for his newspaper, The Pall Mall Gazette. In the story, a liner sank after colliding with another ship, and most of the people aboard died because of a shortage of lifeboats. At the end of the piece, Stead added: “This is exactly what might take place and will take place if liners are set free short of boats.” Six years later, in Review of Reviews, Stead revisited the theme in another short work of fiction, “From the Old World to the New”,…

PREMONITIONS OF DISASTER

Although many consider one story that originated during the building of Titanic to be a myth, it remains one of the most often-repeated tales. It is said that the number 3909 04 was scrawled on the hull as an addition to its official hull number, 401. When this was seen one day as a mirror image, it was noted with horror that it read “NO POPE”. Many of the workers in Belfast were Catholic, and it is rumoured that there was great anxiety and concern among them, which later turned to certainty that the ship was destined for disaster.…

JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN - SURVIVOR

Perhaps the most mysterious cancellation for Titanic was made by none other than J P Morgan. At one point Morgan was scheduled to occupy the glamorous port promenade suite on B Deck. However, he cancelled his reservation, claiming, according to some sources, that his business interests required him to remain in Europe. Others indicated that Morgan backed out owing to ill health. However, two days after the tragedy, a reporter found him in a French spa town, healthy and happy in the company of his mistress. The suite was taken instead by J Bruce Ismay.…

JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN - SURVIVOR

THREE DEPARTURES

Wednesday, 10 April dawned fair and breezy. Throughout Southampton, hundreds of crew headed for Berth 44 at the dockyard, where at 6am they were directed to their quarters aboard Titanic prior to general muster. Three and a half hours later, another massive influx occurred as most of the second-and thirdclass passengers arrived on the boat train from Waterloo Station, and were then guided to their separate entrances to the ship. At 11:30am, scarcely half an hour before departure, another train arrived, this time holding first-class passengers, who were efficiently escorted to their staterooms. Promptly at noon, with hundreds of family members, well-wishers and spectators waving and cheering from the quayside, three loud blasts announced departure. The sound had hardly stopped reverberating through the air before disaster nearly struck. Having been…

THREE DEPARTURES

THE CREWMEN WHO MISSED THE SHIP

Most of the crew of Titanic signed on during Saturday, 6 April. But when the ship sank, 24 of the original crew were not aboard. Of those, ten were listed as “failed to join”, eight as deserted and the others as “left by consent”, discharged, transferred or “left ship sick”. Among the fortunate were the Slade brothers from Southampton – Bertram, Tom and Alfred – each of whom had been signed on as a fireman. They temporarily left the ship for a pint of beer and missed catching it by moments after they were delayed by a slow train in their path.…

THE CREWMEN WHO MISSED THE SHIP

THOMAS HART: DEAD OR ALIVE?

Among the crew officially lost on Titanic was a fireman whose discharge book named him as Thomas Hart of 51 College Street, Southampton. So one can imagine his mother’s shock when, a month later, her son showed up at the door. It turned out that he had never boarded the ship because the night before joining, he had lost his discharge book in a pub. He was then afraid to admit his story immediately after the disaster. No one has ever determined who signed on in Hart’s name – and died for his deception.…

For three days after leaving Queenstown, Titanic raced across the Atlantic, accompanied by conditions most passengers loved – blue skies, light winds and calm seas. Yet that state of affairs belied the fact that almost all vessels in the North Atlantic shipping lanes were facing problems of a serious nature. In the far north, the winter had been the mildest in three decades, causing many more icebergs than normal to calve off the Greenland ice shelves. A little farther south, however, temperatures had been cold enough so that as the vast fields of ice drifted south, they did not melt as quickly as usual. The result, as shown by reports of ships during the week beginning 7 April, was that an immense band of ice, extending from 46°North to near…

SECOND OFFICER CHARLES LIGHTOLLER

One of the key figures in the chaotic last hours of Titanic was 38-yearold Second Officer Charles Lightoller, who had also commanded the last four-hour watch (6–10pm) prior to the collision. Lightoller had gone to sea at 13, joined White Star Line in 1900 and been promoted to first officer before being temporarily dropped back to second officer when Chief Officer Henry Wilde joined Titanic late. Throughout the evening, Lightoller expressed concerns about the falling temperature and urged his lookouts to keep their eyes peeled for icebergs despite a calm sea that made spotting them exceptionally difficult.…

SECOND OFFICER CHARLES LIGHTOLLER

CALIFORNIAN ON THE AIR

As well as monitoring traffic for general messages and specific warnings, wireless officers sent and received messages for passengers. At 11pm on 14 April, Jack Phillips was in contact with Cape Race station, when a message burst in from a nearby ship. “Say, old man, we are stopped and surrounded by ice”, transmitted Cyril Evans from Californian. But before Evans could give his location, Phillips heatedly responded, “Shut up! Shut up! I am busy. I am working Cape Race.” Evans, hoping to pass on important information, monitored Titanic for 25 minutes, but since Phillips continued to transmit, he finally shut down and went to bed.…

CALIFORNIAN ON THE AIR

Despite the repeated warnings of ice throughout the day, by 11:30pm on 14 April, Titanic was still racing along at nearly 22 knots. The ship was well supplied with specialist lookouts, and in such clear conditions, Captain Smith assumed any ice would be seen far ahead. However, not only was the night moonless, thereby eliminating the sheen off the surface of any ice, but the conditions were so calm, with no waves and no breeze, that normal wave action, which would form a lighter ring around the base of any icebergs, was absent. About 15 metres (50 feet) above the forecastle deck, lookouts Fred Fleet and Reginald Lee stared out of the crow’s nest into the darkness. At 11:30pm they spied a misty haze on the horizon but could not…

