Tag Archives: Robert Ballard

Titanic Miscellaneous

Real Science:New Robot Advances Underwater Research

With all the talk of Titanic II lately, it is forgotten there are still important things being done to advance underwater exploration. Like at the University of Delaware where they are testing a small Remotely Operated Vehicle. According to The Review,the ROV “has a front camera, a frontward high definition camera, a rear camera and sonar capabilities and is controlled by a joystick, which moves it to the front, back and side to side, while other buttons control the angle of the machine and cameras. The robot requires additional work for the sonar software and incoming data collection, as he says other people are required for such operations.”

And yes there is a Titanic connection of sorts (aside from the obvious ROV use). This ROV will be used in July to locate shipwrecks off Cape Henlopen in Delaware and then head off to the Aegean near Turkey to work with Robert Ballard.

Source: New Robot Advances Underwater Research (4 Mar 2013,The Review)

Titanic

Titanic News For 14 Dec 2012

1. Express & Star (UK) is reporting a new memorial stone for Titanic cellist John Wesley Woodward, who perished when Titanic went down in 1912, has been put up in his honor. Wesley was from West Bromwich and his memorial stone had stood in Heath Lane Cemetery for decades. However the sandstone memorial had become weathered with age and two Black Country residents feared it would crumble, so they began seeking funds to replace it. Donations from local groups helped raise £900 to replace the stone. A ceremony was recently held to mark its unveiling.

Source: Express & Star, New Memorial Stone For West Bromwich Cellist On Titanic, 12 Dec 2012

2. Douglas Main, writing for OurAmazingPlanet.com, recently wrote of his experience visiting Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition at Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. One of the features he liked was that you got to know some prominent passengers. He was also surprised to learn the large number of second and third class passengers coming to America for a better life.

Source: Our Amazing Planet, Titanic Exhibit Gives Life To Ship’s Passengers, 12 Dec 2012

3. Robert Ballard believes he has found evidence that the Biblical story of a global flood may have some basis in fact. He has found an ancient shoreline 400 feet below the surface of the Black Sea. Pottery, man-made structures, and possibly an ancient shipwreck with human bones inside. His theory is that Earth was covered in ice 12,000 years ago and that when it started melting floods occurred. Carbon dating of shells from the shoreline indicates the Black Sea flood, which he calls the mother of all floods since that land stayed under water, was around 5,000BC.

Source: Newser, Scientist Who Found Titanic: Biblical Flood Probably Real, 11 Dec 2012

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Titanic

Bob Ballard Thanks Crew For Restoring His Power

World famous ocean explorer and co-discoverer of Titanic was recently without power at his Connecticut home thanks to a nor’easter. When a crew from Greenville Utilities arrived in his neighborhood, Ballard came out and introduced himself. He also mentioned he discovered Titanic.

“He came out and said, ‘I’m Bob Ballard and I discovered the Titanic,'” said Jeff Byrd, electric distribution engineer for Greenville Utilities. “He said several crews had already looked at his outage and left during the week.”

Apparently Connecticut Light and Power had come out to look the area over and decided they lacked the proper equipment. When they had completed work and restored power to the area, they all got free National Geographic DVD’s of his latest project.

Team members said the world-famous explorer was gracious, and appreciative that the North Carolina crew got the job done.

Once again Titanic finds its way into the news without having to be a cliche.

Source: WCTI12.com, Greenville Crew Helps World-Famous Titanic Explorer, 10 Nov 2012


Titanic

Titanic Musings-Premiere Revenues Up, Ballard Helps Out Turkey, Lusitania Questions, and MasterChef

Titanic Musings
18 Jul 2012

Take some time off to come back to find lots of news stories to sift through! Actually it was not that bad since I filter out a lot of stories that have no bearing to Titanic at all. Some just mention Titanic as a descriptive like “it was a match of titans” or it was a “Titanic event. ” Of course there are the usual cliches like the infamous “rearranging desk chairs” that seem never to go out of style. Pity that politicians just seem to love to use Titanic. It crosses borders and parties as well.

