Tag Archives: Titanic news

Titanic

Titanic News for the Christmas Holiday

Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny
In the old man’s hat.

If you haven’t got a penny,
A ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
Then God bless you!
(19th Century British nursery rhyme)

Christmas is almost here! Here are some Titanic news stories for the Christmas holiday.

Whittingham, Stewart. “Titanic Hero Who Kept the Lights on as Doomed Liner Sank.” Last modified December 22, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93nyz9k0l2o.

He was given the ominous task of keeping the lights on and the lifeboats working as the doomed Titanic began to sink. Wigan electrician William Parr bravely kept working in the engine room even as the liner broke in two in April 1912, after it had hit an iceberg. Parr’s little-known story can now be told after Titanic enthusiast Caroline Heaven uncovered details of his last moments alive. Mrs. Heaven, a retired nurse, found a letter by an engine room worker who told the electrician’s family that he was seen still working below deck to keep the generators working moments before the Titanic sank.

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Morvai, Bence. “The Tragedy of the Titanic: Where Exactly Did the Famous Ocean Liner Sink?” DailyNewsHungary, December 19, 2025. https://dailynewshungary.com/tragedy-of-the-titanic/.

For decades, many imagined that the tragedy of the Titanic happened somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far from any land. In reality, the location is far more astonishing. The accident occurred roughly 640 kilometres from Newfoundland, in the eastern Canadian province, meaning the ship was already relatively close to North America, having completed a significant portion of its journey – over 3,200 kilometres across the ocean. That the ship was so close to America has only become widely recognised in recent years, with maps showing the precise location of the wreck becoming more accessible to the public.

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Bloodworth, Adam. “Why People Are Flocking to Experience the Titanic Disaster.” Last modified December 19, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251217-why-people-are-flocking-to-experience-the-titanic.

The multiple VR segments, which allow you to stride along the deck in the sunshine and wander through the boat’s opulent interiors, as well as venture in a submersible to the wreck, are genuinely transportative. But the aforementioned part of the experience in which you are surrounded by 360-degree video projections of the ship filling up with water, feels distasteful, and more voyeuristic than educational or emotional. There’s certainly a big audience wanting to set sail: more than 45,000 people have donned a headset to experience Echoes of the Past since it opened in February, organisers tell the BBC. But some say these immersive experiences specifically centred on disasters are exploitative because they turn real-life historical tragedy into entertainment.

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Thompson, Holly. “‘A Story That Unites Generations’: Why Do Titanic Artefacts Draw Crowds Halfway Across the World?” WAtoday, December 13, 2025. https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/a-story-that-unites-generations-why-do-titanic-artefacts-draw-crowds-halfway-across-the-world-20251210-p5nmhr.html.

If you ask anyone across the world to name a ship, including children, almost all of them would say the Titanic. That is a statement Swedish historian Claes-Goran Wetterholm makes with pride. Wetterholm says it’s the human element of the 1912 disaster – the stories of those on board and their families – that keeps people’s attention. He has dedicated his entire life to studying the Titanic, spending time in archives, reaching out to shipyards, and writing to authors and newspapers starting from when he was a teenager back in the 1960s. “It’s really the drive behind everything, to meet people, to talk to people – stories keep coming up all the time,” he said. “You come to know people, and then you have a connection with other Titanic buffs – it connects people all around the world.”

Suggested Titanic Reading

Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Tuesday Titanic News

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

Weather Channel, “The Titanic Four Decades After Discovery: What the Wreck Has Taught Us,” The Weather Channel, September 2, 2025, https://weather.com/news/news/2025-09-01-titanic-wreck-discovered-40-years-ago-what-we-have-learned.

The Titanic wreck, resting nearly 12,500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, has become more than just a historical site. It’s a living laboratory for scientists studying one of Earth’s most extreme environments. Despite the cold, darkness and crushing pressure, the wreck has transformed into an artificial reef supporting a surprising range of marine life: from sponges and starfish to colonies of bacteria that feed on the ship’s iron. These microbes produce “rusticles” or icicle-like formations of rust that slowly break down the steel. They are showing how life persists even in the harshest conditions.

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CNN , “His Search for the Titanic Concealed a Top-secret Military Operation. How the Iconic Discovery Unfolded,” CTVNews, August 31, 2025, https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/his-search-for-the-titanic-concealed-a-top-secret-military-operation-how-the-iconic-discovery-unfolded/.

Ballard had what he called a “light-bulb moment” while mapping the debris of the Scorpion sub that was pivotal to the mission success. Its debris field was a mile-long trail, not in a small circular area as expected. Heavier objects sank straight to the seafloor, but lighter debris went down at a slower rate, and ocean currents carried them farther away. He realized that the Titanic, which fell to a similar depth as the Scorpion sub, would have a similar, if not larger, debris field and that looking for this stream of detritus would be easier than finding the hull and other heavy parts of the vessel. “It was the technology and the knowledge of how to use it,” Yoerger said. But also “the big thing that led to our success was Ballard’s strategy. He wasn’t trying to find the ship, he was trying to find the debris field, which is a much bigger target, and one that’s particularly well-suited to finding with your eyeballs.”

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“BBC Audio | Witness History | Discovering the Titanic,” last modified September 1, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct746j.

