Category Archives: Titanic

Historic Ships, Miscellaneous, Titanic

Friday Titanic News

Mrs. J.J. “Molly” Brown presenting trophy cup award to Capt. Arthur Henry Rostron, for his service in the rescue of the Titanic.
Photo:Public Domain (US Library of Congress, digital id# cph 3c21013)

Titanic’: Who Was the Real “Molly Brown”? (MSN, 7 Jan 2021

James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film Titanic was noted at the time for its historical accuracy. The filmmaker for example included many of the real-life passengers in the telling of his story. Probably the most famous first-class passenger of the real Titanic that was featured in the movie was Margaret “Molly” Brown.

Items from the estate of Jack Warner and the passenger ship Carpathia will be in Ahlers & Ogletree’s Jan. 15-17 auction -Press Release-(WICZ, 7 Jan 2021)

 

The objects from the RMS Carpathia are historically significant and Ahlers & Ogletree is honored to be selling them. All items come with a conservation/condition report and a certificate of authenticity. Collectors of ocean liner memorabilia will be drawn to these:

  • Pair of binoculars with glass lenses, unmarked, 3 ¾ inches wide (est. $500-$700).
  • Brass ship’s bridge engine order telegraph on a base, likely made by A. Robinson & Co., Ltd. (Liverpool England, founded 1760), 48 inches tall (est. $500-$700).
  • First class Mintons ‘Ormond’ pattern blue and white floral partial pottery saucer with Cunard Line logo, stamped to bottom, 6 ½ inches diameter (est. $300-$500).
  • Pepsi-Cola bottle, molded colorless glass with swirled body, the front having raised letters reading “Pepsi-Cola”, a little over 6 ½ inches tall (est. $200-$400).

Does Google Earth Reveal a Sunken Ship in a Japanese Port? (Snopes.com, 28 Dec 2020)

Contrary to TikTok shenanigans, the boat is neither the RMS Titanic nor the Ottoman frigate Ertu?rul that is sometimes referred to as “the Titanic of Turkey.”

And here is some music for your Friday.  Dean Martin sings Luna Mezzo Mare. If you watched The Godfather, this was sung in the wedding scene.  It is a fun song to listen to (there are many places on the Internet to get the lyrics).  When I first heard, I had no idea why everyone around me was laughing. Then I was told the lyrics and laughed as well.

 


Historic Ships, Titanic

Titanic News: Fact and Fiction in Cameron’s Titanic and Sultana Museum Seeks To Expand

Titanic True Story: How Much Of The Movie Is Real ( ScreenRant, 2 Jan 2021)

Although Titanic is based on the real-life sinking of the ship and even added some real-life characters, not everything in the movie actually happened, and Cameron had to either change, add, or embellish some details to fit the story he wanted to tell. Here’s how much of James Cameron’s Titanic is real.

 

“Sultana” at Helena, Arkansas, just prior to its explosion on April 27, 1865.
Photo: Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, digital id#cph.3a48909)

Plans Afoot To Secure More Space To Relate Sultana’s Tragic Story (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 3 Jan 2021)

The Sultana, with a legal capacity of 376, was overloaded with Union soldiers recently freed from Confederate prisons in Alabama and Georgia. They were trying to get home to the Midwest after a long march to Vicksburg to board the ship. About 1,400 people died in the disaster, said Louis Intres, a retired history professor from Arkansas State University. “We know over 2,200 were aboard the steamboat,” Intres said. By comparison, about 1,500 people died on the Titanic, a British ocean liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. Intres said the Sultana was about 1/14th the size of the Titanic.

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Titanic

Wrapping Up 2020

Happy New Year (publicdomainpictures.net)
Photo: Larisa Koshkina

Another year gone. Hard to believe it but 2020 is all but over except for those December bills that are paid in January. The year started out fine with just some worry about an infectious disease that was appearing overseas. At first there was concern but nothing extraordinary. Then it began to spread in Europe fast. Called eventually Covid-19, this infectious disease spread quickly. Soon lockdowns in Europe began and then elsewhere. The disease would not always kill but could really knock you down. Nations and economies came to a standstill. Most businesses were shuttered, offices went remote, and the streets empty.

