Tag Archives: Titanic news

Wednesday Titanic News-Harland & Wolff; CEO Titanic Sub Made Unfortunate Joke

Harland & Wolff David and Goliath crane in Belfast, 2006
Plastic Jesus (Dave) via Wikimedia Commons

Taylor, Guy. “Harland and Wolff: Titanic Shipbuilder Sailing to Sunnier Shores.” MSN, 6 Mar. 2024, www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/harland-and-wolff-titanic-shipbuilder-sailing-to-sunnier-shores/ar-BB1jqeev.

Harland and Wolff, the shipyard that built the Titanic, looks to be sailing to sunnier shores just a few years after it was saved from administration. The Belfast-based firm was named as the preferred bidder for a £120m contract to build a new port for the Falkland Islands yesterday.The two-year project involves installing new floating pontoons to improve facilities at the port, which is based in the Islands’ capital Stanley.

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Image: OceanGate

Amalaraj, Perkin. “Doomed Titan Sub’s CEO Joked ‘what Could Go Wrong’ Before Disaster.” Mail Online, 6 Mar. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13164101/CEO-doomed-Titanic-expedition-joked-wrong-eerie-radio-interview-weeks-disaster-new-documentary-reveals-experts-passengers-torturous-moments-Titan.html.

The CEO of the doomed Titanic exploration company whose submarine imploded, killing all five people onboard including him, eerily joked ‘what could go wrong?’ just weeks before the disaster.  Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, gave an interview to St John’s Radio, a Canadian radio show just a few weeks before the ill-fated Titan sub imploded during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, in June 2023. He coolly joked during the interview: ‘What could go wrong?’

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Weekend Titanic News

Image: OceanGate

It looks like the strange knocking sounds heard by rescuers, which some believe was done by those on the Titan, was something else. They are not sure what caused the sounds, but they did happen.

Reyes, Ronny. “Eerie ‘knocking’ Sounds From Titan Sub That Gave Rescuers Hope Heard in New Audio.” New York Post, 28 Feb. 2024, nypost.com/2024/02/28/world-news/eerie-knocking-sounds-from-titan-sub-heard-in-new-audio.

The mysterious knocking sounds heard beneath the Atlantic Ocean that gave false hope that the Titan submersible and its occupants could be rescued has been revealed in a haunting new audio clip. After the underwater craft lost contact with its mothership on a journey to the Titanic wreck last summer, reports on the second day of the frantic search said that banging noises were reverberating in the depths at 30-minute intervals. An upcoming British documentary from Channel 5, “The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute,” played the audio for the public for the first time, which sounds like a person “knocking” against metal.

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Collapsible lifeboat D photographed by passenger on Carpathia on the morning of 15 April 1912.
Public Domain(Wikipedia)

The full story of Nellie Becker and later how she and the kids got off Titanic is quite fascinating indeed.

Jessica Gray, Bureau County History Center. “How a Mom, 3 Kids Escaped Doomed Titanic.” Shaw Local, 28 Feb. 2024, www.shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/2024/02/28/how-a-mom-3-kids-escaped-doomed-titanic.

Nellie recalled four sailors carried her into the dining saloon where she saw her two youngest children being tended to by the doctor. Both Ruth and her mother would state one of their most vivid memories was the sight of scores of women standing at the rail looking out to sea, searching in vain for their husbands, after the last survivors were brought onto the Carpathia.

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Titanic Wreck Bow
Image: Public Domain (NOAA-http://www.gc.noaa.gov/images/gcil/ATT00561.jpg)

RMS Titanic, Inc is planning another dive to Titanic this year. Not to bring anything up, but to scan the wreck and see what has happened to it.

Adigun, Olalekan. “Reviving the Titanic: A New Expedition Sets Sail to Uncover Its Underwater Mysteries.” BNN, 26 Feb. 2024, bnnbreaking.com/history/reviving-the-titanic-a-new-expedition-sets-sail-to-uncover-its-underwater-mysteries.

The forthcoming expedition by RMS Titanic, Inc., in collaboration with leading imaging companies and C-Innovation, represents a significant leap forward in underwater exploration. The deployment of cutting-edge imaging technology and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) will allow for high-resolution documentation of the Titanic wreck and its expansive debris field. This endeavor is not just about capturing images; it’s about conducting a detailed analysis to understand the current state of the wreck and identify artifacts for potential future recovery.

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This is one of those “while looking for one thing we found something else” kind of story. At least the shipwreck has been found.

Smith, Stephen. “Shipwreck Found Over a Century After Bodies of Crewmembers Washed Ashore: ‘120-year-old Mystery’ Solved.” CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/shipwreck-ss-nemesis-1904-found-off-australia-120-year-old-mystery-solved.

In July 1904, the steamship SS Nemesis was transporting coal to Melbourne, Australia, when it ran into a powerful storm and vanished. All 32 people on board were considered lost, and in the weeks that followed, the bodies of crewmembers and debris from the iron-hulled ship washed ashore, but the location of the 240-foot vessel remained a mystery. Until now. The ship has finally been identified more than a century later. It was initially spotted when a company searching for sunken shipping containers came across the wreck by accident, the New South Wales Ministry of Environment and Heritage announced this weekend.

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You do have to wonder, when you see how staggeringly huge these new cruise ships are, at what point is it too big?

Allison, Jenny. “Side-by-side Photo of New and Old Cruise Ships Sparks Conversation About Future of Cruise Industry: ‘This Should Have Stopped When the Titanic Sank’” The Cool Down, 26 Feb. 2024, www.thecooldown.com/green-home/cruise-ships-photo-difference-dock-size.

 In the photo, both ships — identified by another post in the r/pics forum as Royal Caribbean’s 1997 Rhapsody of the Seas and the company’s considerably larger 2022-launched Wonder of the Seas (identifiable by the name on the stern) — are moored at the same dock, clearly highlighting the egregious difference in their sizes.“Just give it a few decades, at this rate they’ll end up having to install shuttles,” said one user wryly. Another put it bluntly: “This should have stopped when the Titanic sank.”

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And apparently some wild tales about Titanic are out there on social media having to be swatted down again.

 “Titanic Sinking Conspiracy Theory on Social Media Debunked by Experts.” Irish Star, 21 Feb. 2024, www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/titanic-sinking-conspiracy-theory-bandied-32179322.

A conspiracy theory on X that suggested that the Titanic sinking was an inside job has been debunked by experts. “Rumors are circulating that they sunk the Titanic to kill the powerful men on board who opposed a central bank,” the post from Matt Wallace read. A similar rumor was circulated on social media site Telegram in 2022. But according to Snopes, the fact-checking website, these claims are baseless. While the Telegram post was from 2022, the conspiracy theory had been doing the rounds for years before that date.

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Titanic News: Impressions of Titanic Exhibitions

Titanic Memorial, Washington D.C.(1940)
Photo: Public Domain(U.S.Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing Collection)

Titanic exhibitions can be quite moving. Many people derive what they know about Titanic from that famous movie. And while good, it does not convey the true depth of the story. The exhibitions are not entertainment like a movie but evidence of the real tragic event that occurred in 1912 and the people that died as a result. When you see trivial tacky things like iceberg Titanic ice cubes or other things. you realize the makers of these things have no appreciation as to what really happened that night. So take the time, if a Titanic exhibition is nearby, to see it. You might find out a lot you did not know about Titanic and those who sailed on her.

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“We Learned the History & Personal Stories Aboard the Titanic at This Exhibit.” Secret DC, 5 Dec. 2023, secretdc.com/titanic-exhibit-review.

One of the most heartbreaking parts of the exhibit was seeing all the names of passengers who perished or who’s lives were affected by this tragedy. Seeing all of those names was emotionally moving.

