In The Memory of Titanic Victims

In The Memory of Titanic Victims

 

The Real Titanic in color

The Real Titanic in color

See a real pictures of titanic in color

Making Of Titanic - The Million Dollar Shot

Making Of Titanic - The Million Dollar Shot | English HD

 

 

 

History Of The Titanic

History Of The Titanic

The RMS Titanic

The history of Titanic has enthralled the world quite unlike any other shipwreck known to man. A number of books, articles and movies have been made detailed the tragedy of the RMS Titanic. Both the 1950's version of the Titanic's sinking, "A Night to Remember' and the more recent film have been very popular. James Cameron's 1997 box office hit"Titanic" was so popular with viewers that it succeeded in breaking a number of box office sales records.

The public seems incapable of forgetting the tragic history of the Titanic. Numerous myths and legends have developed over the years since the ship sank on April 15, 1912. Some of the myths are true, and others have simply been derived from the imagination of the numerous people who have become somewhat obsessed with the history of Titanic. In part, some of the tales regarding Titanic history can be contributed to the tales spun by the 705 survivors. It has been speculated that more than one of the survivors 'embellished' their personal story. The 'unsinkable' Molly Brown is just one of the surviving passengers who are suspected of having added more than a little flair to their 
tale.

When the names of the numerous famous first class passengers who were lost were revealed, the world was astounded that so many notable figures could perish in a single day. Conversely, immigrants who survived the sinking of the ship are now known worldwide for their part in the tragic history of Titanic. Poor and confined to the steerage of the ship, these individuals were only seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Instead however they earned an immortal place in Titanic history. 

Titanic history buffs are quite staunch in their dedication to preserving the truth regarding the history of the ship Titanic. When 'Titanic' was released in December of 1997 moviegoers flocked to the theaters to see the beauty and the tragedy of the fateful ship revealed on the big screen. A number of individuals who consider themselves experts on the history of Titanic were less than impressed with the number of errors contained within the film. Despite James Cameron's dedication to filming the most accurate version of the Titanic accident history possible, the movie never the less contained mistakes. Some of these mistakes had to be included in the movie to insure the viewer's suspense and enjoyment in the film. Others however were simply matters that had been overlooked during the making of the movie.

The history of Titanic continues to be one of the most popular topics in the world. An insatiable thirst for information about the Titanic prompted researchers to search for the exact location of the wreckage site for a number of years. When the Titanic's wreckage was finally discovered in 1985, the world got its first look at the ship in more than sixty years.

The tragic sinking of the Titanic and history of both those who survived and were lost, will forever be remembered with nostalgia and sadness.

 

Some Titanic Facts

Titanic Facts

The world's interest in the fascinating history of Titanic has endured for almost 100 years. April 15, 2005 will mark the 93rd anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic ship and although it has been nearly a century since the infamous luxury liner sank in the Atlantic Ocean, there continues to be a thirst for information regarding Titanic facts, myths and legends.

No other ship in the history of ocean travel has demanded as much interest as the Titanic. Volumes of books and reels of film have been produced regarding the most infamous shipwreck in history. We have attempted to provide here a brief introduction to some of the more fascinating facts, legends and myths regarding the sinking of the ship that was labeled 'unsinkable' before her disastrous maiden voyage in April of 1912.

History of the Titanic - The history of Titanic has endured for nearly a century. Find out more about the most fascinating ship and shipwreck in the world and how the tragedy of the ship continues to affect us today.

April 15, 1912, The Sinking of the Titanic - When the Titanic embarked on her maiden voyage the world was filled with hope and awe. In just a few short days those emotions turned to horror and grief. Find out what really happened that day in 1912: the sinking of the Titanic.

Passengers on the Titanic- One of the most fascinating aspects about the tragic history of the Titanic, is the eclectic mix of passengers onboard the ill fated luxury liner. When the ship sank, the lives of both the famous and the unknown were lost as well. Spend a few moments learning about the famous and not so famous passengers on the Titanic. Look here for a Titanic passenger list with the names of first, second and third
class passengers and survivors.

Titanic Ship - While the Titanic ship initially earned fame as the largest luxury liner on the open seas, she would obtain enduring distinction for the tragedy that took the ship to her watery grave. Return to the Titanic and discover the surprising facts that led to the ship's destruction from the moment she set sail.

Titanic Facts - It has been almost 100 years since the Titanic sank. During that time a number of myths and legends have grown up around the sinking of the now infamous ship. Take a few moments to read about some of the more interesting and true Titanic facts.

