The story of the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic has been retold many times over the years. To this day, scientists continue to investigate the many mysteries surrounding the Titanic, as they seek further insight into how and why the grand passenger liner met its watery grave. Although the cause of the accident is now apparent – a collision with an iceberg sealed the eventual fate of the Titanic –conspiracy theories are rife. In fact, many people (including leading experts in naval engineering) have even suggested that the Titanic itself did not actually sink, but rather a ‘sister’ ship took the place of the liner on its first trip out to sea.
Such theories are certainly fascinating, but perhaps with all of the hype that surrounds the Titanic, we tend to forget the major human tragedy that occurred on that fateful day. What we do know is that the liner set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton on 10 April 1912 with 2,223 people on board, following much excitement and interest from the press. Headed towards New York City – the Titanic was described by many (quite ironically in reflection) as the ‘unsinkable ship’ – and certainly she was a very impressive vessel in both design and overall size. However, just four days into her epic journey, at 11:40pm on 14 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and eventually sank at 2:20am the following day.
Following years of planning, designing and building (the liner was constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, UK), the sinking of the White Star Line owned Titanic took less than 3 hours, resulting in 1,517 deaths – making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters to occur during peacetime. It has been well documented that the ships lifeboats only had room for 1,178 people – and surprisingly, this figure fully complied with regulations at the time. Due to the “women and children first” protocol that was issued by commanding officers and crew, a disproportionate number of men died during the tragedy.
Of course, some passengers did survive – and they went on to tell their versions of the event. However, it can be assumed that the majority of survivors lost at least one of their companions or loved ones during the catastrophe – and some may have even lost everyone that they travelled with. To this end, the Titanic still strikes a chord in the hearts of many families. A number of films, programmes and documentaries have been made about the Titanic in subsequent years –one of the most famous of recent times being the 1997 film directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
As the years go by, the majority people will not remember the actual event itself, but we can gain knowledge from these kinds of media. Certainly, we are offered a human insight into the loss and devastation caused by the sinking of the Titanic. However, many people still question how this great liner – designed by experienced engineers and utilising the most advanced technologies available – could possibly meet such a tragic end, and to this end, our interest in the Titanic is set to continue.