Over at Premier Exhibitions, the word seems to be silence. No word on what is going except that negotiations are continuing regarding the artifact sale. They got title to the salvaged artifacts but can only sell it as one piece limiting sales to only mega corporations, museums or consortiums with very deep pockets, or wealthy oil princes in the Middle East. Perhaps China will buy it up and make it a tourist attraction. Stranger things have happened.

Premiere Exhibitions reported that its profits are up for the first three months that ended 31 May. They report a 9 percent jump resulting in $1.2 million or 2 cents a share.  Last year at the same time it was $1.1 million and 2 cents a share. Overall revenues (before expenses) were up 19 percent to $11.5 million from $9.7 million. Their acquisition of Arts and Exhibitions International LLC–which has King Tut II, Cleopatra and Real Pirates (and others) as part of its programs–added to the bottom line. Ticket prices however went down during the period (no doubt to attract people) by 7.6 percent.

Titanic II appears to be rolling along. Still in the planning stages (actual construction has not yet started) but Clive Palmer already has said he will likely exclude everyone but first class passengers from its casino. He says he did not want people not able to lose money to go there. Nice sentiments but Las Vegas has no such qualms. As long as your money is good (and not one their list of banned people) you can gamble as you wish. Some people do get foolish and gamble too much. There are some who do get addicted to gambling but that is a special category. And those people, like alcoholics, need counseling to deal with this problem. Palmer likes to remind that Titanic II will have all the latest in safety technologies, be wider than the original for stability, and offer nice amenities. Hopefully they will not serve Titanic shaped ice cubes in the bars.

Robert Ballard has been in the news recently. The Turkish government asked him to assist in locating the downed fighter craft shot down by Syria. Since his ship was docked in Turkey already for an expedition, he went out and located it in Syrian waters. Still up for debate is whether the Syrians had any legal right to shot it down (if it was in their airspace they will claim they had the right while Turkey says they did not). Ballard’s ship Nautilus is exploring the Black and Mediterranean seas this summer looking for Byzantine era ships and to observe marine life. You can check out their progress at www.nautiluslive.org.

An article in the Daily Mail once again asks the question whether or not Lusitania was carrying illegal munitions that contributed to its sinking in 1915. On 7 May 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the liner which sank rapidly taking 1,198 lives. Controversy swirled from the very beginning because there were two explosions. One was the torpedo and the other no can ascertain for sure. Some speculate it was munitions for the war in Europe put on board illegally, others that it was coal that ignited as a result of the torpedo. Greg Bemis, who is co-owner of the wreck and believes that it went down as result of illegal munitions, is conducting dives to the wreck to determine what happened. The wreck lies 300 feet down off the coast of Ireland near Cobh (Titanic docked there in 1912 but it was Queenstown then). The water is murky making it hard to see and cutting into the hull takes time. Weather of course makes it difficult. All of this is for a documentary that will reveal what they found.

It was a major news story back in 1915. Europe was at war with England/France/Russia on one side vs. Germany/Austria/Turkey on the other. Lusitania was a civilian vessel and many Americans were aboard. The German embassy had placed notices in newspapers warning such ships were subject to attack. The German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare allowed them to target military and civilian vessels of its enemies. Its sinking angered America and President Wilson. However it did not lead to American entry into the war (that came in 1918 thanks to the infamous Zimmerman Telegram). Like people who believe President Roosevelt knowingly allowed the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941, there are those who argue the same for Lusitania. They argue the British (in particular Churchill) wanted the Americans in the war and put the illegal munitions on the ship knowing the Germans would get the blame when they torpedoed her. No real proof exists (though lots have been written to support it) that is the case.  A lot of post-World War I history is written from the point of view, that America was sucked into that war by the British and that Lusitania was part of it.