NORTH ATLANTIC ICEBERGS

It is likely that the iceberg with which Titanic collided calved from a major glacier in West Greenland. Each year, some 10,000–15,000 large icebergs or smaller chunks of ice known as “growlers” float south to the region in which Titanic sank. Icebergs are composed of fresh water, with approximately seveneighths of their mass below the water line; mass does not refer to height out of the water, which can vary greatly in proportion. The iceberg that Titanic hit was estimated to be 15–30 metres (50–100 feet) high above the water and 60–120 metres (200–400 feet) long.…

NORTH ATLANTIC ICEBERGS

No one knew Titanic better than 39-year-old Thomas Andrews, managing director for Harland & Wolff in charge of design. Andrews joined the company at the age of 16 as an apprentice and eventually rose to a position of prominence. He boarded Titanic in Belfast to determine if any adjustments were needed, and to oversee the company’s “Guarantee Group” that would effect the changes. After advising Captain Smith that the ship was doomed, he encouraged passengers to make their way to the lifeboats. He was last seen in the first-class smoking room, staring into space with his life-jacket in front of him.…

MAN THE LIFEBOATS

As soon as it became obvious that Titanic was mortally wounded, Captain Smith ordered the crew to be mustered, the lifeboats to be uncovered and the passengers brought up to the decks. He then directed Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall to calculate the ship’s position. His estimate – 41°46’North, 50°14’West, which was off by many miles – was taken to Jack Phillips in the wireless room, who began sending out distress calls. The inefficiency and confusion brought about by sailing on what was perceived as an “unsinkable” ship quickly became apparent. There was not a consistent plan of action, most of the crew had not received adequate training in launching the lifeboats and the captain had not held the standard passenger lifeboat drill. Moreover, most of the passengers were already in…

MAN THE LIFEBOATS

CQD: THE WIRELESS EFFORTS

At 12:15am, Jack Phillips started tapping out the emergency signal “CQD” (often said to stand for “Come Quick, Danger”), followed by Titanic’s call letters – MGY – and her estimated position. Ten minutes later, Harold Cottam of Carpathia, 94 kilometres (58 miles) away, came onto the frequency to tell Phillips there were numerous messages from Cape Cod for Titanic. Receiving Phillips’ distress signal, the amazed Cottam responded, “Shall I tell my captain? Do you require assistance?” “Yes”, Phillips replied. “Come quick.” Cottam raced to the bridge, Captain Arthur Rostron was awoken, and within minutes Carpathia was on her way.…

CQD: THE WIRELESS EFFORTS

DOG THE LIFEBOATS

Just as every other whim of Titanic’s first-class passengers was catered to, dog owners were pleased by spotless kennels and crew detailed to walk the dogs daily. There were so many dogs aboard that a show had even been scheduled. Although honeymooning Helen Bishop had insisted her dog Frou Frou reside in her cabin, she left it behind because she acknowledged there was not enough room for all the people. Two dogs did survive, however. Margaret Hays took her Pomeranian into Lifeboat 7, and Henry Harper escaped in Lifeboat 3 with his Pekinese named Sun Yat Sen.…

DOG THE LIFEBOATS

THE BAND PLAYS ON

While Titanic’s bows dipped deeper into the water, and the lifeboat operation proceeded, passengers and crew responded to the emergency in many different ways. Some passengers steadfastly remained in their cabins, refusing to believe there was an emergency. Others, such as 21-year-old tennis star R Norris Williams – who was travelling to the US prior to entering Harvard – stoically wandered the ship, unwilling to enter a lifeboat when women and children were still aboard. At one point, Norris and his father found a steward unable to open the door to a first-class cabin, in which a woman was beginning to panic. Williams dropped his shoulder and broke the door in, prompting the steward to announce that he would have to report him for damaging company property. Upstairs, several members…

THE BAND PLAYS ON

DANGER FROM ABOVE

Shortly before 1:30am, Lifeboat 13 was lowered with 64 people, swaying dangerously as it descended. When it reached the surface, water pouring from the flooded condenser exhaust system pushed it directly beneath Lifeboat 15. The crew tried to release the ropes, but they were so taut the mechanism would not work. The cries of those on Lifeboat 13 were not heard, and Lifeboat 15 continued down until those below could touch its hull. Finally, two crewmen, Fred Barrett and Robert Hopkins, grabbed knives and cut the ropes, narrowly preventing the boat being crushed.…

DANGER FROM ABOVE

THE FINAL NUMBER

There has long been debate over the last music played by Titanic’s bandsmen. Major Peuchen claimed he heard “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” while in Lifeboat 6. Wireless operator Harold Bride stated that after playing ragtime tunes, the band concluded with the hymn “Autumn”. This was not in White Star’s music book, however, and it has been suggested that Bride was actually referring to the waltz “Songe d’Automne”. Or was it, as numerous survivors claimed, “Nearer My God to Thee”? This was Wallace Hartley’s favourite hymn, but it still leaves open the question of which of three tunes the hymn was played to: “Bethany”, “Horbury” or “Proprior Deo”.…

THE FINAL NUMBER

THE RICH, FAMOUS AND UNFORTUNATE

Since Titanic was considered the most luxurious ship in the world, it is not surprising that some of those who died essentially comprised a “who’s who’” of the financial, social and artistic worlds. The wealthiest person aboard was 47-year-old John Jacob Astor IV. The great-grandson and namesake of a man who had earned both fame and enormous fortune first in the fur trade and then in real estate investments in New York City, Astor had taken over the management of his family’s New York properties while still in his mid-twenties. He made large sums from owning overcrowded and run-down tenements that were rented to immigrants, but he also profited from building offices, apartment buildings and hotels. In 1897, he financed the Astoria Hotel adjoining his cousin’s Waldorf Hotel, and the…

