This year is the 103 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the most important naval tragedy of the last century. On the night of April 14, 1912, at 23:40 the unsinkable transatlantic hit an iceberg, sinking into the Atlantic Ocean two hours and 40 minutes later an event that in his tragedy continues to fascinate today.
There are many legends surrounding the Titanic, passed down over the years. But how many of these can be said to be real? The final song of the orchestra, the disturbing prophecy in 1898, here are some of the mysteries that have helped to reinforce the myth of the Titanic.
In 1898 the writer Morgan Robertson released a novella entitled Futility, or the sinking of the Titan. The story told how an ocean liner called the Titan, the largest ship ever built, hit a iceberg and sank.
The novel was written before the Titanic was designed, but the Titan was similar in size 269 m against 244 meters of the Titanic.
Both ships sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic and had not enough lifeboats rescue for passengers. In its history, Mr. Robertson calls the Titan unsinkable, a term also used in the promotion of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The Titanic sank in 1912, 14 years after.
When the Titanic sank, have been raised about the existence of more than a curse. One of these, for example, was linked to the practice of the White Star Line to not give baptism to their ships. The launch in the past but still was a rite, as the sailors entrusted their lives to the boat and therefore blessed, giving it a name.
One of the most popular legends, is linked directly to the city of Belfast, where the Titanic was built. The ship was given the number 390 904, which, when reflected, remember the letters NOPOPE slogan against Catholics, widely used by Protestant extremists in Northern Ireland, where the ship was built. The ship was accused of being anti- Catholic because its manufacturers, the company Harland and Wolff, had a workforce almost exclusively Protestant and an alleged record of hostility towards Catholics.
A legend more intriguing regards the curse of the mummy of a priestess of Amun-Ra who lived in 1050 BC. According to reports, after its discovery in 1890 in Egypt, the buyer of the mummy has met serious misfortune. The mummy was then donated to the British Museum, where he continued to cause problems mysterious for visitors and staff. It was then bought by the journalist William Thomas Stead, who did not believe the rumors of a curse.
The legend says hid the mummy in his car for fear that would not be taken on board the Titanic because of his reputation. He later revealed to other passengers the presence of the mummy in the evening before the tragedy. Official documents state that the British Museum has never received the mummy, only the lid of his sarcophagus (which is on display at the museum and known as the "Unlucky Mummy". In addition, except during the war and special exhibitions abroad, the cover has never left the Egyptian room.
According to the theory of the writer Robin Gardiner, the ship that sank was not the Titanic but her twin Olympic. In his book described would be the biggest scam of the century: John Pierpoint Morgan, owner of the shipping company 'White Star Line', he concocted a way to make up for the damage suffered by the clash of the previous Olympic Hawke with the ship of the British Navy.
The Titanic at the time (1911) had not yet been completed.
Morgan then decided to replace the two ships: the Olympic is reconstructed with the "waste" of the Titanic, and it is touted as Olympic. From Southampton, then, was not the unsinkable, but the Olympic rebuilt the good. According to Gardiner that would explain why the iceberg managed easy to scratch the hull, rebuilt with scrap pieces. It also argues that the impact was wanted: the intention of Morgan was not the one to sink the ship, but to repay the work Olymipc with insurance covering any damage.
One of the most famous stories and romantic surrounding the Titanic regards the orchestra. It is said that on 15 April, while the ship, the eight musicians, led by Wallace Hartley, continued to play until the end on the front deck. And though it seems a gimmick movie, it's reality. What remains a mystery is the last song played. According to most of the testimonies the final melody was the Christian hymn Closer to you, my God.
It seems that the same Hartley once said to a friend that if he were on a sinking ship that would be one of the songs that he wanted to play. The Titanic sank at 2.20 of 15 in April 1912, bringing with him 1,518 souls of 2,223 passengers boarded (including crew). The eyewitness Jack Thayer, aboard a spear, testified, The bridge was slightly turned towards us. You could see piles of nearly 1,500 passengers remained on board that is piling up like swarms of bees, but only to fall in groups, in pairs, alone, while about 80 meters of hull rose with the surface forming an angle of about 70 °. Then the ship, and with it the same time seemed to stop.
Finally, gradually, the bridge turned, as if to hide the horrible spectacle to our view. Suddenly, the whole structure of the Titanic seemed to break in two, quite clearly on the front, one side and tilted the other stood to the sky. " Lawrence Beesley, survived the sinking, he added: "Before the bridge was completely submerged, the Titanic was lifted vertically to its full length and, perhaps for five minutes, we saw at least 150 feet of the ship to get up above the sea level, directed against the sky; then falling obliquely disappeared underwater.
Beesley also described the emotional impact of those who lived those tragic moments: Suddenly a stream of light from the forecastle and a rocket soared hissing into the sky, where the stars winked glittering above us. He climbed higher and higher, while a sea of faces followed him with his eyes, and a shower of sparks slowly disappearing one by one. And with a sigh of breath a word escaped his lips the crowd: 'Rockets!'.
It is useless to deny the dramatic intensity of the scene; separate from all the terrible events that followed and imagine the calm of the night, the sudden light on the points crowded with people dressed or undressed in various shapes, the background of the huge chimneys and trees tapered revealed that rose from the rocket, whose Lightning lit up the faces at the same time (and secret thoughts) of the crowd obediently, one simply glow with light physical, the other with the sudden revelation of the meaning of that message.
Everyone knew without the need for words that we asked help from anyone who was close enough to see us, Colonel Gracie, sucked into the water and survived the tragedy he wrote: In the area of which I speak, as far as I could see, went up to heaven cries more atrocious ever heard by mortal man, except by those who survived that terrible tragedy. The moans and groans of the wounded, the screams of those who were in terror and frightening gasp of those who drowned, none of us will forget more until the day of his death.
At about 8 am, arrived on the spot that the Carpathia recovered the shipwrecked survivors on spears. He wrote later Captain Rostron: "Not even a floating fragment of the wreck, maybe a couple of chairs, a few life jacket, very cork, but nothing more than that those remains are often dragged by the tide on the beaches. The ship was sunk by dragging around with him. I saw one dead body in the water, no one could survive in the cold sea.
The RMS Titanic was a transatlantic British of class Olympic , became famous for his collision with an iceberg on the night between 14 and 15 April 1912 and the resulting dramatic sinking occurred in the early hours of 15 April 1912 .
According to a trio of ocean liners, the Titanic, along with his two twins Olympic and Britannic, was designed to offer a weekly line with the America and ensure the rule of the ocean routes to the White Star Line . Built at shipyard Harland and Wolff of Belfast , the Titanic was the ultimate expression of the maritime technology of the times, and was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world.
During its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, via Cherbourg and Queenstown, collided with an iceberg at 23:40 of Sunday, April 14, 1912. The impact caused the opening of certain holes along the right side of the liner, which sank two hours and 40 minutes later (at 2:20 on April 15) and broke in two.
In the shipwreck killed 1518 of the 2223 passengers on board including 900 men of ' crew; only 705 people were saved (some of whom died shortly after being rescued by the Carpathia ), 6 of which are saved among people over in the water. The event aroused enormous pressure on public opinion and led to the convening of the first conference on the safety of life at sea.
The Titanic, as the twins Olympic and Britannic, was designed to compete with the Lusitania and the Mauretania , the transatlantic rival company Cunard Line who were at that time the most luxurious ships, fast and impressive engaged on transatlantic routes. Because he also had the postal service, she was awarded the prefix RMS ( Royal Mail Ship ) as well as SS ( Steam ship , steamer ). The vessel was designed by William Pirrie, chairman of Harland and Wolff, and by naval architect Thomas Andrews , who was the chief designer. The construction of the Titanic, funded by shipowner American John Pierpont Morgan with his company International Mercantile Marine Co. began March 31 1909 ; the hull was launched on May 31 1911 and superstructure were completed March 31 of the following year.
Was recorded in the naval port of Liverpool with the official number of the vessel 131428 and telegraphic abbreviation "MGY". The final cost of the liner was 7.5 million dollars in 1912, equivalent to $ 180 million in 2012. The Titanic also represented an innovation in the splendor with which they decorated the halls and cabins. The rooms used to first class passengers were ordered by the open deck to the bridge E. The interior main were:
The grand staircase of the first class, a staircase connecting all decks reserved for first class, from the open deck of the bridge E, but the double flight began and ended on the deck of the bridge D, at the same point at which ended the elevators. The staircase had to be furnished William and Mary, but Frenchified to Louis XIV , with wrought iron balustrades, lightened by flowers and leaves in bronze; was topped to the deck by a large dome of glass and wrought iron that illuminated the entire environment.
