“As far as it is possible to do so, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable.” – marketing brochure for the Titanic and the Olympic
Almost 103 years ago, a luxury liner created by Harland and Wolff for White Star Line struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the ocean, killing 1,517 of its passengers and becoming an object of fascination for over a century and counting. Arguably the most famous ship of all time, the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic was a modern marvel in its day, a ship equipped with unprecedented luxury and intended to showcase unprecedented craftsmanship. It is hardly surprising that the tragic circumstances of April 15, 1912, which abruptly ended the Titanic’s maiden voyage, resulted in the disbelief and denial which has persisted far beyond living memory of the event.
A Tragedy in the Mainstream Consciousness
While there have been countless shipwrecks since man began sailing the seven seas, something about the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic quickly elevated it into the mainstream consciousness and has given it a lasting place of prominence over other vessels lost in the deeps. The 1955 book A Night to Remember was written by Walter Lord following a close study of first-hand articles, books, interviews, and memoirs written by survivors. This successful nonfiction work was followed by a film version (1958), and a follow-up book, The Night Lives On (1986). And one would be hard pressed to find anyone currently living who is unfamiliar with the 1997 blockbuster movie, Titanic, featuring Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet. These are only a few of the books and movies available which recount the last hours of the Titanic, and the movies in particular are accused of creating many of the myths surrounding the ship’s final moments.
Political and Scientific Inquiry into the Accident
The sinking of the Titanic led to extensive inquiries by the governments of both the UK and the United States. Learning that US President William Howard Taft intended to take no action after the accident, Republican Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan introduced a resolution in the Senate that the accident be officially investigated. The 18-day investigation which followed included the testimony of 86 witnesses, including the chairman of White Star Line, Joseph Bruce Ismay. The results of this investigation, along with those of the British investigation conducted soon afterwards, included the implementation of significant improvements to the safety of ocean travel.
In 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard located the Titanic on the ocean floor and brought samples of the wreckage to the surface, once-again renewing interest in the accident and sparking scientific investigation into what might have caused the Titanic to sink. The specimens recovered from the ocean floor led many scientists to suspect that poor-quality steel used in the ship’s construction may have contributed to the extent of damage caused after Titanic hit an iceberg. Results of studies such as the one led in 1997 by Dr. H.P. Leighly at the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) and published in the January 1998 issue of Journal of Metals bolstered the belief that inferior steel played a significant role in the disaster.
The Bottom Line
Regardless of when the word “unsinkable” was first associated with the R.M.S. Titanic, the idea that the new ship would strike an iceberg and sink on its maiden voyage was an unthinkable tragedy. At least one promotional flier has been found from before the accident which includes the word “unsinkable,” and it is quite clear from post-accident interviews that White Star Line and others involved with the Titanic’s construction and operation never dreamed the ship was vulnerable.