For Titanic, the news was indeed mixed. Titanic came in and out of the news over the desire to retrieve the Marconi radio from Titanic. This means going into the wreck to retrieve it for posterity before it is lost forever. On one hand, the argument to preserve for posterity is persuasive. Those opposed to salvage questioned the need to retrieve the Marconi radio. The judge in the end authorized the retrieval. Then the U.S. government stepped in and said the proposed salvage violated the Titanic treaty. The case is now on appeal and any salvage may be held up until it is resolved.

Titanic II, the proposed replica of Titanic and brainchild of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, has likely been delayed again. A few years back and with great fanfare, Palmer announced his desire to build this ship. The formed a company, did some preliminary work, and then building was scheduled to begin at a shipyard in China. And then it went quiet and no one could confirm any shipbuilding was being done. Palmer also got into a spat with China during this time that may have affected the proposed construction. So Titanic II missed its original scheduled sailing for the simple fact construction never began. More time passed and then word came out that once again the ship construction was back on. And a new sailing schedule was released. And then, once again quiet. Perhaps because of Covid-19 or other reasons, it looks like once again Titanic II is not yet ready to be sailing soon.

Sadly, due to Covid-19 shutdowns, many Titanic attractions were shuttered. A few have reopened according to local health guidelines. Belfast Titanic shut down just after Christmas and is scheduled to reopen on 7 Jan 2021. That is, of course, conditioned on whether the current shutdown orders are extended or not. Both Titanic Branson and Titanic Pigeon Forge were open for the holidays but now closed for renovations. They are both scheduled to reopen in January. Masks required.

I want to wish everyone out there a Happy, Blessed, and Joyous New Year. May all your dreams come true in 2021.

Mark Taylor
Editor, Titanic News Channel

Titanic

Titanic News: Lord Mersey’s Notes Revealed

John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey, 1912
llustrated London News
Public Domain

According to The Independent, an upcoming documentary will reveal Lord Mersey, who presided over the British Titanic Inquiry, personal notes on the inquiry. The personal notes reveal that Mersey was disturbed by the lack of lifeboat drills, that important ice warnings were not properly delivered to Titanic’s officers, that Titanic was going too fast, and that the Californian wireless operations had shut down for then night.

Ned Bigham,the judge’s great-great grandson and the Fifth Viscount Mersey, will be revealing this in the upcoming documentary Titanic’s Lost Evidence on 5 Jan 2020 on Sky History.

 

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Titanic

Titanic News:Man Creates Handmade Titanic;Mansion Has Connection To Titanic

City Man Recreates Famed Titanic In Painstaking Detail (Sarnia Journal, 23 Dec 2020)

A handmade replica of the RMS Titanic is ready to set sail for a new home. Sarnia’s Dave Finley spent 1,095 days and 3,000 hours creating the eight-foot-long passenger liner from parts he minutely crafted himself. “It’s completely scratch built,” said Finley, 61. “It’s pretty decked out. There’s a lot of detail.” From the handrails to the 48 boilers within its hull, the Titanic has been painstakingly remade from wood and metal and wrapped in plastic sheets painted to match the ship that sank in 1912. Finley used 10,000 brass nails and dressmaker pins for rivets, and tiny chunks of charcoal to fill the coalbunkers within. The engine room made of brass and copper took two months to complete. “I can’t put no more on; there’s just nothing left to put on,” he said.

The Abandoned Mansion With A Shocking Titanic Secret (Slideshow) MSN Money, 21 Dec 2020

Widener had been an investor in iconic passenger liner, RMS Titanic. In 1912, George, his wife Eleanor, and their son Harry, planned to travel home on the ship’s maiden voyage, following a family holiday in Europe. George is said to have hosted a luxurious dinner party aboard the ship, celebrating its splendor (and his father’s investment). The lavish event was attended by Titanic’s now-famous captain, E J Smith, who departed early due to iceberg warnings.

 

 


Titanic

Titanic News: Food Served on Titanic

  1. Last Meals On The Titanic Revealed (MSN.com, 19 Dec 2020)

The Titanic was the most luxurious ship afloat and food onboard was a big part of the liner’s appeal. Meals were included in the ticket price for nearly all passengers, with the exception of those in the à la carte restaurant. There was enough to cater for 2,200 people on what should have been a week-long voyage. Hefty provisions included 75,000lbs of meat, 11,000lbs of fresh fish, 40 tons of potatoes, 40,000 eggs, 7,000 heads of lettuce, 10,000lbs of sugar, 250 barrels flour, 36,000 apples, 1,500 gallons of milk and 15,000 bottles of ale.

 2. Sweden to Allow New Underwater Investigation Into Estonia Ferry Wreck Site (Sputniknews.com, 18 Dec 2020)

Officials in Sweden announced their intentions on Friday to allow for a new investigation into the sinking of the MS Estonia after new evidence emerged from a documentary more than 25 years after the disastrous incident. Sweden’s Home Affairs Minister Mikael Damberg revealed during a news conference that the country’s Accident Investigation Authority, along with counterparts from Finland and Estonia, would be sending divers down to the wreck site to further investigate claims made about damage to the vessel’s hull.

 The documentary at the center of renewed interest in the wreck came from the Discovery Channel network, and it was released in September to coincide with the wreck’s 26th anniversary. The five-part broadcast provided new underwater footage that showed a previously unrecorded 13-foot gaping hole in the ship’s hull. After the documentary was aired, Sweden, Finland and Estonia announced that a joint investigation to assess the new finding would be undertaken. An official report in 1997 ultimately concluded that the sinking was caused by a faulty door lock on the vessel’s bow.

3. Titanic Hotel Unveils Life-sized Gingerbread House (Fft.ie, 18 Dec 2020)

(Note-This looks more like a press release than a news item. But the gingerbread house they showed in the photo looks pretty good.)

Sail into Christmas by visiting Titanic Hotel Belfast to marvel at the only life-sized gingerbread house in a hotel in Northern Ireland and chill out with a Christmas cocktail while enjoying a festive feast in the Wolff Grill. If you are dreading the fuss of being joyful and merry while cooking the Christmas lunch on Christmas Day, let Titanic Hotel Belfast do all the prep for you in advance. Relax and enjoy time with your family after decorating the tree with baubles knowing that your only task is serving your guests with an exquisitely prepared festive feast by award winning chefs of the Wolff Grill.

4. Titanic Artefact Found After 100 Years ‘Could Have Saved’ Passenger Liner From Iceberg (Daily Express, 14 Dec 2020)

TITANIC could have “got out of the way” of the iceberg it would eventually collide with if the crew had access to a vital cabinet key, according to claims made nearly 100 years after it sank. But YouTube channel ‘Bright Side’ claimed it could have been avoided had the chief officer had access to a single key during their ‘A man who failed to save the Titanic’ series.’ The narrator said: “Titanic was a catastrophe to come out of a long chain of unfortunate events. “The chain that would decide its cruel fate started with a tiny key. “It seems like such an insignificant little thing, so trivial that the man who had it on him completely forgot to hand it over to the person who needed it at a critical moment.


Titanic

It Happened Again! Titanic Again Used in Misleading Advertising

Recently we reported that a misleading advertising gimmick made people falsely believe that a photo from a camera brought up from the ocean showed Titanic sinking. This was shown by Snopes to be a marketing gimmick, using a manipulated image, to get people to view a slideshow. Now comes word of another deception being done by the exact same marketing tactic. This appeared, according Snopes, in February 2020 on many websites:

“Experts Discovered The Real Reason The Titanic Sank – And The Truth Had Been Covered Up For Decades.”

When you clicked on it, you were taken to a website called Serendipity Times. The story indicated that a 2017 documentary “Titanic: The New Evidence” indicated photographs supported the theory that a coal fire, which started during construction, was ignored. Supposedly these photographs had been covered up for decades. However, according to Snopes, that is not what the documentary actually said. The photos were in an attic. And, of course, the coal fire theory is not new. That theory has been out there for a long time and looked into by many Titanic researchers.

Some argue that the fire would have damaged the ship’s hull making it more vulnerable to being pierced by the iceberg. Others disagree as to the importance of the fire and the role it played. The iceberg pierced the hull with punctures and gashes causing a tremendous amount of water to enter the forward compartments. If the theory is true, it merely hastened the inevitable without really changing the outcome. At any rate, whatever your views on this theory, this marketing tactic is pretty tacky and deceitful.

