The facts about Titanic are well known. On 15 April 1912 she hit an iceberg and sank. Over 1,500 people died in the tragedy. But that wasn't the end of the story. Titanic has been making history ever since, and doesn’t look likely to stop now.
The White Star Line
Titanic was part of the White Star Line, a British company controlled by American J P Morgan’s International Mercantile Marine. White Star was facing increasing competition from Cunard ships like the Mauretania and the Lusitania – it needed something different. A plan was formed to build three sister ships, the others being Olympic and Gigantic (later renamed Britannic).
Facts about Titanic
Titanic wasn’t as fast as her competitors but she was the largest ship of her kind at the time and the last word in luxury. On her maiden voyage she carried around 1,300 passengers (below capacity) and over 900 crew, many of whom didn’t know either each other or the ship. This was to be a handicap later. Titanic was also the first ocean liner to have a swimming pool and a gym, and the first to have a lift in second class.
The ship was a microcosm of the British class structure. She held people from all classes of society and all levels of income. Amongst the items brought on board were:
- 12,000 dinner plates
- 15,000 champagne glasses
- 40,000 towels
- 3,435 mailbags
- 5 grand pianos
Departing on 10 April from Southampton, the ship visited Cherbourg and Queenstown (now Cobh) before heading across the Atlantic to New York. She was due to reach New York on Wednesday 17 April but she never arrived. On 15th April, at 2.20 in the morning, less than three hours after hitting an iceberg, Titanic sank. But the history of Titanic goes on.
Titanic Lives On
Titanic is rarely out of the media. After the disaster came the official inquiries in both Britain and America, with claims for compensation dragging on for years. Then there were a number of high grossing films on the subject including A Night to Remember (1958) and more recently, Titanic (1997). There have also been numerous books examining everything from meals eaten to reasons for the sinking, and who was ultimately responsible. The jury is still out on the last two issues.
Rediscovering the Sinking Ship
In the 1960s and 1970s a number of suggestions for raising Titanic were proposed, mostly unrealistic. Cost was also always an issue. But the ultimate obstacle was locating the ship. Jack Grimm, a Texan oilman was one of the most dedicated searchers, making several attempts to locate the wreck, without success.
Then in 1985 A French-American expedition lead by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Jean Louis-Michel of IFREMER spotted a ship’s boiler lying on the sea bed. Titanic was found. Although there are suggestions that the ship’s location had already been known for several years.
Titanic Expeditions
Since then, there have been various expeditions to the wreck. What do they tell us?
- Titanic lies 2.5 miles down, in two parts, bow and stern, 1,970 feet apart, and facing in opposite directions. The bow is buried 60 feet in sediment and the stern is significantly more damaged
- There are several debris fields surrounding the ship, these contain a variety of Titanic artefacts from coal and crockery to shoes and wine bottles
- Some items have resisted disintegration and are surprisingly well preserved, as is the bow itself
Disintegration and erosion of Titanic are a big issue. Much of the ship's wood has gone and the iron is being consumed by bacteria, converting it into rusticles and threatening the ship’s structure. Titanic also suffers from man-made damage caused by visitors, some of whom have been involved in salvage.
More positively, Expedition Titanic has been visiting the wreck (August 2010) with the objective of building a comprehensive picture of Titanic and her debris fields, 40% of which have never been mapped. The mission also hopes to shed more light on unresolved issues such as whether the sinking was caused by a gash in the ship's side or the hull plates buckling. Updates are available on Facebook.
Titanic – What Next?
Poor weather has grounded the expedition team who have returned to St John’s, Newfoundland temporarily. This unexpected halt gives us time to think. Only 700 people, passengers and crew survived Titanic.
Some of the bodies were recovered and brought home for burial, but a large number are still unaccounted for. Titanic is a fascinating piece of history alive with stories, but she is also a graveyard. Expeditions such as this one will hopefully go a long way towards enabling people to experience Titanic, without infringing on those who died. But the fight to protect Titanic's history is not over yet.
Sources
- Ballard, R D, Return to Titanic, Washington: National Geographic, 2005
- Eaton, J P and Haas, C, Titanic: destination disaster, 2nd ed., Yeovil: Haynes Publishing, 1996
- Lord, W, The Night Lives On, London: Penguin, 1986
- Encyclopedia Titanica
Ellie Stevenson - Ellie writes on history, travel, careers & the arts. Her novel, Ship of Haunts (http://tinyurl.com/cyryp2m) is on Amazon as an ebook.
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