Titanic. The Exhibition at National Harbor, MD
December 10, 2023 -January 7, 2024

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“Real Stories and Pieces of the Titanic on Display in Melbourne.” ABC Listen, 4 Dec. 2023, www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-breakfast/titanic/103184228.

“It was the most luxurious way of travel at the time — two classes were travelling together, the rich of the world and immigration – then there is the tragedy itself.” She tells Sammy J that artefacts of the shipwreck, including a piece of the hull, can be seen for the first time at the upcoming TITANIC: The Artefact Exhibition in Melbourne.

(Note this is a radio interview, so you will need to click the link to listen).

(Updated)ALERT: Titanic Submersible Missing

When we have updates to this news story, they will be posted here. Please check back for updates.

Updates:

BREAKING-

‘Debris field’ discovered in search for Titanic sub contains its ‘rear cover and landing frame’ which indicates ‘catastrophic implosion’, say experts
Daily Mail, 22 June 2023

 

22 June 2023 10:15 A.M. PDT

As of this morning, the search continues for the missing submersible to Titanic containing 5 people. At this point, the air may have run out but efforts to locate are ongoing. Underwater noises, possibly banging, were heard by Canadian aircraft and so the search is continuing in the area where the noises were detected. The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting that a debris field has been found in the search area.

News Reports

Live updating: Missing Titanic submersible live updates: Desperate push to find sub before oxygen supply runs out

‘We’re not giving up’: Coast Guard say hunt for Titanic five is still a rescue mission and they are looking for survivors despite oxygen supply running out – as robots trawl ocean floor and OceanGate co-founder insists they have ‘longer than we think”
Daily Mail, 22 June 2023
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21 June 2023, 21:50 PDT

The search expanded Wednesday focusing on the area where Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises. Remote operated vehicles were used but the U.S. Coast Guard said that so far it has not yielded any results. The New York Post is reporting that in 2022 that an excursion was cut short after four hours due to the vessel’s battery suddenly draining down to 40% causing it to return to the surface. Also the same paper is reporting that the wife of Stockton Rush is a descendant of Isador and Ida Strauss.

News Reports

6/21 9:25 PDT

It is being reported that “underwater noises” have been detected by Canadian aircraft prompting U.S. Coast Guard to deploy remotely operated vehicles in the areas where the noise or banging sounds were heard. So far nothing has been reported on the results of the search. Meanwhile Deep Energy has arrived on the scene and is deploying remote operated subs to locate Titan. Other equipment is now arriving in Newfoundland to be used to assist in finding the missing submersible. Various experts note the banging noises being reported are a hopeful sign the crew aboard Titan is alive. Other ships that will aid in the recovery of Titan are en route. CEO Stockton Rush had said previously Titan had been deemed safe by NASA, Boeing and The University of Washington but news reports today indicate NASA and University of Washington were only consulted and not involved in its construction.
News Links:

6/20 20:25 PDT

It is now confirmed that the fifth passenger aboard Titan is Paul-Henri Nargeole. OceanGate has confirmed that its CEO Stockton Rush is aboard and the pilot for Titan. Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman are  also aboard. According to NBC news: “Canadian Coast Guard, Navy, and private research and commercial vessels with remotely operated vehicles have responded or were en route to help Tuesday, officials said. The U.S. and Canada also have planes searching.”

6/20 9:50 a.m. PDT

Both the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard are searching for the missing submersible using sonar buoys and other means. As of Tuesday morning, the AP is reporting that 10,000 miles had been searched. The submersible named Titan pulled out at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning and all the required safety pings were heard until 45 minutes into the descent. Nothing has been heard since. They have approximately 96 hours of air, so they will run out of it by Thursday unless rescued. Experts consulted are not hopeful if Titan experienced a hull breach or lost all power. The best case scenario is that they are bobbling out there near the surface. If they are on the seabed, the chances of rescue are very difficult. As of now, only one person has been confirmed as being aboard: Hamish Harding, the chairman of global sales company Action Aviation. Experienced diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet is believed to be aboard but unconfirmed at this time.