Source:

Was the ‘Hidden Truth’ of Titanic ‘Covered Up for Decades’? (Snopes.com, 10 Dec 2020)


Christmas, Holidays, Religion, Titanic

Today is the Feast of Santa Lucia (St. Lucy)

Santa Lucia (St. Lucy)
Santa Lucia (St. Lucy)

Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and eye disorders and her feast day used to coincide with the Winter Solstice which is the day often celebrated as a festival of light in many places. Many stories and legends have become associated with her but research has failed to substantiate many of them. It is known she lived in Sicily early in the fourth century and was persecuted and executed for her faith. One story that is likely true is that she was denounced as a Christian by a suitor after she turned him down because of her faith. She faced torture and death for her beliefs. Because it is believed she was blinded during Roman torture, she is the patron saint of the blind.

Her feast day is celebrated in Scandinavian countries as a festival of light during the long winter night. A young girl in a white dress and red sash carries palms and wears a wreath of candles on head. Special rolls or cookies are made for the day and often handed out to the elderly. It is also celebrated in parts of Italy particularly in Sicily and in many places of the world today. There are many churches dedicated to her and the island of Santa Lucia in the Caribbean is named for her.

 

Information:

 

Titanic

False: Titanic Photo Showing Sinking From Camera Brought Up From Ocean

Titanic at Cobh Harbor, 11 April 1912
Public Domain (Cobh Heritage Centre, Cobh, Ireland)

In early November 2020 the Taboola advertising platform promoted an advertisement claiming an old camera found in the deep ocean revealed “horrifying Titanic photos.” Placed by Floor8, it purported to show a black and white photo of Titanic. When you clicked through it was a different title claiming to show what the last days of Titanic were like, and no mention of a camera. Naturally it drew in a lot of people who wondered if it was true or not.

The clever folks at Snopes looked into it and confirmed it was false. Apparently Floor8 took a frame from Cameron’s Titanic movie and altered it to appear black and white. And it was simply a plot to get you to click through a slideshow. You probably have done this without even noticing how clever it is. You are at a website and see something like “You will not believe what the cast of Lost in Space looks like today!” or something similar. The purpose is to grab your attention so that you click through a long slideshow. Advertisers make money on this slideshow clicks, which is why it takes a frustratingly long time to get through them. In the advertising world, it is called advertising arbitrage.

That is a fancy phrase for bait and switch which more accurately says what is going on. You are lured on for one thing but directed to something else. In the retail trade, you advertise a product knowing you do not have it. When a customer asks for it, you say it is out of stock and on backorder for several months. You then direct them to the next best product, which of course is more expensive. This tactic, however, is considered deceitful and fraudulent in many jurisdictions. And will ultimately damage the reputation of the business that practices it. Now in this case there is no actual product they are selling. But they are luring you in promising something that turns out to be false, as in this case. And while there is no product, it is done to generate sales to advertisers. I have no doubt some clever prosecutor may make a case out of it.

Probably the lesson from this is when you see it is a sponsored ad on many news or entertainment sites, to not click through for an endless slideshow that pays advertisers every time you click to the next slide.

Source:

No, an ‘Old Camera’ from Titanic Wasn’t Found in ‘Deep Ocean’
Snopes.com, 20 Nov 2020
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/old-camera-titanic/

 

 

Titanic

Titanic News: Titanic Inquiry and Museum to Buy Titanic Era Steamship

 

Sketch of J. Bruce Ismay giving testimony before U.S. Senate Titanic inquiry.
Public Domain (via Wikipedia)

Did the Official 1912 Titanic Investigations Go Far Enough? (History.com 18 Nov 2020)

Fortunately, for the sake of history, government officials in both the United States and Great Britain moved aggressively to find out what had happened and why. Their inquiries, beginning on April 19 and May 2 respectively, put on record much of what the world now knows about the disaster—that the ship was traveling too fast for the icy conditions, that its design made it more vulnerable to sinking than anyone realized, that it was carrying far too few lifeboats for the people onboard and much more.

Kingston’s Marine Museum In Talks To Acquire Titanic-Era Steamship (Global News, 18 Nov 2020)

Kingston’s Marine Museum of the Great Lakes is charting a new course for the future with an ambitious fundraising campaign and a Titanic-era steamship in its sights. Chris West, chair of the museum’s board of directors, revealed to Global News for the first time that the museum is in “very close talks” to acquire the more than century-old SS Keewatin, an Edwardian passenger steamship, to become its flagship exhibit.