THE RICH, FAMOUS AND UNFORTUNATE

ASTOR AT THE DISASTER

In 1909, Astor divorced his wife of 18 years, and two years later he married Madeleine Force, who, at 18, was two years younger than his son. Gossip about the respectability of the union led the couple to spend the winter abroad, hoping the scandal would die down in their absence. They joined Titanic at Cherbourg. On the night of the disaster, Astor helped Madeleine, who was five months pregnant, into Lifeboat 4 and then asked to accompany her. After being told that only women and children would be admitted, he calmly stepped back and waved goodbye.…

ASTOR AT THE DISASTER

THE SAGA OF LIFEBOAT 4

One of the first lifeboats to be readied was Lifeboat 4, which at 12:30am was swung out and lowered one level so that it was next to the promenade deck. There, a group of well-heeled passengers – the Astors, Wideners, Ryersons, Thayers and Carters – had been assembled. However, no one could open the windows in the canopy surrounding the deck, and after half an hour the group was shuttled up to the boat deck. But now there was no one to haul the lifeboat back up again, so, after another lengthy wait, they once again traipsed down to the promenade deck. There the windows were finally opened, and the women and children were able to enter the lifeboat. Despite there being only about 35 people in the boat, husbands…

Although a number of people who lost their lives on Titanic have been remembered because they were extremely wealthy or socially prominent, perhaps the passenger best known and most widely respected at the time was the renowned English journalist and spiritualist William Thomas Stead. Born in Northumberland in 1849, the son of a Congregationalist minister, Stead found his calling when he began writing for Darlington’s Northern Echo, of which he became editor in 1871. In short order, he made it one of the loudest advocates for social reform in the country, supporting the Liberal Party, women’s suffrage, compulsory universal education, collective bargaining and Irish home rule. His support of Gladstone was so strong that the Prime Minister urged John Morley, who was editor of The Pall Mall Gazette of London, to…

“MAIDEN TRIBUTE OF MODERN BABYLON”

Stead’s greatest crusade was known as the “Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon”. In an effort to compel Parliament to raise the age of consent for girls from 13 to 16, Stead personally conducted an investigation into the sale and trade of children for sexual purposes, the results of which he published in shocking detail in July 1885. The ensuing uproar forced the enactment of the Criminal Law Amendment Bill restricting child prostitution. Owing to a technical violation in procuring his information – but actually because he had embarrassed so many powerful people – Stead was sentenced to a three-month prison term.…

“MAIDEN TRIBUTE OF MODERN BABYLON”

In the last 15 years of his life, Stead’s efforts for world peace took on many forms. He objected strenuously to the Turkish genocide in Armenia (1895–96), during the same period calling for arms limitations to avoid future wars. During the South African War, he steadfastly took an anti-war position, writing “Shall I Slay My Brother the Boer?”, despite this “unpatriotic” position causing severe circulation losses for Review of Reviews. Stead helped promote the First Hague Peace Conference (1899) and was a key participant in the Second Hague Conference in 1907, where he advocated international arbitration as the way to world peace.…

As the front end of the ship sank deeper, among the last hopes for survival were the four collapsible boats. These had canvas sides that could be raised and held up by stanchions, but on a normal basis could be stored flat. Collapsible C was loaded to two-thirds capacity before a group of men appeared ready to rush it around 1:45am. Chief Purser Herbert McElroy stopped them by firing his revolver twice. Just as it began to be lowered, two other men quietly sneaked into it. They were William Carter, who had been refused entry into Lifeboat 4 with his family, and J Bruce Ismay of White Star. At 2:05am, Collapsible D was the last boat launched, when Chief Officer Henry Wilde sent it out only half-full because, with the…

THE TRAGEDY OF THIRD-CLASS

Although the legend that third-class passengers were locked below decks is untrue, they still suffered far greater losses than the upper classes. Stewards were not as thorough or prompt in getting third-class passengers to the boat deck, and a lack of familiarity with the layout of the upper decks made escape upwards more difficult. Then, at points, men were prevented access to the boat deck, although women were allowed up. As a result, although roughly 62 per cent of first-class was saved, and almost 59 per cent of second-class, only some 25 per cent of third-class passengers lived to tell the tale.…

THE TRAGEDY OF THIRD-CLASS

THE FATE OF CAPTAIN SMITH

Captain Smith does not appear to have followed any unified course of action in the final two hours aboard Titanic. He was last seen with certainty near the bridge after 2:00am, having told crew members to save themselves. Several legends sprang up about his final moments. One stated he carried a baby out to one of the boats before swimming back into the maelstrom. Another indicated he reached Collapsible B, but finding it overcrowded, simply swam away. Most likely, however, he remained on the bridge and went down with his ship.…

THE FATE OF CAPTAIN SMITH

AFLOAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN

Where Titanic had been so shortly before, the ocean was now dotted only with 20 boats, bits of flotsam and hundreds of individuals in the icy water crying for help. Although far better off than those in the water – most of whom quickly died – the people in the boats still did not know when help would arrive, or if it were on the way at all. Those in the boats were a mixed bag from the broad selection of people aboard the ship, and accordingly behaved in widely different fashions. No stranger tale unfolded than in Lifeboat 6, where Quartermaster Robert Hichens seemed more concerned with asserting authority than saving lives. When Major Arthur Peuchen let himself down the ropes to join the boat, Hichens quickly assigned him…

AFLOAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN

GOING BACK FOR SURVIVORS

Although the frantic cries of those in the water disturbed many in the lifeboats, most remained safely at a distance to avoid being swamped by the desperate people. In Lifeboat 8, the Countess of Rothes and three others proposed going back to help, but were overruled. Similarly, in Lifeboat 1, fireman Charles Hendrickson was unable to convince the others. In the initial period after the sinking, only Lifeboat 4, under Walter Perkis, made a serious effort to collect others; seven or eight were rescued, although two of them died that night.…

