Why The Titanic Was Doomed A Disaster Of Circumstance by Bryan Jackson

 Why The Titanic Was Doomed A Disaster Of Circumstance by Bryan Jackson

is one of the best books ever written on the disappearing of this big ship: quick, concise, but at the same time incredibly, incredibly informative.

So, if you love the romantic and tragic story of the birth and death of this Titan of the Sea, updated,  this book is, for sure, for you.

That the Titanic was born for sinking in that first inaugural trip was more than a sign of the destiny: problems started during the building of the ship, because some parts didn't have great quality, after all: let's add that sad coincidences played a fundamental role and did not permit to people to see the reality of the facts: presence of icebergs. Everyone in that inaugural trip was galvanized by the beauty of the ship, the atmosphere of feast, excitement, and dreams that every passenger had put in that trip. People of the second and third class dreamed a best existence once arrived in the USA. People of the first class were stunningly happy of sharing their days with original, other creative people in such an exclusive place like the Titanic was. 

It was called the Unsinkable, but the Titanic disappeared during his first trip in the cold Atlantic the night of 14 april 1914: A Night to Remember, would have written later Walter Lord.

A catastroph. Just a little bunch of people saved their existence. 

The Titanic left Southampton, and after several other european ports where she embarked other people, left for NYC.

Why many people died?

 

A sad choice, for aesthetic reasons, involved a great limitation in the numbers of life boats  "inserted" in the Titanic: the Titanic had to be a beautiful place for the rich passengers of this giant and nothing had to ruin the aesthetic of that beautiful ship. Pity that the large amount of missing life boats meant the end for more than 1550 passengers. 

The wireless room

There was a wireless room where it was installed one of the most modern intrument morse created by Guglielmo Marconi. The operator, Jack Phillips received many messages during that first and final days of navigation where it was clear that every ship spotted several importatnt icebergs. For a lot of reasons these alerts were not taken in the sufficient alarmistic consideration, and mr.Smith, the captain, this one would have been his final trip, and it was but in a different way, continued to keep the Titanic at its highest velocity.   

Phillips knew the exact location of the iceberg that later would have destroyed the ship: he had  also forwarded the message to other ships. The day before the sinking of the Titanic, the wireless set malfunction and stopped operating. Passengers once fixed the radio wireless inundated the room with radio messages to their families, colleagues, friends. 

There was a ship very close to the Titanic, the 447-foot Californian: the captain the evening of the 14 april had decided to stop the ship for the night because they had spotted several icebergs and navigation appeared unsecure enough. 

Captain Lord had noticed some lights, apparently the ones of another ship, but who knows: maybe it was a star.

Captain Lord asked to Cyril Evans in their wireless room later if there was for case any ship close to them: Cyril knew very well that the Titanic was close to them. Lord asked to Cyril to send a message alerting the Titanic of the massive presence of icebergs.

The close distance generated signals very strong so Jack Phillips told to Cyril rudely: "Shut up, shut up! I am busy; I am working Cape Race!" Cyril won't alert anymore the Titanic. 

The last contact generated by the two ships ar circa 11:33. At 11:40 Titanic hit the iceberg. The Titanic soon would have sent messages of help to all the available ships. Pity that Cyril Evans was sleeping.

The Californian later saw a flash on the horizon. It was 12:45. Stone called captain Lord: both were more than sure that it wasn't anything alarming. The radio operator continued to sleep peacefully after having spent a long day of work. 

At 4 o'clock the discovery: the Titanic had sunk and the Carpathia was arriving: it was necessary to rescue and help the 705 survivors. 

A Calm Night

A calm night, moonless, the one of the 14 april 1912. Vision was difficult. The key for the binoculars was left behind, so Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee could just use their eyes for trying to see if there was to the horizon any danger of some sort. When they spotted the iceberg, they were at just 37 seconds from the impact. Also the measures taken to avoid the impact became much more mortals than if the ship would have had a frontal confrontation with the giant of the oceans. 

January 1912 what a Moon!

The moon 4 january 1912 was the closest it had been to Earth in over a thousand years. This aspect, with other astronomical connections, put in movements a lot of icebergs; it is estimated that the iceberg who destroyed the Titanic probably travelled for just 4 months. Areas interested were Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland.  Once damaged, appeared clear that the Titanic had just few hours of life, optimistically. Seawater was flooding in at a rate of about 7 tons per second!!! – fifteen times faster than Titanic’s pumps could dump it back overboard, writes the author.

Panic became incredible when Andrews and other people understood that the two third of passenger would have lost the existence, because there weren't sufficient life-boats.

Later also thanks to the money that the son of Astor promised at the Mackay-Bennet crew, 100.000 dollars, for trying to find the body of his father, 190 bodies, including the one of an infant had been rescued. 

Part of the money Astor donated  (the body of his father was found), covered the cost of the child's funeral. He was called "Our Babe." In 2007 the discovery of the name of the infant: Leslie Goodwin.

The latest one who died was Millvina Dean. Titanic reclaimed also this soul: she died 

exactly ninety-eight years to the day that Titanic had been launched from the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast. When I read this, (this one was a kid, not a young girl when there was the tragedy) I imagined Rose Dawson, acclaimed by everyone in the Titanic with Jack waiting for her, offering his hand, on the luxurious stairs of the first class. Reunited, forever, with her.

The book offers much more: many witnesses, and technical aspects that decided dramatically for the quick death of the Titanic and most of his passengers, most of them resting at 4.000 meters of profoundity.

Highly recommended book. 

I thank Pen & Sword for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori