10 Lesser Known Facts About History’s Biggest Maritime Disaster, The RMS Titanic
On the 14th of April, 1942, history’s most famous ship, the Titanic which had been deemed unsinkable sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean where its remains are still present. The ship crashed into a huge iceberg which opened it up like a can of sardines when it set sail on its first and its last voyage. The most tragic of all was the fact that many lives were lost along with the ship due to the lack of lifeboats and because not all lifeboats were filled up with the correct number of people which it could hold. James Cameron’s “Titanic” was a drama showcased on celluloid, but it never properly addressed the facts and events that took place in the actual tragedy. For instance, no one really knows that the Titanic was one of the first ships which had a temperature changing swimming pool on deck. Here are 15 unknown and unique facts of what actually happened on the titanic you might be interested in knowing:
1. A life boat drill was cancelled, just on the morning of the accident
Among facts about the Titanic, the lifeboat management during the sinking of the titanic was terrible. In some situations lifeboats were sent off earlier with very few passengers as a result of the ruckus, commotion, and panic. A lifeboat drill was supposed to be held in the morning on the very same day the ship sunk, but the practice was canceled, since the crew did not expect any imminent danger
2. Third-Class Passengers Were Made to Share Two Bathtubs
Terrible accommodation was provided to third class people. In fact, there were only two bathtubs to be shared by over 700 people in the third class. While they were provided with bunk-beds, mattresses, pillows, and blankets, they weren’t given any sheets or pillowcases.
3. A surviving Movie Star starred in a movie about the disaster wearing the same dress she wore on the Titanic
As one of the facts about the Titanic, American silent movie star Dorothy Gibson who was on board the Titanic went on to film a movie title “Saved from the Titanic”, just 10 days after being shipwrecked. The film depicted the tragedy and devastation of the titanic. Incidentally, the dress, gloves, and sweater she wore while shooting the film were the very same ones which she had worn on the Titanic and when she was saved.
4. A nearby rescue ship failed to respond
The SS California was close to the Titanic when it was sinking, but it never came to her rescue. The captain of the ship which failed to the flares and distress signals sent by the Titanic was Stanley Lord and because of this they gained bad reputation. The signals were simply ignored by this ships officers and the ship that came to the Titanic’s rescue ultimately was the Carpathia
5. Around 340 Bodies only, were recovered
An estimate of around 1,160 bodies of the passenger aboard the titanic may still be lying at the bottom of the ocean because only 340 bodies were recovered from the site of the disaster. Regarding this fact, people are still confused as to whether bodies are still present within the remains of the ship or not.
6. The ship sinking was predicted by a fortune teller
Among facts about the titanic, Two months prior to the ship’s launch, one passenger named Alice Elizabeth Fortune had met a fortune teller in Egypt who told her that she would be in danger each time she travels at sea and was going to lose everything except her life. At only 24 years old Fortune survived the disaster but as predicted lost her father and her brother. She was one of the passengers on lifeboat 10 who became famous after they were successfully rescued.
7. The interior decoration of the Titanic was created to resemble the Ritz Hotel in London
The interiors of the Titanic were built to match the Ritz Hotel in London. The suites of the Ritz hotel served as the design for the first class cabins, and the dining room featured ornate ceiling with plush carpets. The first class passengers could even eat out in “The Ritz Restaurant” on the B deck.
8. There were honeymoon couples on that voyage
The Titanic, as we know it, is mainly by the dramatized events depicting actors Leo and Kate’s romantic story onboard in the film. However, there were indeed 13 couples onboard who were on their honeymoon. Out of these 13, only Mr. and Mrs. George Harder were the ones to survive the disaster. They were from New York and a book called the Titanic Love Stories was published depicting their love story too.
9. The binoculars meant to be used by the lookouts were locked in a box
If the lookouts had a pair of binoculars, they might have just spotted the iceberg in time and re-routed the ship. But, the binoculars were locked in a box instead of being up in the lookout. A weird fact, which can also be considered fate, was that the key to the box was in the possession of second officer David Blair who at the last minute, was removed from the crew. Co-incidentally he forgot to hand over the key.
