April 15, 2012, marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and while two cruise ships from opposite shores of the Atlantic sail across the ocean retracing the ill-fated liner’s voyage, many myths regarding the “unsinkable” Titanic still remain afloat.
The night of April 14-15, 1912, will forever go down in the annals of history as the date when the Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) Titanic sank, taking with her the souls of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. Although many books and movies have recreated the story, separating fact from fiction is still as murky as the oceanic grave that contains the remains of the “unsinkable” Titanic.
On April 3, 1912, the RMS Titanic left Belfast, Ireland, for Southampton, England, where she was to set sail on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. According to myth, the bottle of champagne used to christen the Titanic did not break on the first try, an omen of bad luck for a ship about to set sail on the seas. However, the Titanic was not christened upon launching, as it was not the custom of the White Star Line, owners of the Titanic, to christen any of their ships.
The Titanic departed Southampton at around noon on April 10th, but not without mishap. Shortly after departure, the Titanic had a near collision with an American liner, the New York. The two ships came within three feet of one another, but quick work by Captain E. J. Smith of the Titanic prevented an actual collision. After another two stops to pick up passengers in France and Ireland, the Titanic set sail for New York on April 11th. On board were more than 2,200 passengers and crew members.
Legend has it that the owners of the Titanic said the ship was “unsinkable.” At the time of the Titanic’s fitting out, many well-known shipping publications published articles describing the many safety features of the Titanic. It was actually The Shipbuilder magazine that declared the Titanic “practically unsinkable” because of her watertight compartments with watertight doors and double bottom. The White Star Line never claimed that the Titanic was “unsinkable.” It was upon learning of the Titanic’s demise on April 15th that Phillip Franklin, Vice President of the White Star Line, stated “I thought her unsinkable and I based my opinion on the best expert advice.”
If you’ve seen James Cameron’s 1997 movie “Titanic,” then one of the more upsetting aspects involved passengers in third-class being locked behind gates and physically prevented from making their way up to possible safety. While it is true that the passengers traveling third-class in steerage suffered the most losses, it seems unlikely that they were actually barred from making their way to the boat deck. Most historians now believe that the gates weren’t even lockable. A more likely scenario was that word about what was happening traveled slowly, partly due to confusion among passengers and the crew not wanting to create panic. Many passengers did make their way up to the boat deck, however, because it was cold outside, decided to return to warmth inside. Others simply refused offers of help, believing the Titanic unsinkable. Unfortunately, as the situation worsened, access to the deck was restricted to women and children, and by the time the men were allowed up, it was too late.
Another part of the Titanic legend involves the song played as the ship went down, “Nearer My God to Thee.” While it is true that “The Band Played On,” it seems unlikely that “Nearer My God to Thee” was the song played. The RMS Titanic was a British liner, and Wallace Hartley, the ship’s bandleader was British. Although he was known to like that song, he would not have been familiar with the “Bethany” (American) version. His father was a Methodist choirmaster, and always used the “Propior Deo” version of the song at church. Hartley’s family was certain he would have used that version, and not the “Bethany” version as legend has it. Junior Wireless Officer Harold Bride, when interviewed after the tragedy, replied he heard the song “It Was Autumn” being played. There was a song called “Songe d’Automne” that was very popular at the time, and perhaps that was the song he heard. Other Titanic survivors said that the band began to play “bright, cheery music” to keep passengers from panicking. It is also interesting to note that “Nearer My God to Thee” was sung by passengers of the SS Valencia as it sank off the coast of Canada in 1906, which may be the source for the Titanic legend.
There are also many eerie and ironic events that happened in association with the Titanic. One of oddest involves author Morgan Robertson’s imaginary tale about a collision between a large Trans-Atlantic ocean liner and an iceberg on her voyage to New York in his story “Futility,” written 14 years prior to the Titanic disaster. Robertson called his ship the Titan, and it was approximately 800 feet long. The Titanic was 882 feet long. Most of the crew and passengers were lost to sea in Robertson’s novel; so, too, with the Titanic. Was it an odd coincidence or premonition of impending disaster? Perhaps Robertson’s background as an experienced seaman and his knowledge that ships were getting bigger are what prompted him to write about one of these larger ships hitting an iceberg.
Premonitions also played a role in the Titanic legend. George Vanderbilt and his wife canceled their plans to be onboard the ship because Mrs. Vanderbilt’s mother had a premonition of something happening. It saved their lives.
Another uncanny event surrounding the Titanic involves a mysterious message supposedly received in 1978 by a radio officer on the Queen Elizabeth 2. The message had been sent using a radio wavelength no longer in use, one which belonged in the Edwardian Era. Tapped out in Morse code the message read, “CQD CQD, we are sinking fast. Passengers are being put into boats.” When the radio officer asked the ship’s identity, after a cold silence, the message received simply read “Titanic.” Although a hoax was not ruled out, the message was allegedly received as the QE2 was passing over the exact spot where the Titanic sank in 1912.
While it is not always possible to distinguish between myth and truth, 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic we continue to be fascinated with her tragic story. Lawrence Beesley, a Titanic survivor, may have captured the sentiment best when he said, “The history of the RMS Titanic…is one of the most tragically short…The world had waited expectantly for its launching and again for its sailing; had read accounts of its tremendous size and its unexampled completeness and luxury; had felt it a matter of the greatest satisfaction that such a comfortable and above all such a safe boat had been designed and built…and then in a moment to hear that it had gone to the bottom…and with it fifteen hundred passengers, some of them known all the world over! The improbability of such a thing ever happening was what staggered humanity.” And it continues to stagger us 100 years later.
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