The handrail on the landing deck A was decorated with a large lamp bronze depicting a cherub . On the upper landing was grossed a clock between two bronze female personification of Honour and Glory crowning Time. On the panels of the landings of a half bridge were located large paintings. The large scale of the bridge D flowed into the reception hall, with a large chandelier 21 lamps. On the back of the scale were located three elevators, decorated in the same style. An identical environment but paneled light wooden bridges connecting the A, B, and C, and it was used as a reception hall for the restaurants of the bridge B.
The salon bow was located between the first and the second funnel and the salon aft between the third and the fourth. Although the staircase aft was virtually identical to that of the bow, he lacked some details, such as the clock, and the dome was located lower down than ahead of it, in fact he was on deck A. The environment was designed to Passengers who wish to spend time reading, playing cards, drinking tea and listening to the music of the ' orchestra . The hall was decorated with large panels in oak style Louis XV , whose motifs were taken from the palace of Versailles . On one side of the room was located a small fireplace in marble , on which rested a statue of Artemis . At the center of the room a large chandelier lit environment.
The hall of writing and reading, designed for ladies, here you could bring together at any time of day. The room was decorated in a Georgian style and was placed in two rooms separated by a large arch supported by columns with Corinthian capitals .
The dining-smoking property located between the third and fourth smokestack. Men could reach the room throughout the day, but especially after dinner. It was furnished Georgian (eighteenth century English), with large panels in dark mahogany and inlaid with mother of pearl. To decorate the room there were also large stained glass windows illuminated artificially. The windows that looked out on the promenade deck were decorated with scenes of ports around the world.
The two small rooms of creepers, two restaurants to which you could access from the promenade deck or a revolving door from the hall-smoking. The large windows gave the impression of being outdoors. The restaurant A la carte , an exclusive on the deck B, decorated in Georgian. Here passengers could go at any time, and order any kind of dish. The manager of this restaurant was the Italian Pietro Antonio Gaspare Luigi Gatti.
The hall of reception , located on deck D, decorated in the seventeenth century English style, with large white lacquered panels and windows decorated with wrought iron decorations. Armchairs, chairs, sofas and tables were wicker coated burgundy. In one corner of the room was placed a large grand piano. Before dinner the passengers could have a drink and listen to the music of the orchestra.
The large dining room, where the passengers were going to dinner. It was the most spacious area reserved for first-class, long 35 meters wide and 28 could accommodate 532 people. He was appointed as the hall of reception , with Jacobean-style, but, instead of the panels in dark oak residences English walls and ceiling were white stucco. The environment was lit thanks to many ceiling. Living room chairs were upholstered in green leather, along with oak furniture, had to help support the overall tone of the room, unfortunately the effect was ruined by the tile floor linoleum fantasy.
The post office which was located on the starboard side of the ship and hence the name RMS that would "Royal Mail Ship" which means actual ship mail. The turkish bath of the Titanic, a beautiful Arabic style, was one of the indicators of exoticism that permeated the period. It was designed in the Moorish style seventeenth century, with blue and green tiles.
There have been several proposals and studies about a project to build a ship replica of the famous trans-Atlantic. An initial project was abandoned in 2006 , while a second was announced in 2012 and is still active. The first proposal was founded in 2000 by businessman and tycoon South African Sarel Gous. He claimed to have got hold of the original drawings of the famous ship and will then realize his dream. If the ship had been completed would have a length of 290 meters and a width of 33 meters.
In 2012 the construction of the liner Titanic II has been commissioned by the mining magnate Australian Clive Palmer, a company owned by China . The billionaire has confirmed that the start of work for the construction of the vessel is scheduled for the end of 2013, and that the ship should be ready to sail by the year 2016 . The Titanic II , Palmer said, will be designed trying to keep as much as possible the likelihood with the original in terms of specifications and design, will not provide the most advanced technology for safety and reliability.
On the centenary of misfortune the cruise ship Balmoral, the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines , has been chartered by Miles Morgan Travel to follow the route of the Titanic and stop April 15 2012 in the point above the seabed where lie the remains of the famous ocean liner, in order to honor the deceased shipwrecked there in the centenary of the disaster marine. After going through exactly the same route of the Titanic , the Balmoral reached the wreck site in time to celebrate the anniversary of 14 to 23 April 2012. On board was celebrated a memorial service in memory, which ended with the launch of three crowns at sea of flowers. The ship remained all night on the spot and left the next morning to follow the planned route for the journey of the Titanic to New York.