10. A man who was dressed as a woman was saved
One of the facts about the titanic coincide with the movie. When 22-year-old, Daniel Buckley was climbing into a lifeboat, he was lucky enough to have a woman throw her shawl over him. At the time, Buckley who was absolutely terrified began crying and it seemed the woman took pity on him. In Buckley’s testimony to the Senate he stated that he was crying and a woman on the boat threw her shawl over him and told him to stay on the boat. He believed her to be someone named Mrs. Astor. The boat was then lowered down into the water because no one saw him or suspected him, and was rowed away from the sinking steamer.
11. Several of the Passengers were among the who’s who of society
Several of the passengers on the ship resembled the characters from the film “Titanic” by James Cameron. John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest of the passengers. There was Isidor Strauss, the owner of Macy’s, and his wife Ida, as well as the heiress Molly Brown, who did much to keep order and calm while women and children were loaded into lifeboats.
There was The White Star Line managing director Joseph Bruce Ismay, who stepped into one of the boats after helping to load them. As a survivor, he faced harsh criticism. During the sinking, Thomas Andrews, the ship’s chief designer, was said to be staring blankly at a painting of the ship on the wall. After learning of the gravity of the situation, Benjamin Guggenheim, the son of a wealthy American mining magnate, was said to have dressed up with his valet. He was quoted as saying, “We’re dressed to the nines and ready to go down like gentlemen.” Molly Brown was among the last to depart.
12. The pride of the White Star Line and the ship that couldn’t sink had serious flaws
The Royal Mail Steamer Titanic was the white Star Line’s pride and joy. It was the largest man-made object in the world when it was officially launched on May 11, 1911. The Titanic was touted as being unsinkable and built with the best shipping technology available at the time, but according to theories, the Titanic was doomed from the start. Its so-called technology of being constructed with watertight compartments was flawed because water could spillover from one compartment into another. The Titanic would not have sunk if it had copied the designs of its largest competitor, the Cunard shipping line, which built its ships to address this very same flaw.
The Titanic’s most serious flaw was the presence of only 16 lifeboats, which, even if fully loaded, would have carried only one-third of the 3300 people on board.
13. The ship was doomed from the start
Titanic theorists have added to the Titanic’s doomed theory with bad omens on the day she set sail from Southampton on April 10, 1912. As soon as the ship took off, she narrowly avoided colliding with the America Line’s S.S. New York. That was considered one of the worst omens for any ship on its maiden voyage, but ironically, had she collided, the delay may have saved the Titanic from colliding with the iceberg.
The other incident involved a fire in one of her bunkers, which was a common occurrence in steamships at the time. Although the captain and chief engineer thought it was under control, it wasn’t, and stokers were ordered to keep it under control even as the ship sailed out to sea. According to Titanic experts, the crew may have attempted to sail the ship at full speed due to the fire, which may have contributed to the ship’s inability to avoid colliding with the iceberg. The Titanic appears to have been doomed from the start.
14. The crew had no idea the iceberg had shattered the hull of the ship
The collision itself was the most unbelievable occurrence. It was 11.40 p.m. on April 14th when the ship collided with the iceberg that appeared out of the haze. The crew reversed the ship despite the lookouts’ warnings, and the lookouts were relieved. NO ONE could have predicted that the iceberg would sever the ship with a 300-foot gash below the ship’s waterline.
Five compartments were already filled with water by the time the captain could assess the situation. The ship had been cursed. The ship had an hour and a half to stay afloat, according to Thomas Andrews. When the ship outlived expectations and sank in three parts, that was the only bright spot.
15. The Titanic’s final hours
What followed was a saga of human cowardice, bravery, gallantry, and raw emotion. As families were separated due to the chaos, men kissed their wives and children goodbye. Despite the widely held belief that women and children should be prioritized, the majority of victims were women and children.
On that fateful April 15th, 1912, 1500 people were killed. The Titanic, broken in two, stood up perpendicular in the North Atlantic at 2 a.m., its lights still on, and eerily dove into the dark icy depths of the ocean. The Titanic had come to an end at that point. The Cunard line’s Carpathia sailed through the ice floes to the Titanic’s aid, but it was too late. Only 705 survivors were rescued by the ship, the majority of whom were from lifeboats.