Plausible

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Having worked in the shipping industry all my life, I’m always interested when a story about ships come to light.

As is the case this morning when a new book claims that an order given to the helmsman of Titanic was misunderstood with the result that the ship was steered towards the fatal iceberg instead of away from it. The author, the granddaughter of Second Officer Charles Lightoller, says that at the time, different steering systems were used for steam ships and sailing ships and that this caused confusion when the order was given to turn the ship to starboard.

The book also reveals that, the ship having struck the iceberg, Lord Ismay, Chairman of White Star Line, persuaded the Captain to continue sailing and that for ten minutes Titanic continued at ‘Slow Ahead’, so adding to the pressure of water flooding through the breach in her hull.

These revelations stem from the previously unpublished record of Titanic’s sinking written by Mr Lightoller who, it should be noted, was not on duty at the time of the incident.

I’m not at all sure about a mistake by the helmsman who was most likely well experienced in steamship systems and among those hand-picked for that job on what was the ship’s maiden voyage in April 1912. Any incorrect course steered would also surely have been countermanded once noticed, in which case both the incorrect course and the countermand ought to have been noticed and reported to the official Inquiries in both New York and London. All seven of the lookouts survived the sinking as well as 21 of the 29 seamen and four of the eight officers; surely one of these would have noticed or heard about and commented upon an incorrect course.

Whether or not Bruce Ismay interfered with the operation of the ship at a time of acute crisis is impossible to determine at this point in time. It is difficult to believe that the Captain at such a time would have paid much attention to a man, who though his boss, was not in command. If Ismay did interfere, then he had the blood of many passengers and crew on his hands since, if the report is true, water was forced into the ship so speeding up its sinking.

There are various theories about the sinking of Titanic and, doubtless, more will arise in time. Though I have doubts about the ones reported this morning I have to say that they are nonetheless both interesting and plausible.
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Grave-Robbing?

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In November 1985 I was privileged to be able to attend a private showing of the first photographs taken of the wreck of Titanic given by its discoverer, Dr Robert Ballard, to the law firm that once represented White Star.

Twenty-five years ago, the dim and slightly fuzzy photographs of the Titanic, lying on the sea bed over two miles below the Atlantic, were jaw-dropping. Of course, since then a number of ‘expeditions’ have been down to the wreck and nearly 6,000 objects have been salvaged from it. The deteriorating wreck has also been visited by others who can look but not touch it.

In interviews afterwards, Dr Ballard said that he regretted not having claimed salvage rights because recovery of anything would have amounted to grave-robbing; had he done so then everything would have been protected. However, he did not and since then various organisations have laid claim in several courts and jurisdictions.

A US Court will shortly rule on the issue as to whether or not the artefacts recovered from Titanic should be sold through the court and the proceeds passed to the company which recovered them or, alternatively, whether the company should be given title to the objects.

In the end, as in so many other things, the issue to be decided boils down to money and, perhaps, that is a sad epithet for those who perished on that ill-fated voyage.
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Part Of Titanic Recreated

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The latest museum attraction in America is a 50% scale replica of Titanic’s front section.

Costing over £16 millions, the Titanic of Pigeon Forge in rural Tennessee is already bringing in the crowds and is set to attract over one million visitors this year. Not only does the museum recreate Titanic’s grand staircase, the ship’s bridge (under a starry sky) and recreations of first and third class cabins, it also comes complete with its own iceberg.

The museum, whose 75 staff are dressed as members of Titanic’s crew, additionally houses four hundred artefacts from the original ship, though none have been recovered from the wreck itself. These include White Star cutlery and crockery and even Lady Astor’s lifejacket.

The museum is bound to be a success, though some might find it sad that visitors are presented with a ‘boarding pass’ bearing the name of one of those who died on that ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912.
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Freak Waves

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It is rare to hear of deaths at sea and cruising has to be one of the safest forms of travel in the world. I except from this, of course, the Titanic and some of the less well-managed ferries in third-world countries.

So it is a tragedy that the recent accident to the Louis Majesty led to two passengers being killed and fourteen being slightly injured when three freak walls of water, more than ten metres in height, hit the ship on Wednesday. The waves stove in the windows at the front of the ship and also flooded a number of cabins.

The Louis Cruise Lines vessel of 40,876 tons tons, formerly the Norwegian Majesty and fairly recently refitted, was carrying 1,350 passengers and 580 crew off the coast of northeast Spain when the accident occurred. A Spanish oceanographer said that large waves were common in the Mediterranean but ones of the size that struck Louis Majesty occurred only once or twice a year.

Having been in the shipping industry all my life I can attest that freak waves are very rare. Nonetheless, they do occur and I can think readily of two such incidents in which, fortunately, no lives were lost or people seriously injured.

Despite the accident to Louis Majesty, cruising in my opinion is the safest and most comfortable way to see the world. It can be a totally relaxing and enjoyable holiday and no-one should be put off by this unfortunate accident.
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