Turning away from Titanic, I have been watching MasterChef(Fox-USA). I like this show. Unlike the other shows (except maybe for Food Network Food Star) all of the participants are amateurs and mostly home cooks. A few have some restaurant experience as food runners, servers, burger flippers, or breakfast serving, but most learned from just doing it at home sometimes with their parents or others around them. What is surprising is the creativeness and quality of dishes presented. The judges–Joe Bastianich, Graham Elliot, and Gordon Ramsey–put the aspiring MasterChefs through a lot of hurdles to get the best of the best. Along the way you get interesting challenges and personalities. This season has also seen lots of changes. Obviously aware that shows like these become predictable, they have chosen to shake things up to make it less so. For instance, usually at the end of a mystery box challenge they call down the three best they want to try. However at the first one, the three they called down were judged by them (they walk around and taste the dishes and talk with the cheftestants) to be the worst. They also have mixed up the elimination challenges by having the winner select who cooks what in that challenge. It adds a lot more stress and strategy. Choose right and you might send home someone who was a competitor. On the other hand, you might end up helping the very people you want to eliminate as Ryan found out to his embarrassment. Sadly some of the challenges send favorites away like Josh (who really excelled in most challenges but the egg pressure test was his doom). Christine, who is blind, has proved to be very creative in her dishes despite an obvious impediment.

And it is never certain who wins or loses. For instance, Ryan was pleased to think that Monti had screwed it up by using canned crab to make scotch eggs. At first Gordon thought she was nuts but upon tasting realized it was delicious. Tali, never known for anything particularly great, did produce a delicious strawberry shortcake while Becky, a front runner, produced a trifle that looked beautiful but was very bad. So the show keeps you guessing as to whether the people you think are good will in fact cook well to survive to the next round. The worst offenders are easy to spot. Generally they serve undercooked food, miss key components required, or poorly executed dishes. Or you do something totally bizarre like baking cheddar cheese on top of your apple pie or putting unthinkable combinations in risotto. You know how bad it is when Joe takes your dish and tosses it into the trash. Your only hope is someone has done worse (and that has happened). Give MasterChef a watch. I think you will like it.

Sources:
1.Businessweek, Premier Exhibitions 1Q Profit Up, Attendance Rises, 12 Jul 2012

2. Herald Sun, Clive Palmer reveals detailed plans for Titanic II,17 Jul 2012

3. Washington Post, As Titanic’s Discoverer Does Research At Sea, Armchair Explorers Can Watch Online, 16 Jul 2012

4. Daily Mail,Was The Lusitania Our War Crime: 1198 Passengers Died When The Liner Sank, 13 Jul 2012

 

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Titanic, Titanic 2012

Titanic Musings-Ballard Wishes He Claimed Titanic

Right now the artifacts raised from Titanic are up for auction but only as a single lot. RMS Titanic, Inc. did not like this restriction since it makes hard to find a buyer or group of buyers willing to put up $189 million. However the proposed auction has been delayed and a press release yesterday indicates they are in negotiations with multiple parties. A press conference originally scheduled for 11 April has been put off until further notice. One wonders who these buyers might be considering the huge price tag. It could be a consortium of museums, government entities, or very wealthy business people who want to continue the exhibition.

Robert Ballard, who was part of the expedition that found Titanic in 1985, now regrets disclosing its location. Further he wishes now he could have made a claim on the wreck to prevent salvage. Except of course he could not have done so easily. Likely he would be excluded do his association with Wood’s Hole at the time. Wood’s Hole received government money and worked with the U.S. Navy. And government employees and those who work or affiliated with government are excluded from making salvage claims (which would give them an unfair advantage over private companies). Then there is the fact that Ballard was a reserve naval officer. Ballard knows this making his recent claim on National Public Radio curious. Then again perhaps it was just wistful thinking on his part.

Perhaps even more odd is the United Nations stance in the manner. Some years ago there was an attempt to secure a treaty to protect Titanic from further salvage. The proposed signatories would have been Britain, France, Canada, and the United States. The Titanic Treaty was never formally ratified and thus never came into effect (supposedly because France did not want to sign). But UNESCO apparently has included Titanic as protected under a 2001 convention on underwater cultural heritage. This comes into effect this year according to MSNBC thus any further salvage would allow parties to the convention to seize artifacts and prevent exploration that is “deemed unscientific or unethical.”