HANGING ON TO COLLAPSIBLE B

Of the survivors, few had a harder night than those on Collapsible B. So many men hauled themselves aboard the overturned boat that it was in constant danger of sinking. To the horror of Archibald Gracie, some then prevented others from climbing on; baker Charles Joughin, for example, was pushed away until someone aboard died, opening a space for him. Eventually, Lightoller organized the men so that they could lean from one side of the boat to the other on his command, keeping the collapsible evenly balanced and helping to avoid foundering.…

HANGING ON TO COLLAPSIBLE B

Within moments of receiving the emergency message from Titanic, Captain Arthur Rostron ordered his ship, the Cunard liner Carpathia, to speed towards the coordinates Jack Phillips had transmitted. Ordering all off-duty firemen and trimmers to the boilers, he drove the ship at a speed she had never before attained, nor ever would again: 17 knots – three more than what was considered her top rate. Adding extra lookouts, he maintained the pace even when Carpathia reached the region dotted with icebergs. At 3:00am, Rostron ordered rockets to be fired at 15-minute intervals, so survivors would know help was on the way. But at about 3:30am, reaching Titanic’s supposed position, he could see nothing, so, grimly, he proceeded on. Lowe hoped to save as many people from the freezing water as…

SAVED: THE STATISTICS

Just as there is no agreement as to how many people sailed on Titanic, the estimates of survivors vary significantly. After a head-count, Captain Rostron indicated that 705 boarded Carpathia. The British Board of Inquiry, however, arrived at the figure 711, whilst White Star’s official list, published a week after the tragedy, claimed 757 people lived through it. More recent studies have arrived at other figures, but it is widely accepted that the number saved was roughly 700 out of approximately 2,200 aboard – meaning that more than two-thirds of those on Titanic died.…

SAVED: THE STATISTICS

CAPTAIN ROSTRON’S PREPARATIONS

Captain Rostron knew that every moment Titanic’s passengers were left outside might prove fatal. Therefore, as Carpathia steamed forwards, he made detailed rescue preparations. Rostron had the ship’s three doctors establish separate medical stations in the dining rooms. Public areas and cabins were stocked with blankets, warm clothing, food and hot drinks. Electric lights were strung over the sides to make boarding easier, and ladders, chair slings, nets and even bags for small children were readied to help or hoist the survivors up. Even the cranes were prepared so they could haul up any luggage or mail that might have been saved.…

CAPTAIN ROSTRON’S PREPARATIONS

According to Captain Rostron, there were now 705 extra people aboard Carpathia: 705 individuals thankful to be alive, but 705 confused souls, mourning for lost family, friends and colleagues. Many were also physically injured, mentally exhausted and distressed about lost possessions. Their emotions were in a whirl, while for four hours Rostron made his way through the treacherous ice fields about which Titanic had been warned. There were, of course, those who had, beyond hope, found loved ones they had thought lost. Ruth Dodge and her four-year-old son had been in Lifeboat 5, the second one sent out. It was not until her son said that he had seen his daddy aboard Carpathia but had been playing a game by hiding from him, that she discovered her husband had reached…

THE TALE OF J BRUCE ISMAY

No survivor was treated more harshly by the American press than J Bruce Ismay, who became the tragedy’s scapegoat. He was lambasted in editorials and cartoons for having saved himself when so many died, and William Randolph Hearst’s New York American surrounded his photo with pictures of widows of those lost, referring to him as ‘J Brute Ismay”. The British were kinder, the inquiry finding him free of any fault, and many praising him for helping load women into boats before his own departure. Nonetheless, he remained guilt-ridden for the rest of his life.…

THE TALE OF J BRUCE ISMAY

COFFINS AND CORPSES

Within hours of Titanic sinking, White Star initiated an attempt to recover the bodies of those who died. On 17 April, the cable ship Mackay-Bennett left Halifax, Nova Scotia, with more than 100 coffins and several tons of ice for preserving. In a week-long search, 306 bodies were found: 116 so totally unrecognizable that they were buried at sea and 190 that were brought back to Halifax. In the following weeks three other ships found another 22 bodies. In total, 150 victims were buried in cemeteries in Halifax and 59 were claimed by relatives and buried elsewhere.…

COFFINS AND CORPSES

HEROES OF THE TITANIC

More than 1,500 passengers and crew members of Titanic lost their lives on a cold April night in 1912. Read on to uncover tales of ten men and women who miraculously beat monumental odds or tragically sacrificed it all on the waves of the Atlantic ocean. Despite the common misconception, RMS Titanic was never called ‘unsinkable’ in the run up to its infamous maiden voyage. In fact, it wasn’t until after the sinking that it became known as such. It was ‘practically unsinkable’, but so was every other luxury liner of the same period. These ships just didn’t sink – that was the end of it – and there was nothing special about Titanic in this regard. It was because of this general attitude of superiority over the sea that…

HEROES OF THE TITANIC

IDA & ISIDOR STRAUS

THE COUPLE THAT REFUSED TO BE SEPARATED Ida and Isidor had always been a close couple. Isidor was often called abroad to travel as part of his role as a US representative for New York, or in his position as co-owner of department store Macy’s, and he was constantly exchanging letters with his devoted wife. The couple had spent the winter together in Europe and found their way on to Titanic due to a coal strike in England. When Titanic hit the iceberg, Ida and Isidor were both offered a place on a lifeboat, however, Isidor declined as there were still women and children on board. Despite his urges for his wife to climb in, she refused to leave without him, stating: “We have lived together for many years. Where…