 

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Submarine on expedition to Titanic wreck missing with 5 aboard; “search and rescue operation” underway
CBS News, 19 June 2023

A search and rescue mission was underway Monday for a submarine that went missing in the North Atlantic on an expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. Lt. Jordan Hart of the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston first confirmed to CBS News that personnel were “currently undergoing a search and rescue operation” when asked about the rescue efforts off the coast of Newfoundland. At a news conference Monday afternoon, Rear Admiral John Mauger confirmed that five people were aboard. A Coast Guard official identified them as an operator and four mission specialists — a term the company uses for its passengers.

Friday Titanic News

 

Photograph of iceberg taken by chief steward of Prinz Adalbert on morning of 15 April 1912 near where Titanic sank. At the time he had not learned of the Titanic disaster. Smears of red paint along the base caught his attention. The photo and accompanying statement were sent to Titanic’s lawyers, which hung in their boardroom until the firm dissolved in 2002. Public Domain

‘Last dance vibe’: After 100 years, the International Ice Patrol is winding down N.L. iceberg flights
CBC (0n MSN), 23 May 23

A program founded over 100 years ago, spawned by the sinking of one the most famous vessels in history — the RMS Titanic — is quietly winding down. Over the next couple of years, staffed flight missions of the International Ice Patrol will become a thing of the past as satellites and drones become more advanced. “I think we’re towards the end of the era of the aviation mission and soon the satellites will be doing all of the work,” tactical commander Lt. Alex Hamel told CBC News during a recent flight.

Additional Resources:

About the International Ice Patrol.

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Wait What?! Expert Believes The Titanic Did Not Hit An Iceberg
The South African, 24 May 23

Titanic researcher Parks Stephenson told The Mirror: “I’ve got a growing amount of evidence that Titanic didn’t hit the iceberg along its side, as is shown in all the movies.,” he said. “She may actually have grounded on the submerged shelf of the ice. That was the first scenario put out by a London magazine in 1912. Maybe we haven’t heard the real story of Titanic yet,” he added.

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The only picture of the Marconi radio room onboard the Titanic. Harold Bride is seated at his station. Photo was taken by Father Francis Browne, SJ, while aboard Titanic.
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Amateur Radio Heard SOS In Welsh Town 3,000 Miles Away
BBC, 22 May 23

When the Titanic hit an iceberg while crossing the Atlantic in 1912, its telegraphers desperately sent out distress calls hoping somebody, somewhere might hear them. But among the first to respond was an amateur radio operator some 3,000 miles (4,800km) away in south Wales. Self-taught Arthur Moore received the signal at his homemade station in Blackwood, Caerphilly county. He rushed to the local police station, but was met with incredulity. And while the radio enthusiast could do nothing to help those on board the Titanic, he went on to pioneer an early form of sonar technology which helped discover its resting place decades later.

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Wallace Hartley’s Violin

Treasures Of The Titanic: From The Violin Played By Musician Wallace Hartley As The Ship Sank To The Watch Frozen In Time, How Surviving Items Have Resurfaced In Auctions
Daily Mail, 19 May 23

They are the everyday objects that reveal the extent of the human tragedy when the Titanic sank in 1912 with the loss of 1,500 lives.The body of violinist Wallace Hartley, who continued to perform with his fellow band members as the ship slipped beneath the waves of the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg, was found days after the tragedy with his violin strapped to his chest.

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First Ever Full-Sized Scans Of The Shipwreck Could Finally Shed Light On What Happened The Night The Liner Sank In 1912
Daily Mail, 17 May 23

More than a century after it sank, the first ever full-sized scans of the Titanic show the historic shipwreck in astonishing detail. Experts have taken thousands of digital images to create an incredible 3D reconstruction of the wreck, which now lies 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The images, published by the BBC, reveal the wreckage in greater detail than ever before, including stalactites of rust on the ship’s bow, the serial number on a propeller, and a hole over where the grand staircase once stood. They present Titanic almost as if it’s been retrieved from the water, although this will likely never happen as the wreck is so fragile that it would disintegrate under any movement. Experts hope studies of the scans could reveal more about the mysteries surrounding what happened on the fateful night in April 1912, such as the exact mechanics of how it struck the seafloor.