The problem is that no one is going to enforce this if the party involved either follows maritime law to salvage or is simply diving down to view the wreck. Simply diving down to view is allowed despite a foolish court action by RMS Titanic, Inc years ago to stop it (they lost, by the way). And UNESCO can do nothing if artifacts are raised and taken to a country that tells them to take a hike (like China or Russia). This sounds like your typical feel good thing that makes one feel good but actually achieves very little in the end.

That leaves Doug Wooley, who claims to own Titanic and wants to raise it, with a problem. Good luck on that Doug, 🙂

Titanic, Titanic 2012

Titanic Musings

Titanic. Put that into a search engine and you get a lot back. Lots of sites to explore devoted to the subject (shameless plug alert for Titanic News Channel) along with sites that incorporate it in some fashion. Of course the entertainment news sites are full of stuff about the stars of that Cameron movie and what they think today about their roles. The movie is still widely popular and many will likely see the 3-D version. It is a visually stunning movie with perhaps the best recreation of what the ship and people looked like in 1912.

The 100th anniversary of the sinking has spurred many an event around the world, so many it is hard to keep track of. Why does Titanic still grab us long after sank in 1912? Recently while viewing an old National Geographic on India’s historic railway, the narrator noted that images linger long after leaving. And that is possibly at play here. Many who learn about Titanic get an image of a grand ship, of the people who worked on it, of the people who sailed on her from the highest to the lowest, and the image of the grand ship sinking on a cold moonless night taking with her 1,500 souls. Some were well known men and women, others just people working the ship to make money or traveling to a new life in the United States. The images linger.

Walter Lord’s  A Night To Remember (and later its sequel The Night Lives On) connected people to what happened in 1912. When it came out in 1955, people rediscovered the story which had lain dormant through two world wars and the Great Depression. It spurred a 1958 movie, A Night To Remember, which became a classic and many consider to be faithful to the actual story. Lord interviewed many Titanic survivors and did considerable research for his book. Both the movie and the book relay images from a time that linger with you. Perhaps it is seeing the Strauss’ deciding to stay aboard or Guggenheim dressed in his Sunday best. Or the people rowing away watching the ship go down. While some survivors reported the ship broke in two, that was discounted at the hearings but verified in 1985 when the wreck was found.

Other images have come into focus as well, such as seeing images of the wreck. The stern section is completely twisted and torn up likely because of trapped air inside as it went down. The front still has the outline of the famous ship but it too shows damage. Many artifacts have been brought up from the debris field, many of which are part of the traveling Titanic Exhibition. People may disagree over whether salvage was right or not, but seeing the artifacts of those who traveled aboard make the story come alive. And the story continues to thrive all over the place such as school kids doing Titanic themed projects or people putting up small displays about Titanic in a retirement home.

The wreck is suffering the ravages of time. Robert Ballard believes submarine excursions to the wreck have caused damage but there is disagreement. Some think that trash dumped by ships nearby is causing more bacteria activity that is eating away at the wreck. One thing is certain: the wreck will not last forever. Some argue the front section could be brought up (Douglas Wooley for instance) and put on display. Many, however, believe that would be an impossible task considering how deeply embedded the ship is in the sand. The images of the wreck remain with us as a haunting reminder of what if. What if this had been done instead of that. There are many things that if had been done differently might have averted the catastrophe and tragedy to come. Sometimes we get a jolt when a ship like Costa Concordia ends up on the rocks reminding all of the perils at sea even in our modern times.

There have been many notable and even worse shipwrecks than Titanic. Yet despite that Titanic lingers in the mind more than those events. The images linger.


Titanic, Titanic Exhibitions

Titanic News for 4 Nov 2011

Titanic : A Poignant Reminder At Singapore (1 Nov 2011, TruthDive)
It is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic which set sail in April 1912. Dropping anchor in Singapore at the Art-Science Museum at the Marina Bay Sands, visitors can walk through 2,500 sq. metres of gallery space for a poignant journey on the ill-fated Titanic and her passengers. The exhibition which is on till April 2012 will feature moving reminders of the people who had taken the trip – a gold pocket watch, a cravat, a pair of brown boots, a silver pot and even a suitcase which had contained vials of perfume.