IDA & ISIDOR STRAUS

SIR ARTHUR ROSTRON

THE CAPTAIN WHO TRAVERSED THE ICE FOR SIGNS OF LIFE Rostron is often forgotten as a hero of the Titanic disaster because he wasn’t on board the ship that night, but thanks to his efforts, some 700 lives were saved from a terrible end in the ocean. After beginning his seafaring career aged 13, Rostron was placed in command of the steamship RMS Carpathia. The ship was travelling along its usual route between New York and Fiume when messages came in from the crew of the sinking Titanic. Rostron took immediate action, ordering the ship to divert its course to Titanic’s location. This was no small act. Multiple other ships had received the distress signal, but due to the dense ice, had chosen to stop for the night. Rostron and…

SIR ARTHUR ROSTRON

CHARLES LIGHTOLLER

THE OFFICER WHO BATTLED TO MAINTAIN ORDER IN CHAOS Lightoller was no stranger to tragedies at sea. By 1895, aged 21, he had already experienced a shipwreck, fire at sea and a cyclone. After losing everything after a failed gold-prospecting venture, he became a hobo, riding the rails across Canada. By 1900, he had worked his way back home to England and joined the White Star Line, serving as Second Officer on Titanic’s maiden voyage. Lightoller was off duty and in his pyjamas when he was woken by a vibration. Although he went out to the deck, he couldn’t find anything wrong so returned to his cabin to await orders. He lay in his bunk until the fourth officer informed him of the water seeping into the ship. With the…

CHARLES LIGHTOLLER

THE UNSINKABLE FIREBRAND THAT FOUGHT FOR SURVIVORS Also known as the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown’, Margaret Brown was born the poor daughter of Irish immigrants. Although she dreamed of marrying a rich man, she fell in love with James Joseph Brown, a miner, and married him, later saying: “I decided that I’d be better off with a poor man whom I loved than with a wealthy one whose money had attracted me.” The couple had two children and struggled with money. However, James eventually became superintendent of the mine and, thanks to his own enterprising ideas, became a hugely successful and wealthy businessman. Margaret had boarded Titanic to visit her grandchild who was ill in New York. It was a lastminute decision, and many of her family members were unaware she…

THE PRIEST PROVIDING COMFORT AMID THE PANIC Father Thomas Byles was a Catholic priest travelling on board Titanic to officiate the wedding of his younger brother. On the day of the sinking, he preached a sermon to second and third-class passengers about their new life in the USA and a need for a spiritual lifeboat to avoid temptation. Byles was frequently seen walking on deck praying, and it was there that he was stood when the ship hit the iceberg. When the ship began to sink, he helped third-class passengers reach the deck and escape on lifeboats. As the situation gradually worsened, he moved through the panicked crowds alone, giving absolution and reciting the rosary to the trapped passengers. Twice he was invited on board a lifeboat, and both times…

HAROLD BRIDE & JACK PHILLIPS

TWO MEN WHO REFUSED TO LEAVE THEIR POSTS UNTIL THE END Harold Bride and Jack Phillips were both working as wireless officers on Titanic when it hit the iceberg. Bride had just woken up and was on his way to relieve an exhausted Phillips from a long night shift when the collision occurred. Unusually, neither man felt the tremor from the wireless room and it wasn’t until the captain entered and told them to send out a distress signal that they were aware of any danger. The two men, unaware of the gravity of the situation, joked as they sent out the distress call, with Bride kidding that Phillips should send out the new call ‘SOS’ rather than ‘CQD’, as it may be his last chance to send it. As…

HAROLD BRIDE & JACK PHILLIPS

WALLACE HARTLEY & THE TITANIC BAND

THE FINAL PERFORMANCE OF EIGHT BRAVE MEN The legend of the musicians on Titanic is one of the most well-known stories of heroism, and for good reason. The Titanic band featured eight men ranging from the age of 20 to 33, who all travelled in second class. Bandleader Wallace Hartley led them during their performances at tea time, Sunday services and an array of different occasions on board the ship, while a separate trio played outside the A La Carte restaurant and the Cafe Parisien. Therefore, when Hartley united the band on the night of the sinking, it was likely the first time they had all played together. Shortly after midnight, when the lifeboats were beginning to be loaded, Hartley assembled the band in the first-class lounge and began to…

WALLACE HARTLEY & THE TITANIC BAND

THE BUILDER WHO WENT DOWN WITH HIS SHIP Andrews was responsible for overseeing the plans of the Olympic and the Titanic. It was Andrews who recommended that the ship carry 46 lifeboats, rather than the 20 ultimately decided, as well as suggesting it have a double hull and watertight bulkheads up to B deck. Unfortunately, all these suggestions were ignored. When the ship hit the iceberg, Andrews was immediately consulted. As the chief designer, he was familiar with every little detail of the vessel and so was perhaps the first person to understand the gravity of the situation. He informed Captain Smith that the ship sinking was a “mathematical certainty,” and it would likely happen within an hour. He was also quick to warn the captain about the shortage of…

CHARLES JOUGHIN

THE BAKER SAVED BY CUNNING, LUCK AND A DOSE OF ALCOHOL Joughin was no stranger to the sea, having embarked on his first voyage aged 11. He was a skilled cook and became chief baker for many White Star Line steamships, a role he was serving in on Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage. When the ship struck the iceberg, Joughin was asleep in his bunk. The shock of the impact woke him and he soon learned that lifeboats were preparing to launch. Understanding that passengers would need provisions, he instructed the 13 men working under him to carry four loaves each and load them into the boats. Understandably shaken, Joughin returned to his cabin and had a quick drink of whisky to calm his nerves. Then, at about 12.30am, he approached…