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Titanic Project Brings West Belfast Schools Together
BBC, 15 Mar 23

Two west Belfast primary schools from separate communities have completed a Titanic shared education project. The film about the doomed liner, made by pupils from St Joseph’s Primary School, Slate Street, and Blackmountain Primary, is to be shown at Belfast City Hall on Wednesday. The film called Who Sank the Titanic? looks at why the ship perished on its maiden voyage in April 1912. Rare footage of the shipwreck filmed in 1986 has recently been released.

 


Titanic News April-May 15

[I was distracted and did not post a lot of news stories for a while. I truly apologize for this and now post the list of news articles for people to check out. I did not include any stories about James Cameron’s Titanic as that has been covered ad nauseam.]

Titanic story brought to life in North East exhibition of artefacts from ship
Yahoo, 14 May 2023

Titanic-era steamship wows crowds in Burlington Canal
InsideHalton.com, 1 May 2023

Titanic plan from sinking inquiry sells for £195k
BBC, 23 April 2023

WWII ship with over 1000 Allied POWs found sunk deeper than Titanic
India Today, 24 April 2023

Why the Titanic may have been cursed even before it set sail
New York Post, 22 April 2023

[If the book author had bothered to do research, he would have found there was no mummy aboard Titanic. And that whole story is a hoax.]

Remembering three Cheltenham residents who died on the Titanic 111 years ago
Glenside Local, 22 April 2023

How DNA testing helped solve one of the Titanic’s lingering mysteries
Irish Central, 22 April 2023

The 111-Yr Old Food Menu Of RMS Titanic Is Both Extensive & Drool-Worthy!
Curly Tales, 21 April 2023

After the Titanic sank, the ship’s owner hid away in Co Galway
Irish Central, 20 April 2023

Remembering the infamous Titanic survivor Cosmo Duff-Gordon who took up country seat in Maryculter
Aberdeen Live, 20 April 2023

Now you can TASTE the Titanic! Restaurant resurrects fine dining menu served to first-class passengers hours before doomed liner hit iceberg
Daily Mail, 20 April 2023

I was on the Titanic when it AVOIDED disaster! Survivor’s letter reveals how doomed liner narrowly avoided smaller ship as it left Southampton in near-miss that would have saved everyone on board if it had hit
Daily Mail, 19 April 2023

111 years ago: 30 Croatians on the Titanic, 3 survived
Croatia Week, 17 April 2023

‘Titanic’ house: West Bengal farmer spends 13 years to build his dream house that looks exactly like ship
Free Press Journal, 17 April 2023

Titanic tragedy remembered in Belfast 111 years after huge liner’s sinking in Atlantic Ocean
Belfast News Letter, 16 April 2023

One of the world’s largest Titanic replicas will be docking in Belfast
Belfast Telegraph, 16 April 2023

111 years after the Titanic sank, TikTok is helping spread misinformation
Salon, 15 April 2023

[I think Tik Tok has become the National Enquirer of the internet. For those who are outside the US, it publishes all kinds of sensational stories about celebrities and everything else. Commonly found near check out in grocery stores, its motto is anything sensational, even untrue, is worth printing. Probably its equivalent (and probably inspired by it) was the UK News of the World tabloid that did more or less the same thing. It was shuttered in 2011 after allegations of phone hacking surfaced which resulted in several arrests. Advertisers pulled away and it folded as a result. The Sunday edition of The Sun now has replaced it.]

