Titanic Rememberances.

[Blue Stocking]

The current publicity being given to the 100th anniversary of this tragedy has, IMHO, revealed some fascinating details into the world we all embrace.

A British historian compared it, social impact-wise to 9-11.

Interestingly enough, other marine tragedies have occurred, with great loss of life, which have not carved their place in history.

The research into, and the facts surrounding the Engineering staff, all of whom died with the ship, is to me, a "techie", very effecting emotionally.

The fact that of 240 students in a Southampton UK school, 120 lost their fathers, is powerful stuff.

"Oh hear us when we cry to thee,
For those in peril on the sea"

[goboatingnow]

Given it was only the biggest for 5 weeks,was by no means the fastest, wasnt technically superior in any way, actually had very conservative interiors and was by no means the most lost souls accident, I am always a little dubious about this Titantic remembrance stuff. It's a Hollywood creation if you ask me.

Dave

[Astrid]

It's a Hollywood creation if you ask me.

Not so far off in saying that. Interest in the ship had waned somewhat in the years following the disaster---and with two world wars following it, Titanic had somewhat quietly slipped into history. Then in 1951 the Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck movie Titanic came out and immediately resurrected interest in the tragedy. This was closely followed by Walter Lord's book A Night to Remember, and interest has grown ever since.

[Hydra]

The Titanic sinking made a very powerful impression on sailors, ship designers and administrations. It was the starting point for the "Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS) Convention, in 1914, which defined common rules for maritime safety.

See IMO | Titanic remembered by IMO Secretary-General

Alain

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Hydra

The Titanic sinking made a very powerful impression on sailors, ship designers and administrations. It was the starting point for the "Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS) Convention, in 1914, which defined common rules for maritime safety.

See IMO | Titanic remembered by IMO Secretary-General

Alain

Oh yes undoubtably it was a terrible maritime tragedy at the time and was the spur for some changes in the operation of shipping. Still doesn't provide the reason for the collective nonsense going on at the moment. For that I think we can thank Hollywood.

Dave

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Astrid

Not so far off in saying that. Interest in the ship had waned somewhat in the years following the disaster---and with two world wars following it, Titanic had somewhat quietly slipped into history. Then in 1951 the Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck movie Titanic came out and immediately resurrected interest in the tragedy. This was closely followed by Walter Lord's book A Night to Remember, and interest has grown ever since.

Even the Nazis made a movie about it but Goebbels refused to release it in Germany as things were not going all that well for the Third Reich and he felt it would demoralize an already traumatised public. The original Director was quite out spoken about the Nazi regime and paid with his life for his opinions. Apparently some of the scenes made it into the 1951 version.

[sarafina]

Wasn't it somwhat new technology that they had the radio contact ship to ship? That pulled in the rescue vessels and so many were saved, all with stories to tell. Witnesses, where with out the radio communication there would have (possibly) been none...

And the fame of so many of the passengers. Perfect fodder for sensationalism.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Wasn't it somwhat new technology that they had the radio contact ship to ship? That pulled in the rescue vessels and so many were saved, all with stories to tell. Witnesses, where with out the radio communication there would have (possibly) been none...

And the fame of so many of the passengers. Perfect fodder for sensationalism.

Actually at the time many passangers liners had marconi radio. This was installed primarily to give passangers a communications method at sea. ( and for which Marconi made a lot of money). The shipping companies tended not to use it at the time for ships business which explains the rather slapdash approach to getting wireless messages to the bridge. They still used company rocket signals.

In fact it was the unstructured use of radio that arguably contributed to a great loss of life. After the 1914 convention radio became a more central part of ship operation ( 24 h watches etc)

My uncle was a "marconi man" with the British merchant marine and some passanger liners , 49 to 62.

Dave

[Astrid]

Marconi's wireless was a relatively new innovation at sea, having only been around for about a decade, and only being common on larger ships for less than half that time. It was not until the Wireless act of 1910 that ships sailing to or from the USA were required to have wireless communications if they carried 50 or more passengers. There were actually several competing systems such as Telefunken in Germany and Fessenden in the USA, and in Titanic's time, the wireless operators were employees of the wireless company rather than the shipping company.

[Blue Stocking]

Hmmm!--when I started this thread, I did so with the thought that fate is not something over which we have control, sadly.
The Costa Concordia is a recent example of this, for whatever the reason.
June of this year will be 90 years since my father was rescued from the burning schooner, J Edward Drake, north of Bermuda.
He was 21 at the time, and had been at sea since the age of 9 years, as an orphaned child, starting as a cabin boy on his uncle's schooner out of Demarera, British Guiana.
Flames were seen at night by the scheduled steamer which ran between Halifax and Bermuda, which picked the crew up.
He was also coming down the Hudson on the bridge of a Furness Withy steamer, '28 or '29 ( can't remember if it was the Fort George, Victoria or Hamilton) when the Titanic's sistership Olympic backed out of Hoboken, and her counter hooked them amidships and put the whole afterdecks in New York harbour.

His memories, told to me as a child, I am sure, is what inspired my love of the sea.

I see beyond Hollywood in these stories.

[Astrid]

That would have been the collision with the 'Fort St. George' on 22/2/1924.

[Cavalier MK2]

RMS Lusatania sunk May 7 1915 by a German U-boat. 1195 lost of 1959 passengers and crew.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by Astrid

That would have been the collision with the 'Fort St. George' on 22/2/1924.

Thanks Astrid, couldn't remember the date. He had his camera with him, and I think I have the only set of photos in existance.
He also served on MS Bermuda, got off just before she burned in Hamilton Harbour Bermuda in 1931.