CHARLES JOUGHIN

COVERING AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION

The loss of Titanic was one of the greatest news events of all time. Well before the survivors were even rescued, rumours about it had flashed over the wireless throughout the world. By the time Harold Cottam and Harold Bride began transmitting the list of survivors (information not immediately made available to the public), most newspaper editors had already made the assessment that any damage to the “unsinkable ship” would be an inconvenience rather than a tragedy. The Daily Mirror of London, for example, produced a headline stating “EVERYONE SAFE”, while proclaiming “Helpless Giant Being Towed to Port by Allan Liner”. One newspaper, however, did not make such assumptions. It was 1:20am on 15 April when a bulletin reporting that Titanic had struck an iceberg and was sinking at the…

COVERING AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION

INTERVIEWING HAROLD BRIDE

Van Anda’s greatest coup was gaining an exclusive interview with Harold Bride. Wireless inventor Guglielmo Marconi planned to speak to Bride and Harold Cottam; Van Anda, who was Marconi’s good friend, persuaded him to do it aboard Carpathia and to take The New York Times reporter Jim Speers with him. Backed by a little bluster, Speers was able to board the ship with Marconi long before any other reporters. At Marconi’s request, Bride gave Speers an extended account of the disaster. The next day it appeared verbatim over five columns of the front page, and it is still considered one of the most gripping stories in newspaper history.…

INTERVIEWING HAROLD BRIDE

The coverage of the Titanic disaster was only one of many triumphs for Carr Van Anda, who is often considered the greatest managing editor in American journalistic history. Van Anda left Ohio University after only two years to become a journalist. He worked for progressively prestigious newspapers until, at the age of just 28, he became night editor of The Sun in New York. In 1904 he was hired by Adolph Ochs to rejuvenate the newsroom of The New York Times, and he subsequently built it into the finest news-gathering organization in the United States.…

THE OFFICIAL INQUIRIES

At 10:30am on 19 April, little more than 12 hours after Carpathia reached New York, a US Senate investigation into the disaster officially opened. It has been argued that it was convened to establish responsibility; to prove negligence, therefore providing American passengers with the right to sue Titanic’s owners; or to force the enactment of new maritime legislation. Regardless, it quickly became a personal forum for the inquiry’s chairman, Michigan Senator William Alden Smith. In 17 days of testimony over five weeks, Smith used his position as chairman to dominate the questioning, despite showing a remarkable ignorance of ships and navigation. The first of 82 witnesses was J Bruce Ismay, who was interrogated about the ship’s speed, the damage incurred from the ice and how he obtained a place in…

THE OFFICIAL INQUIRIES

LIGHTOLLER ON THE STAND

One of the most impressive performances during the inquiries was by Second Officer Charles Lightoller. Questions posed in both countries tried to show that the White Star Line – via its captain and senior officers – had been negligent, and should therefore be liable for damages. However, Lightoller proved extremely able at protecting White Star and avoiding any admission harmful to his former colleagues. He emphasized the unusual weather conditions and claimed that no ship’s captain reduced speed under such a situation. His testimony helped both White Star and Captain Smith to escape without significant blame.…

THE ORDEAL OF SIR COSMO DUFF GORDON

Perhaps the most publicized sideshow of the British inquiry was the testimony of Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon. He was questioned extensively about his offer of ?5 to each of the crew aboard Lifeboat 1, which was viewed by many as a bribe so they would not return to real censure, his public reputation was ruined.…

THE ORDEAL OF SIR COSMO DUFF GORDON

CALIFORNIAN AND THE MYSTERY SHIP

For decades, Captain Stanley Lord of Californian has been cast as the villain of the Titanic disaster for failing to respond to her distress signals. Ever since the official inquiries determined that the two ships were closer to each other than Lord stated, many have assumed that Titanic’s “mystery ship” was Californian. But putting aside the desire to find a culprit, what do the facts actually indicate? A cargo vessel of 6,223 tons, Californian left Liverpool for Boston on 5 April. On the night of 14 April, surrounded by loose ice, Californian stopped at a position calculated as 42°05’North, 50°07’West, 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of the remains of Titanic. At about 11pm, Lord saw the lights of what he considered a small steamer, and asked wireless operator Cyril Evans…

CALIFORNIAN AND THE MYSTERY SHIP

THE TREACHERY OF ERNEST GILL

Ernest Gill was a crewman who deserted after Californian arrived in Boston. For almost two years’ wages, he sold to the press a sensational and clearly fabricated story about a vessel he could see in distress at the time the rockets were fired. Because of this tale, Gill was one of three men from Californian to appear before the US Senate inquiry, where his testimony was inconsistent and at odds with other accounts and reports. Nevertheless, it allowed Smith’s search for a scapegoat to focus upon Captain Lord, who paid the price for Gill’s avaricious scheme.…

WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY SHIP?

The abundant proof that Californian was not the mystery ship does not indicate what actually was. In the most authoritative study on the subject, Titanic expert Senan Molony gave many options, while also demonstrating that, given the distance between ships, there was possibly more than one – meaning that the ship seen from Titanic might not have been the same as that seen from Californian. Although numerous vessels have been suggested as the mystery ship, one strong candidate is the Norwegian sealer Samson. In 1962, a 50-year-old report by her first officer was found, which indicated that she was operating illegally; the captain, worried that the rockets were from a government fisheries vessel, simply sailed away.…

AFTER THE TRAGEDY

It was 1913, and “Craganour”, owned by Charles Bower Ismay, had just won the Derby at Epsom. The signal “Winner All Right” had been given so that payments on bets could be made, and the horse had been taken to the Winner’s Circle. Suddenly the stewards, despite no official complaint having been registered, announced that “Craganour” had jostled several other horses and that they had awarded the victory to “Aboyeur”. Was the rumour true – that the racing establishment would never let a horse owned by an Ismay win the Derby? No one really knows, but the story adds a twist to one definite fact: that the sinking of Titanic not only changed forever the lives of many who survived the tragedy, but also of others only tangentially involved, such…

AFTER THE TRAGEDY

THE TITANIC GRAVEYARDS

After the remains of 59 victims of the disaster were claimed, 150 bodies remained in Halifax. Their burials began on 3 May, and many people attended to honour those being interred so far from home. The Titanic plot at Mount Olivet Cemetery was intended for Catholics, and 19 individuals were buried there. The plot at Baron De Hirsch Cemetery, which received ten bodies, was intended for Jewish victims, but some were buried elsewhere, and Michel Navratil was mistakenly interred there because he had used the alias Hoffman. The other 121 victims, initially presumed to be Protestants, were placed in Fairview Lawn Cemetery.…

THE TITANIC GRAVEYARDS

WHAT HAPPENED TO OLYMPIC AND BRITANNIC?