Titanic casualties, stories ‘buried’ at Woodlawn
Riverdale Press, 16 April 2023

111 years after Titanic sank: These graphics explore what you may not know about the ship
USA Today, 15 April 2023

Eastern Carolina lighthouse got messages from Titanic before sinking
WITN, 14 April 2023

The Titanic and the Fate of Pier 54
The Bowery Boys, 14 April 2023

Titanic ship plan could sell for £200k at auction
BBC, 14 April 2023

Who owns the Titanic and should it be left alone?
Newscenter 1, 12 April 2023

[There are a few caveats to the argument in the article. Assuming someone were to go out and actually pull up artifacts and try to sell them, there are some treaties that might get in the way of anyone trying to do this. The wreck is now preserved as a historical site, so anyone doing this would violate a UN declaration. Britain, Canada, France, and the US have a treaty protecting the wreck as well, so you would have a problem selling artifacts outside of the US in those countries. Even if you did try, RMST would sue in that nation’s admiralty court to have such a sale stopped. In short, lots of litigation and fees to lawyers.]

100-year-old survivor describes the sinking of the Titanic
King 5, 12 April 2023

Titanic’s carafe displayed at Istanbul’s Rahmi Koç Museum
Daily Sabah, 12 April 2023

[Note this carafe was not aboard Titanic but given to White Star employees in 1912 after the sinking. However, the company that provided this carafe, did supply the same carafe to the ship. The picture of it shows how exquisite such carafes were for formal dining on Titanic.]

Titanic hero Harold Cottam’s medals to be sold
Independent, 12 April 2023

Bedford postcard – believed to be earliest mention of Titanic disaster – goes under hammer
Bedford Independent, 11 April 2023

On This Day: The Titanic’s tragic last stop in Cobh, Co Cork
Irish Central, 11 April 2023

Crew of Titanic was also distracted, used poor judgment
Minot Daily News, 10 April 2023

Titanic Survivor from Upstate NY Saved 3 as Ship was Sinking
WIBX, 9 April 2023

Titanic explorer recalled ‘spooky’ experience on making first contact with lost ship
Express, 10 April 2023

Book saved from sinking on Titanic ends up in Baxter
Herald-Citizen, 8 April 2023

 

the dark history of the orphans of the Titanic, the surviving children of the tragedy
World Nation News, 7 April 2023

Icebergs ahead? OceanGate plans to get an early start on this year’s Titanic dives
Geek Wire, 6 April 2023

Irish man Eugene Daly’s eyewitness account of the sinking of the Titanic
Irish Central, 5 April 2023

Remembering Titanic survivor Gunnar Tenglin
The Hawk Eye, 15 March 2023

Titanic News For New Year’s Eve 2022

Video: Ring goes overboard in Titanic-styled proposal
Sky News Australia, 1 Dec 2022

A man is preparing to propose to his fiancée standing on the tip of a boat. And then when tries to pull out the box with the ring, it goes flying landing into the water, sending him into the water to get it back. He got it, got back in, and proposed soaking wet to his bride-to-be who was laughing and accepted it.

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RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.

110 years later: The Titanic’s impact on Maine
News Center Maine, 14 Dec 2022

Malcolm Smith, the author of “Mainers on the Titanic,” told NEWS CENTER Maine around 14 people from the Pine Tree State were on the vessel when it struck that fatal iceberg. Half of them survived, he said, most of them women. “It broke down that the females from Maine survived. Men didn’t, generally speaking,” Smith said. Of the Mainers that were on the Titanic, most were from Mount Desert Island. They were families that came to Maine for the summer and could spend half a year in the state. “Employers, neighbors, friends. They were part of our fabric,” Smith said.

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The forgotten story of Africa’s Titanic tragedy that claimed nearly 2000 lives, including Ghanaians
GhanaWeb, 28 Dec 2022

The MV Joola sank over 20 years ago but it is still being felt today. It was not reported much in the American or European media. 1,863 people died and only 64 survived.

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‘Titanic: The Exhibition’ unfurls stories of passengers with real objects
Daily Sabah, 29 Dec 2022

Apart from being a mere exhibition, it is an emotional journey, unfurling the true stories of the Titanic’s passengers. I have never been so emotional and fascinated while visiting an exhibition in my life. In the depths of history or in terms of Titanic’s historic tragedy, it was a truly remarkable experience.