The Man Who Found The Titanic (1 Nov 2011, BBC News)
So I put it to him that, while elsewhere in the world it is regarded as iconic, in Northern Ireland we are still not quite certain how to cope with the ship’s loss. “I’m glad that Belfast is finally proud of having built the Titanic”, he explained. “They built an amazing ship. It wasn’t their fault that it sank. It was an amazing piece of engineering. So I am really pleased that they are now proud of what they did.” There used to be an old put-down in Belfast if you mentioned the Titanic with any degree of interest. “It sank – get over it!”. But the finishing touches are being put to a £100m building to mark the centenary. It stands in the Titanic Quarter near the centre of Belfast, beside the preserved slipway where the Titanic was launched all those years ago.

Coventry Marks Links To Titanic On 100th Anniversary Of Tragedy (1 Nov 2011, Coventry Telegraph)
The city-based Titanic Heritage Trust has put together a fascinating programme of talks and theatrical events at Blue Coat School, Stoke, to mark the anniversary of RMS Titanic’s tragic sinking in 1912. The five-month programme begins this month. Events include the poignant reflections of David Haisman – a local relative of Edith Brown, the Titanic’s oldest survivor – who himself served in the Merchant Navy and worked as look-out on ice fields across the North Atlantic. There will also be a staged recreation of a 1912 musical evening held to raise money for the Titanic Relief Fund.

The Titanic Sails Into Singapore (1 Nov 2011, Channel News Asia)
Don’t start learning the lyrics of the title song in the movie Titanic, or practising the famous DiCaprio-Winslet pose, the Titanic exhibition now on in Singapore is nothing about the movie, and everything about real-life on the iconic ship. Dropping anchor in Singapore at the ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands, visitors can wander through 2,500 square metres of gallery space for a poignant journey on the ill-fated Titanic and her passengers. The exhibition which is on till April 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic which set sail in April 1912 will feature poignant reminders of the people who had taken the trip – a gold pocket watch, a cravat and even a suitcase which had contained vials of perfume.

Rare Titanic First Class Deck Plan Sold For £33000 (30 Oct 2011, Liverpool Echo)
A rare Titanic first class deck plan belonging to a wealthy New York couple who drowned at sea has sold at auction for £30,000. It is thought to be only one of three in existence and was in the hands of a private collector since Ms Bird’s death in 1949. Despite the deck plan’s age and fragile condition, the delicate document has remained in one piece. Other top sellers included the first class D deck toilet keys, which made £43,000, and the SS Birma log archive documenting the final signals Titanic sent, selling for £32,000. A Titanic stamp booklet made £33,000 and three unpublished images of Titanic’s launch sold for £25,000.

Raising The Titanic At Paramount Theme Park (29 Oct 2011, The Leader Newspaper Online)
The legend of Titanic is rising from the murky depths of history and will be on show at the new Paramount Theme Park to open in 2015. Obviously, this will not be the original ship, but a full size replica is being built at the theme park, where visitors can indeed travel back in time and keep the memory of the soon to be lost ship afloat. The park will open for 282 days of the year from 10am-10pm, and will consist of 7 hotels and over 30 themed rides, of which Titanic will be a star attraction in the “Adventure City”, along with others like a roller coaster representation of the film The Italian Job, and a “virtual reality” experience of Mission Impossible.

Historically Significant Titanic Archive Brings 100 570 At Philip Weiss Auctions (27 Oct 2011, News-antique.com-press release)
A historically significant and museum-quality archive of material pertaining to the doomed ocean liner the HMS Titanic — consigned by direct descendants of a couple that were rescued when the ship went down the morning of April 15, 1912 — sold for a staggering $100,570 at a weekend estate sale conducted Oct. 21-23 by Philip Weiss Auctions.

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