Titanic was not the only one of White Star’s three giant ships to meet an early demise. The third was originally to be named Gigantic but was launched in 1914 as Britannic. Serving as a hospital ship in the First World War, she either struck a mine or was torpedoed in 1916 in the Aegean, and sank within an hour. Olympic, on the other hand, had a long career after being given a refit to increase her lifeboat capacity, raise her bulkheads and build a new inner skin. She spent much of the Great War as a naval transport ship, but then returned to regular service, making hundreds of Atlantic crossings before being retired in 1935, after which she was stripped of her fittings and scrapped.…

WHAT HAPPENED TO OLYMPIC AND BRITANNIC?

SEARCH AND DISCOVERY

The dream of finding, or even raising, Titanic is virtually as old as the tragedy itself. Shortly after the disaster, several wealthy families – the Astors, Guggenheims and Wideners – proposed that the Merritt and Chapman Derrick and Wrecking Company conduct a salvage operation for the ship, but the technical limitations of the time simply did not allow such a venture to go ahead. In the following half-century, a succession of schemes was proposed, most of them totally impractical. In 1980, the first serious attempt to locate the ship was launched. Flamboyant Texas oil millionaire Jack Grimm and film producer Mike Harris led an expedition on the research vessel H J W Fay to find Titanic using side-scan sonar. Grimm’s party searched a broad area in the vicinity where Jack…

SEARCH AND DISCOVERY

THE ARGO SYSTEM

The discovery of Titanic was the culmination of Ballard’s development of a remotely controlled, deep-sea visual-imaging system. Designed by Stu Harris of Woods Hole’s Deep Submergence Laboratory, by 1985 Argo had a steel frame some 4.5 metres (15 feet) long, one metre (3.5 feet) wide, one metre high and weighing 1.8 tonnes (two tons). It was equipped with a series of lights, several components to determine its positioning and three video cameras recording at different scales and covering different angles, the images from which were instantly relayed to a control centre on the ship.…

THE ARGO SYSTEM

ROBERT BALLARD’S PLEA

At the press conference following the discovery of Titanic, Ballard expressed his hopes that the historic ship be treated with dignity and respect, rather than being plundered. “The Titanic itself lies in 13,000 feet [4,000 metres] of water on a gently sloping, alpine-like countryside overlooking a small canyon below,” he said. “There is no light at this great depth and little light can be found. It is quiet and peaceful and a fitting place for the remains of this greatest of sea tragedies to rest. May it forever remain that way and may God bless these found souls.”…

THE EXPLORATION OF TITANIC

Robert Ballard now knew exactly where Titanic was located, and in 1986 he led another expedition, this time to explore the great wreck. His efforts were again primarily funded by the Office of Naval Research, with an official goal of testing Jason Junior (or JJ), the prototype of the Deep Submergence Laboratory’s remotecontrolled underwater robot with photographic capabilities. Meanwhile, the French withdrew from the project after the initial images of Titanic were released by Woods Hole before IFREMER received them. In July, Ballard’s party was taken to the Titanic site aboard Atlantis II. Over a period of 12 days they made ten dives in Alvin, a research submersible modified to sustain the pressure of great depths and to house JJ on its bow. Each dive took up to ten hours,…

THE EXPLORATION OF TITANIC

THE FATE OF TITANIC’S BOW

Ballard’s investigation answered many questions about how Titanic broke up. As the sinking bow forced the stern higher out of the water, the ship finally snapped between the third and fourth funnels, a structural weak point because of its large open spaces, such as an engine room air-shaft and the aft Grand Staircase. The bow followed the angle in which it already pointed, and planed down, gathering speed until it reached the seabed, and burying its nose 18 metres (60 feet) into the sediment. The rest of the bow bent as it settled onto the bottom, and as it did so, the decks near the tear in the hull collapsed upon themselves.…

THE SINKING OF THE STERN

The stern of Titanic did not sink as quickly as the bow, which had already filled with water. But as it descended, the force of the water rushing in pushed out the air, the violence ripping open the poop deck and thrusting it backwards onto itself. Dropping more or less straight down, it slammed into the seabed so hard that it was buried to about 14 metres (45 feet) at the rudder. The force of hitting the bottom caused the decks to collapse onto one another and the outside plating to crumple and bulge outwards.…

THE SALVAGE OF TITANIC

Once Robert Ballard’s team discovered Titanic’s location, it was apparent that the wreck would prove an irresistible draw for those wishing to study it, photograph it or retrieve artefacts. The following year, Titanic Ventures, of Connecticut, USA, teamed up with Ballard’s former French partner, the IFREMER to conduct scientific studies, make photographic records and engage in recovery operations on Titanic. Over two months, 23 dives were made from IFREMER’s ship Nadir in the submersible Nautile, during which some 1,800 artefacts were taken from the debris field and the wreck itself. Unfortunately, it has been argued that the care normally shown at significant archaeological sites was not taken during the examination, and some damage to Titanic occurred – such as when the crow’s nest bell was pulled from the mast, in…