Titanic Movie -The 1997 release of 'Titanic' renewed the world's interest in a bygone era and the fate of the Titanic's maiden voyage. Find out more about the Titanic movie that captured the world's interest and won a ton of Academy Awards

Titanic Pictures - For years the world pondered what the 'ship of dreams' might have really looked like and wondered if any part of the ship still remained to be seen somewhere below the icy depths of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1985 the first pictures of the wreck were taken. Immerse yourself in pictures of the Titanic's grave and find out what role those pictures have made in discovering the truth about the ship's tragic end.

Titanic Construction - The White Star Line billed the Titanic as 'unsinkable' months before the ship ever embarked on her maiden voyage. Her construction was reputed to have been the best of the best. So, why did she sink and did the ship's construction have anything to do with the tragedy?

Titanic Manifest - The manifest of the maiden, and only, voyage of the Titanic provides a fascinating look into life aboard the famous luxury liner during her brief few days at sea. Find out why the Titanic was called 'the ship of dreams'.

Titanic Wreck - Following the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, various groups and individuals searched for the Titanic wreck for decades. Many had started to believe the ship's grave would never be found. Become immersed in the search for the Titanic wreck.

Titanic Artifacts - The artifacts recovered from the Titanic wreck are a sad reminder of what happened that April morning of 1912.
Menus, clothes, jewelry, bottles of wine, letters from passengers on the Titanic, etc. were salvaged from the depths of the ocean and put on display in museums and exhibits or auctioned.

Titanic Information

Titanic Information 

 Titanic

As the twentieth century dawned, many felt marine tragedies were a thing of the past. Science promised solutions to everything, from poverty to disasters. The engineering marvels of the age were steamships. Steel hulls, turbines and electricity enabled ships to quadruple in size in the ten years before 1912.

Fighting to exploit increased immigration, business and leisure travel were rival steamship lines: the Cunard Line (originally founded by Samuel Cunard from Halifax) and the White Star Line. When Cunard launched the giant Mauretania in 1907, White Star Line, responded with plans for two of the largest steamships in the world, Olympic and Titanic.

Titanic was launched on May 31, 1911. Building on lessons from Olympic, she was an extra thousand tons and carried a hundred more passengers. For her brief career, she was the largest ship in the world, in fact the largest moving object ever created. Larger ocean liners were built after Titanic, but few ever matched her legendary reputation for lavish craftsmanship. Titanic's seven decks provided the facilities of a medium-sized city, from post office to sidewalk cafés. Three passenger classes were rigidly segregated by locked barriers, ranging from the lavish decoration and country club facilities in First to the bare painted steel, low ceilings and naked light bulbs in Third. 

Titanic left Southampton on April 10, 1912, stopping briefly in Cherbourg, France and Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. She was due in New York on April 17.

Credit: Titanic's 1st class staircase closely resembled Olympic's, shown here in the Museum's exhibit. 

Sinking

Despite numerous ice warnings, Titanic steamed full speed into a massive field of icebergs. She struck one at 11:50 pm, April 14 and sank two hours and forty minutes later. Her reported position, 41 46 Lat. 50 14 Long., was 700 nautical miles east of Halifax. There were over 2200 people aboard Titanic. Only 705 survived. In the first few hours of confusion, officials in New York believed that a damaged Titanic would come to Halifax, the closest major port. Special trains were on the way with relatives and immigration officials, when the news broke. Titanic was gone forever. The Cunard liner Carpathia was taking survivors to New York. The dead would come to Halifax.

    

Credit: It is impossible to identify the precise iceberg that sank Titanic but Minia's crew believed this one, photographed near bodies and wreckage, was responsible. 

Samuel Prince Photograph Collection, Courtesy of Alan Ruffman

Recovery

The strategic position of Halifax made it the base for cable ships which repaired breaks in the underwater telegraph cables connecting Europe and North America. The White Star Line turned to these ships to search for bodies. Their tough crews, used to working in rough seas and ice, were ideally suited for the grim task.

                                       

Credit: A boat crew from the Cable Ship Minia picks up one of the Titanic victims. Recovery was hard, grim work, amidst large waves and dangerous ice floes. Crews were paid double and given extra rum rations. 

MMA, M2009.74.1

Before the survivors even arrived in New York, the first cable ship left Halifax to search for bodies. With coffins, a 100 tons of ice, an undertaker and a chaplain, Mackay-Bennett left on April 17, arriving on-site three days later. She found 306 bodies, so many that embalming fluid ran out and 116 had to be buried at sea. Another cable ship, Minia, departed Halifax on April 22, relievingMackay-Bennett and finding another 17 bodies. The Canadian Government lighthouse supply ship Montmagny left Halifax on May 6, and found four bodies. A Newfoundland sealing vessel,Algerine, sailed on May 16 but found only one body, steward James McGrady, the last to be recovered. In total, 328 bodies were found. Twelve hundred were never recovered, some sinking with Titanic, others being dispersed by currents, bad weather and ice.