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Titanic warship shipyard forced to delay essential projects after troubled forecast
Daily Express, 30 Dec 2022

It was only months ago things were looking rosy for Harland & Wolff with new shipbuilding contracts. According to the article, the main reason to delay many of the projects is to difficulty in obtaining parts. This echoes what is happening in a lot of industries today where parts needed have become difficult to get due to a number of factors related to the pandemic shipping issues that have not been fully restored, the war in the Ukraine, or simply the skyrocketing costs of many needed items. Harland is delaying the contracts, but it is hurting their bottom line. Some are concerned it may make it harder to pay off their debts leading to concern amongst investors.


Titanic Wreck Found (1 Sept 1985)

Titanic Leaving Queenstown 11 April 1912. Believed to be the last photograph of ship before it sank.
Public Domain

On the early morning of 1 Sept 1985, the wreck of the RMS Titanic was found 400 miles east of Newfoundland in North Atlantic by a joint U.S.-French expedition. The liner lay 13,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and its finding would excite the world that continues to this day.

Ever since Titanic sank in 1912, there have been many attempts in locating the wreck. However the depth of the ocean, the vastness of the search area, and technological limitations made that impossible. Robert Ballard, a former Naval officer and oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts had tried in 1977 without success. In 1985, Ballard along with French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel, decided to set out in search of the wreck using more sophisticated technology to help locate the wreck.

This time they were equipped with more sophisticated technology to aid them in seeing what was on the ocean floor. The Argo, an unmanned and experimental submersible sent photographs up to the research vessel Knorr.  And on the morning of 1 September, while investigating debris on the ocean floor, it passed over a massive boiler that came from Titanic. The following day the wreck of the ship was found and that it had split in two with a debris field between the stern and forward sections, The ship and much of the debris was in good shape despite being down there since 1912. The discovery electrified the world and confirmed (but was discounted in the British enquiry) that Titanic had split in two. Unmanned submersibles were sent down to look at the wreck giving us the first look at the ship in its watery grave. The images are just as haunting today as they were back then.

The use of the submersibles for this type of deep diving to wrecks opened up a new world of exploring shipwrecks outside of the normal diving depth humans could endure. Ultimately manned submersibles would be developed to allow researchers to slowly descend to those great depths and study the wreck of Titanic and other ships as well. While genuine controversy exists over the later salvage of Titanic (Ballard was not part of that and opposed it), the discovery of the wreck and the technology used to find it has opened up new worlds in seeing the fascinating world in our oceans.

Sources


Friday Titanic News-Visiting Titanic Wreck Poses Challenges, Titanic Memorabilia Gets Priced

Touring the Titanic wreck is no easy thing, unless you are doing it virtually. First you have to fork over a lot of money to go on an expedition. And if you are good health, you get inside a submersible craft that will slowly descend for 2 1/2 hours down to the wreck. The atmospheric pressure is immense and the craft small enough for 3 people and the equipment. The article is incorrect about there not being a toilet. Previous submersibles didn’t have them, but the OceanGate Titan does. However because of the tight space, using it is a last resource. According to their website,

“By limiting Mission Specialist’s diets before and during the dive, the need to use the bathroom is largely eliminated.”

Vintage News recounts how this journey goes leaving you at the end wanting to just watch a video of the wreck or a computer simulation of it.

Source:

The Public Can Tour the Wreckage of the Titanic – And It Might Be a Terrifying Voyage (Vintage News, 10 Aug 2022)

The two-and-a-half-hour trip down to the Titanic wreckage isn’t your standard vacation boat trip. The underwater pressure on the ocean floor is roughly 5,541.9 pounds per square inch, enough to explode the submersible vessels used in the expeditions if even a small hole or scratch occurs. The submersible vessels can only fit three people. Each expedition takes roughly eight to ten hours round trip, and with limited space, basic amenities like a private bathroom are out of the question.

