RMS TITANIC
THE LEGACY - 98 YEARS LATER

The unexpected was not expected.

Her size, beautiful architectural lines and the crown of four funnels topping off her superstructure, presented the perfect picture of grace, superb design and reliability. The latest maritime engineering, internal layout and superb fittings and furnishings, lent further confidence to the impression that to travel on the Titanic, one would be pampered, very comfortable and above all else, safe at sea. That is human nature. We see, we consider, we draw our conclusions and cement opinions.

The majesty of the Titanic wooed that human characteristic. And why not? A thing of desire must excite the emotions and encourage action. The publicity and promotion of the many attributes of this famous ship did all of that and she was heavily booked for her maiden voyage to New York. What an exciting time to be had by all on this wonderful feat of engineering that assured, at last, that we had a design that was unsinkable and concerns about being lost at sea could be pushed away and fun and adventure would dominate the days onboard.

On one level, guests enjoyed the live orchestra with the light-footed flow of ballroom dancing, in another room the subdued clatter of knives and forks on plates amidst the myriad hum of guest's conversations, and in quiet and special places were played out the romantic interludes of couples enjoying the ship's special ambience. Suddenly, the unexpected was visited upon the whole ship's company. The enormous ship jarred and lurched with the ugly reality of a stray and unique iceberg, wandering many miles south of the traditional iceberg line, ripping open the starboard hull, leaving a legacy of mayhem, terror and enormous loss of life on 14 April 1912.

Many ships have been lost at sea under the most terrifying of circumstances, be it in wartime like the Lusitania, along the southern coast of Australia or around the Cape of Good Hope. All have their historians, their tragic stories committed to newspapers and books, plaques, memorials and survivors offering first-hand accounts of their wretched fear and unexpected salvation. But the Titanic, perhaps its name, perhaps the heart-wrenching anecdotes of children and parents separated from one another or, perhaps, the enduring perception of 'unsinkable' and thwarted human expectation, has kept its memory uppermost for the public at large. Perhaps it is that deep-seated determination in our being, to protect our lives at all costs, which has been touched by the contradiction of the Titanic being 'unsinkable', yet their unexpected misfortune reminds us that we are vulnerable, irrespective of how careful we try to be and whatever claims are made to assure us of our safety.

Beautiful to behold, exciting to participate and a pleasure to have experienced the opportunity, yet some, like the Titanic passengers and crew, were not to be spared the collision of circumstance with the unexpected iceberg.

And so it was 98 years ago ......

10 April 1912
SS Titanic the White Star Liner with Captain Edward J. Smith in command, steams into English Channel on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, bound for New York City, New York.

12 April 1912
Titanic steamed westward on a calm and sunny sea but around sunset a wireless message came through from the French Liner, La Touraine, with warnings of ice ahead.

13 April 1912
Late into the night of the 13th April Titanic and the Rappahannock pass each other within signaling distance, the Titanic was warned of the ice danger ahead.

14 April 1912
The wireless crackled with fresh warnings reporting bergs, growlers and field ice in 42 degrees N from 49 degrees to 51 degrees W, throughout the day further warnings continued to be received and at 1.42 p.m. the White Start Liner Baltic reported icebergs and large quantity of field ice in 41 degrees 51'N, 49 degrees 9'W about 250 miles ahead.

Further messages came through and finally at 9.40 p.m. the Atlantic Transport Liner Mesaba reported at Latitude 42 degrees N to 41 degrees 25'N, Longitude 40 degrees to 50 degrees 30'W heavy pack ice, large icebergs and field ice.

Titanic was already within the rectangle marked out by this warning. All six messages put together indicated an enormous belt of ice stretching 78 miles across Titanic's path, but the six messages were not consolidated due to a lack of communication and complacency.

And on a starlight but moonless night in calm weather and calm waters, just before midnight Titanic collides with a 15,000 year old iceberg, which was ninety percent below the water level, with no wave action around the base which could have offered an early warning.

15 April 1912
Titanic carrying 20 lifeboats only enough for half the passengers and crew sinks at 2.20am.
The entire band of musicians played on as the unsinkable sank ...

Footnote:
Titanic's passenger list is held at The National Archives (TNA) Kew, South West London, England.

Suzanne Patterson - 10 April 2010