IN MEMORY: RMS Titanic's 98th Anniversary

Today is the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the "practically unsinkable" ship RMS Titanic. This blog entry is written in memory of those who perished at sea that fateful day. May they rest in peace.

TIMELINE:
1. April 11, 1912 at 1:30 pm - Titanic raises anchor and departs from Queensland, Ireland.
2. April 14, 1912 - Lifeboat drills neglected after church services, although it is a requirement.
3. April 14, 1912 around 10:55 pm - The ship Californian is completely surrounded by icebergs and stops for the evening. Sends a warning to Titatnic.
4. April 14, 1912  at 11:55 - Frederick Fleet sight's an iceberg. First Officer Murdoch orders "hard a-starboard" and engines reversed; activates lever to close water tight doors. Ship turns slightly left avoiding head-on collision, but hull is punctured below water line. (Was traveling at 26 mph.) Watertight compartments flood.
5. April 15, 1912 at 12:15 am - Capt. Smith estimates the ship will float only two more hours and orders distress signal "CDQ" sent. Gives orders to ready lifeboats; women and children to be evacuated first.
6. April 15, 1912 at 12:45 am - first lifeboat away with few passengers on board.
7. April 15, 1912 at 2:05 am - last lifeboat away just as bow starts to sink; 1,500 people remain on the ship.
8. April 15, 1912 at 2:20 am - the ship goes under.
9. April 15, 1912 - the Carpathia reaches the stranded boats and searches through frozen bodies for signs of life.

FASCINATING FACTS:

Not only was the ship built to transport passengers between the U.S. and Europe, it was also meant to carry mail (hence the name RMS meaning Royal Mail Ship), cargo, and meat (Europe couldn't produce enough meat to sustain itself at the time).

The division among classes: First class passengers traveled in great luxury on the top decks, while the middle class were afforded great comfort on the middle decks. Third class passengers were provided passage at economical prices, but had much less finery and occupied only the lower levels; they were not permitted access to the upper decks. The poorest passengers traveled in cargo areas on the lowest deck with no ammenities.

The segregation between decks statically led to the demise of many more lower class passengers who either could not reach... or was prevented from reaching... the life boats. There is no evidence proving that this was done deliberately, however. In fact, it is theorized to have been an attempt by the crew to keep what little organization they had in the evacuation process. Only... the crewmembers could not have known that the orders they were waiting for would never come.

Contrary to popular beleif, it was the Americans who had the controlling interest in the ship's ownership. But since the magnificent ship was built in a British shipyard, operated by British subjects, manned by British crews, and perceived by the general public as a British vessel, Great Britain understandably felt immense national pride over her. It was the flag of Great Britain that flew on Titanic's prestigious flag pole.

Unsinkable? The tabloids of the day advertised the Titanic as "practically unskinkable"...not "unsinkable." Technology had long existed to make ships water tight and so the idea of a ship being "practically unsinkable" was not so far fetched. Only after the accident occurred did the word "unsinkable" become intertwined with the name Titanic...most probably to make the story that much more uncomprehensible.

When the ship left port, there were actually more lifeboats on board than the current law required. It was known, however, that this very same law was about to be changed, upping the amount of lifeboats needed on board. Still, space was valuable and boats costly. At the time... the decision makers felt they had no real reason to invest more money into it.

Safety standards in that era were much more lax than they are today. For one reason, the general perception was that the more safety equipment a ship needed, the less safe it actually was. Business men are out to make money...not worry about disasters that may never happen.

There were several ships who altered their course after hearing the Titanic's distress call, but turned around once they realized the Carpathia would beat them to the scene. The Californian, however, was only a few miles off, but did not hear the call due to the operator going to bed early; he had turned off the equipment. Flares, however, were seen in the distance by the Californian's crew, but much debate remains over whether or not the Californian's crew investigated them as aggressively as they should have.

The Titanic was rediscovered on Sept. 1, 1985 by a joint U.S./French discovery project.  She lies 963 miles northeast of New York and is 2 1/2 miles below the ocean surface; the wreckage is in extremely delicate condition, making the risk of raising her too great.

The last known survivor, Millvina Dean, died May 31, 2009 at the age of 97. She had somehow managed to survive where around 1,513 others had not.

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...