Tonight at our house, on
the 101st anniversary of the sinking, we are having a Titanic film
festival on our big screen HD. I asked Scout
what she thought were the most profound elements of the Titanic tragedy. These are her 5 things.
1). Lifeboats.
There were 20 lifeboats aboard the Titanic. It was the
president of the White Star Line J. Bruce Ismay’s view that as long as the
number of lifeboats met the board of trade’s regulations, everything would be
okay. Unfortunately, not only was there an
inadequate number of lifeboats, there was also a capacity issue. Nearly all of
the lifeboats were launched half full.
2). Lack of Binoculars
Just before the Titanic was due to set sail from
Southampton, one of the ship’s crew members was demoted and asked to leave the
ship. But when he did, he accidentally took with him, the key to the locker
that held the binoculars for the lookouts. This simple mistake resulted in the
lookouts relying on their own eyesight to watch for icebergs.
3). Ignored Ice Warnings.
The Titanic received numerous ice warnings throughout the
day on April 14, 1912, However, due to idea that the Titanic was considered to
be ‘practically unsinkable,’ many, including Captain Smith thought there was
little cause for alarm. More so, the last boilers were lit, so the ship could speed
up. This was so the ship could
[supposedly] break a speed record and arrive in New York a day early.
4). Construction.
The Titanic had 16 watertight compartments. The ship was
designed so should any of the first four compartments flood, the Titanic could
‘act as her own lifeboat’ and remain afloat. The disaster that took place on
the night of April 14,1912, was considered the worst possible thing that could
happen.
5) Weather Conditions.
On the night of April 14, 1912, at 11:35pm local time as the
Titanic sailed 400 miles off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the water was
still as glass – unusually calm for North Atlantic weather in April. There was also no moon. Scientist hypothesized
that due to the calm weather an moonless night, it would be much more difficult
to spot icebergs.
If Captain Smith could speak to the crews crossing the Atlantic
tonight, what would he say to them? What
would be his advice? How could he help us
avoid his tragic destiny?
Nice article. There is a shocking theory. For years I have been believing the fact that it was Titanic which sank in that ocean. Now people are putting their hypothesis that it was its sister ship Olympia. If that is true then where is Titanic?
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