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I do not watch The Antiques Roadshow that much. Occasionally though they come upon a real prize. Many people have brought Titanic related items to such places, only to be disappointed. Not in this case according to the Express. The lucky person had some memorabilia that is worth some decent money. And something autographed by  a Titanic survivor is going to get a good valuation.

Source:

Antiques Roadshow: Titanic survivor relative blown away by items’ value ‘Didn’t expect it’(Express, 11 Aug 2022)

Antiques Roadshow expert Clive Farahar left one guest “amazed” when he explained the valuation of Titanic items she’d been left by her relative Millvina Dean, who was the last remaining survivor of the doomed passenger liner.

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Wayback Machine:

Vintage Battlestar Galactica opening. The old BSG series, I think, had more heart and soul than the newer one. While it had many flaws (and I have written about it here and here.) it had something the newer one didn’t.

 

 

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Sunday Titanic: Titanic Survivor Shipwrecked Again; Remembering Young Titanic Victim

Collapsible lifeboat D photographed by passenger on Carpathia on the morning of 15 April 1912.
Public Domain(Wikipedia)

Feeling Lucky? This Lady Survived The Titanic And Then Went Down On The Rohilla Off Whitby (Darlington & Stockton Times, 6 Aug 2022)

Mary worked as a stewardess on the large vessels belonging to the White Star Line and, on April 15, 1912, with her youngest daughter Daisy aged six back home, she was on the Titanic when it struck the iceberg. Mary quickly clambered aboard lifeboat 11, was picked up by Carpathia after a few hours bobbing around, and was dropped off at New York on April 18, 1912. Before the year was out, she was working aboard another White Star liner, Majestic, and in 1914 when war broke out, she was transferred to HMHS Rohilla. Two-and-a-half years after surviving the sinking of the Titanic off the coast of America, she survived the wreck of the Rohilla off Whitby.

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Young Victim Of Titanic Tragedy Remembered (Tavistock Times Gazette, 6 Aug 2022)

At the time, Harry’s death was reported by the Western Morning News in 1912 describing Rogers as a ‘smart and steady young fellow’, whilst also stating that ‘both mother and grandmother are in much distress, fearing the worst.’ Harry’s mother remained living in Devon until 1955 when she died. Unfortunately, Harry’s body was never recovered and his death is now remembered on the Tavistock grave. The family vault is situated in Plymouth Road Cemetery with Harry’s name listed on his father’s tombstone.

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The 110-Year-Old Titanic Violin That Miraculously Survived The Sinking Ship (ClassicFM.com, 5 Aug 2022)

Despite some reports to the contrary, there is no evidence that his violin was found strapped to his chest in its case. We do know, however, that it must have been recovered, along with a satchel embossed with Hartley’s initials, as a telegram transcript from Maria Robinson to the Provincial Secretary of Nova Scotia reads, ‘I would be most grateful if you could convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have made possible the return of my late fiancé’s violin’. When Robinson died in 1939, her sister gave the violin to the Bridlington Salvation Army, who passed it on to a violin teacher. The teacher passed it on further, and in 2004 it was rediscovered in an attic in the UK.

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Straus Memorial Park, New York City, 1915. This memorial and park was dedicated on 15 April 1915.
Photo:Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, Bain Collection,call number LC-B2- 3446-4)

The Heartbreaking Story Of Ida Straus, The Woman Who Went Down With The Titanic Rather Than Leave Her Husband Behind (Allthatsinteresting.com, 3 Aug 2022)

The couple married in 1871. Isidor worked for his father’s business — L. Straus & Sons — which was a pottery brand that later integrated into the glass and china department at Macy’s. He worked hard, eventually all the way up to being a co-owner of the entire Macy’s chain. Ida Straus was both a housewife and a very busy mother, as the couple had seven children together. (One son, Clarence, died around the age of two.) Even though Isidor also had his hands full with work — in addition to his duties serving as a member of the U.S. Congress for a year — the couple was said to be particularly close.

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