Credit: A Titanic victim is embalmed aboard the cable ship Minia. 

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, N-715

Nova Scotia was no stranger to White Star Line shipwrecks, as the SS Atlantic sank near Halifax in 1873 taking over 500 lives. For the 209 Titanic bodies that came to Halifax, the Deputy Registrar of Deaths, John Henry Barnstead improvised a remarkable identification system. Bodies were numbered as they were pulled from the sea and personal effects were bagged. Further details (tattoos, clothes, jewellery) were noted and photographs taken at the temporary morgue in the Mayflower Curling Rink.

    

Credit: With flags at half mast and coffins stacked on the stern, Mackay-Bennett arrived in Halifax to the tolling of church bells on 30 April 1912. 

M.M.A., MP 29.3.1

Identification 

Barnstead's system proved invaluable after a much larger disaster in 1917 when it was used to handle and identify the 2000 victims of the Halifax Explosion. Even later, in 1992, Barnstead's meticulous records allowed researchers to put names on six previously unidentified Titanicgraves.

Credit:Titanic victims are landed from Minia at the Naval Dockyard in Halifax. 

MMA, M2009.74.2

Fifty-nine bodies were shipped home to relatives, but a hundred and fifty were buried in three Halifax cemeteries: 121 graves at Fairview Lawn (nondenominational), 19 graves at Mount Olivet (Catholic) and ten graves at Baron de Hirsch (Jewish). The victims range from the Presidential Secretary of the White Star Line to orchestra members and coal stokers. About a third are unidentified. One of the first victims to be buried was a small, unidentified boy, carried to his grave at Fairview by Mackay-Bennett's crew.

  Lessons Learned

Lifeboat Reform

Most people aboard Titanic were doomed because her lifeboats could carry only half of those aboard. After Titanic, additional boats were immediately installed on North Atlantic steamships. Within a year international regulations required lifeboats for everyone and regular drills.

The Role of Wireless

Investigations revealed that heavy commercial wireless traffic had taken priority over ice warnings. Some exhausted wireless operators were off duty and asleep when Titanic called. New regulations required a continuous watch for distress calls. They also called for automatic alarms, to be triggered by distress calls.

International Ice Patrol

Before Titanic, ships depended on seasonal ice predictions and occasional reports from other ships. These were often dismissed. After Titanic, an international ice patrol was established to track ice movements, issue warnings and research ice conditions. It continues, now using satellites.

     

Credit: Titanic Graves Fairview Lawn Cemetery 

M.M.A., N-6812

Discovery

Lying 3.8 kilometres underwater, Titanic's wreck remained mysterious and undisturbed until 1985 when it was discovered by a French and American expedition. Important scientific studies of Titanic's wreck have been led by Canadian scientists at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax. They include the first tests of Titanic's steel plating and pioneer studies of the iron drippings called "rusticles" that cover her wreck. 

Titanic's wreck has also attracted salvagers who have picked over the wreck for commercial display. Most marine museums are opposed. They consider Titanic to be a memorial and archeological site requiring minimal intervention, systematic mapping and sharing of research for scrutiny by archeologists and scientists.

                                        

Credit: Titanic deckchair, recovered by Minia and given to Rev. Henry W. Cunningham for his work performing memorial services and burials at sea. 

Titanic and Popular Culture 

Titanic instantly became a landmark in popular culture. Within weeks of her loss, films, books and countless musical pieces were produced and an entire industry still thrives around Titanic. Interest has ebbed and flowed over the decades as each generation finds new meanings in theTitanic tragedy.

 

Credit: "Instant" Titanic Book published by Logan Marshall in 1912. 

Courtesy Jay White

References

Brown, Richard. Voyage of the Iceberg, (1983). The sinking from the iceberg's point of view, written by a Canadian scientist exploring the natural and human history of the disaster.

Eaton, John and Charles Haas. Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (2nd Edition, 1997). An exhaustive account, including a detailed chapter on the role of Halifax.

Lord, Walter. A Night to Remember (1955) The classic minute by minute account of the disaster. 

Lynch, Don and Ken Marschall. Titanic: An Illustrated History (1992 ) A beautifully illustrated and detailed portrait of Titanic.

Ruffman, Alan, Titanic the Unsinkable Ship and Halifax (1999) The most authoritative account of Halifax's role, beautifully illustrated by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's collection. 

More Titanic sources and Links on the Museum's