THE SALVAGE OF TITANIC

What Survivors Said

Like the general public, Titanic survivors who were still alive when the salvage began had a wide range of views about the operations. Eva Hart was one of the most outspoken critics. “The ship is its own memorial. Leave it there,” she said, adding that it was her father’s grave, and “you don’t go poking around in someone’s grave”. But Beatrice Sandstrom wrote that, “I am personally pleased … Your presentation of the recovered objects from the ship will help to teach the present and future generations the timeless human lessons learned from this great marine tragedy.”…

What Survivors Said

Knowing that it was impossible to raise the bow or stern of Titanic, in 1996 RMS Titanic, Inc. focused on a separate, 17-ton section of the hull nicknamed the “Big Piece”. The Big Piece was raised to 61 metres (200 feet) below the surface by means of diesel-filled flotation bags, and the expedition ship Nadir attempted to haul it to New York. Two days later, the cables holding the Big Piece failed, and it resank. In 1998, it was raised again, this time to the surface, and attached to the ship Abeille Supporter. It has been exhibited in the US and extensively treated for preservation.…

TITANIC REMEMBERED

No other shipwreck in history has made such an indelible imprint upon the imagination as that of Titanic. The events of the tragedy never truly left the consciousness of the Western public, but the excitement generated by Robert Ballard’s discovery of Titanic’s resting place, and then the huge success of James Cameron’s blockbuster film of 1997, have made certain that the tale will continue to fascinate people throughout the world. Just as happens today, immediately after the tragedy several books were hastily produced to capitalize on public interest. A more thoughtful and serious work was The Truth About the Titanic, written by historian Archibald Gracie, a firstclass passenger who corresponded with other survivors to collect a broad range of information and opinion. But sadly, he did not live to see…

TITANIC REMEMBERED

Titanic: The Musical

The tragedy of Titanic is not something that one might normally consider appropriate to sing about, but the difficulties facing such a proposition were overcome in 1997 when Titanic: The Musical opened on Broadway. Although plagued early on with technical problems and criticized for its story-line before it even opened, the musical became a huge success and ran at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for 804 performances. Despite taking great liberties with the facts (including who lived and died), it broke box office records for 15 consecutive weeks before winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.…

Titanic: The Musical

THE ENDURING LEGACY

The individual bravery and heroism shown by those who died on Titanic caught the spirit of the age in the final years before the Great War, a time when sacrifice for God, country, mankind’s progress or a noble ideal was still most honourable – and honoured. Before long, many memorials – statues, plaques, church windows, fountains, even entire buildings or structures – were dedicated to those individuals and groups of people who lost their lives when Titanic went down. Nowhere were the dead more universally mourned than in Britain, and in no city more so than Southampton, the home of a large percentage of the crew. There, in 1914, a magnificent tribute to Titanic’s engineers was dedicated in East Park. A different Southampton memorial honoured the ship’s postal workers, another…

THE ENDURING LEGACY

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

One of the major triumphs of the London conference in 1913 was the agreement on the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which came into force the next year. An updated second version was adopted in 1929, a third in 1940, a fourth in 1960 and the current one in 1974. SOLAS has wide-ranging provisions, specifying minimum standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships. Numerous amendments have been made to SOLAS 1974, in order to keep abreast of technological developments and make ships as safe as possible.…

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

TITANIC MEMORIALS

Thomas Andrews Memorial Hall: Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK Major Archibald Butt Memorial Bridge: Augusta, Georgia, USA Father Thomas Byles Memorial Window: St Helen’s Church, Ongar, Essex, England, UK Crew, Stewards, Sailors and Firemen Memorial Fountain: Southampton, England, UK Engineers Memorial: Liverpool, England, UK Engineers Memorial: Southampton, England, UK Wallace Hartley Memorial: Colne, Lancashire, England, UK William Murdoch Memorial: Dalbeattie, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK Musicians Memorial: Liverpool, England, UK Musicians Memorial: Southampton, England, UK John Phillips Memorial Cloister: Godalming, Surrey, England, UK Postal Workers Memorial: Southampton, England, UK Captain Edward Smith Memorial: Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, UK Isador and Ida Straus Memorial Fountain: New York, USA Titanic Memorial: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK Titanic Memorial: Cobh, Eire (Republic of Ireland) Titanic Memorial Lighthouse: New York, USA Harry Elkins Widener Memorial…

The publishers would like to thank the following sources for their kind permission to reproduce the pictures in this book. Key, t: top, b: bottom, l: left, r: right. AKG LONDON: 93t ALAMY IMAGES: /James Hughes: 86 CORBIS: /Aldridge & Sons Auction: 166r, /Bettmann: 10, 44tr, 50b, 69, 80t, 89tl, 90tl, 90l, 90r, 107l, 109, 138, 140b, 107,/Christie’s Images: 24, /Fine Art Photographic Library: 12-13, /Angelo Hornak: 146r, /The Mariners’ Museum: 8-9, 14-15, 168-169, Underwood & Underwood: 111b, 111r, /Ralph White: 30c, 146l, 160, 161, 162, 163t, 163b, 163t FATHER BROWNE S.J. COLLECTION: f-end, 25b, 44tl, 45b, 48, 49, 60t, 61, 62, 61t, 62b, 63t, 87 GETTY IMAGES: 11, 27b, 41b, 89, 94, 67, 115t, 130, 109, 139, 145, / AFP: 166bl, /Aurora: 156, /Michel Boutefeu: 9, National Geographic: 154-155,…

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All About History Book of History Year By Year Magazine (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2016 Issue

All About History Book of History Year By Year Magazine (Digital)

Vol 2: $8.99

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