In September 1985, the wreck of the Titanic was discovered around 400 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, during a joint American-French expedition. In 2010, Louise Hidalgo spoke to some of the explorers and listened to archive recordings. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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New York Times Front Page 16 April 1912
Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Martin Heath, “Remembering the Northamptonshire Locals Lost on the Titanic,” last modified September 1, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ml3ggj32xo.

Forty years on from the discovery of the wreck, the disaster is still remembered in communities affected by it across the UK, the USA and beyond. The landlocked county of Northamptonshire, for instance, lost a squash player, two shoemakers – and a man who seemingly did not exist.

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Jonathan Mayo, “The Hare-brained Plans to Raise the Titanic That Included Filling It With 27 Million Ping-pong Balls and Pumping It Full of Vaseline,” Mail Online, August 30, 2025, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15048237/plans-raise-Titanic-27-million-ping-pong-balls-Vaseline.html.

The ideas were:

Drop explosives to blow up the ship to release the body of John Jacob Astor. Abandoned after his body was found. (1912)

Magnets to pull Titanic to the surface using a submarine to first locate and then raise and tow to New York. Charles Smith, an engineer from Denver, raised money to do it but it was pointed out that he would need 3,000 magnets to do this. Idea abandoned. (1914)

Attempt to locate wreck using underwater explosions so that sonar waves would bounce off the hull and be detected. Unsuccessful. (1953)

Danish inventor Karl Kroyer, who had successfully raised a sunken freighter using ping-pong balls, was interested in doing the same for Titanic. However, the extreme depth of Titanic made it unfeasible. (1964)

Douglas Wooley, who famously claimed to own the wreck, came up with the idea using an ultrasonic blast to free Titanic and use nylon bags filled with hydrogen to lift it to the surface. Abandoned when it would take ten years to inflate all the nylon bags. (1975)

After the wreck was found (in two pieces), several other ideas emerged. One was to pump the ship full of Vaseline which would make the ship buoyant. Another was to use liquid nitrogen to encase the wreck in ice to bring it up.

It appears the only successful raising was done in the fictional novel Raise The Titanic by Clive Cussler. An excellent novel but a terrible movie (they truncated the story so badly that Cussler never signed a movie deal again). However, seeing Titanic raised to the surface made for great visual. The only real highlight of that now forgotten movie.

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[Parody]

Ian Searle, “Crew of the Titanic Right Not to Issue Life Saving Equipment to Drowning Passengers,” NewsBiscuit, August 29, 2025, https://www.newsbiscuit.com/post/crew-of-the-titanic-right-not-to-issue-life-saving-equipment-to-drowning-passengers-1.

“We don’t want to give them hopes of surviving the icy cold conditions,” said a spokesperson for The White Star Line. They went on to defend the wait for policy announcements, saying, “it was right that whoever got the top job, after the Captain locked himself in the wheelhouse, would want to look at all of the options, properly costed” when they take charge. “They will do more – you don’t have long to wait,” Tom the Cabin Boy told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, while slipping into a low-cut evening gown and announcing, “Women and children first!” through a loud hailer. “It is clear that this will be absolutely at the top of their in tray,” he went on, as he snatched a cork Life Preserver from a passing child.

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Titan (submersible)
Becky Kagan Schott, OceanGate

Taylor Delandro, “Titanic Mission Specialist Defends CEO, Says ‘The Design Worked’ – NewsBreak,” NewsBreak, last modified August 27, 2025, https://www.newsbreak.com/newsnation-2045693/4199875217460-titanic-mission-specialist-defends-ceo-says-the-design-worked.

The mission specialist argued the sub’s design was sound, noting that Titan successfully reached the Titanic multiple times over a decade of testing. “The hull went down at least 15 times to Titanic. The design worked. They reached the Titanic,” they told the Post. Instead, they suggested maintenance could have been at fault: “Probably what happened was a maintenance issue. They have to blame something.”

 [The Coast Guard report, which is quite lengthy, points out that many safety standards were violated. And the material used for it was, according to the Coast Guard, lighter and more susceptible to damage. He also used the very regulations on such craft against each other since there were different and contradictory regulations. And the workplace climate was such  that anyone who pointed out safety and other flaws would soon be out of work.]

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Suggested Titanic Reading

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

 

Titanic

Titanic Wreck Found (1 Sept 1985)

RMS Titanic pictured in Queenstown, Ireland 11 April 1912
Source:Cobh Heritage Centre, Cobh Ireland/Wikimedia Commons

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

“Wreck of the Titanic Found | September 1, 1985 | HISTORY,” HISTORY, last modified May 28, 2025, accessed August 31, 2025, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-1/wreck-of-the-titanic-found.

Amy Tikkanen, “Titanic | History, Sinking, Survivors, Movies, Exploration, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified August 6, 2025, accessed August 31, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic/Discovery.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, “1985 Discovery of RMS Titanic – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, accessed August 31, 2025, https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/ocean-human-lives/underwater-archaeology/rms-titanic/1985-discovery-of-rms-titanic/.

Clare Fitzgerald, “The Wreck of the RMS Titanic Was Found During a Top-Secret Military Operation,” Warhistoryonline, last modified July 11, 2024, accessed August 31, 2025, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/ships/rms-titanic-uss-thresher-scorpion.html.

“Titanic: The Untold Story – a National Geographic Museum Exhibit Tells the Previously-classified Tale Behind Its Discovery,” CBS News, last modified December 9, 2018, accessed August 31, 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/titanic-the-untold-story/.

Suggested Reading

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Wednesday Titanic News

Joshua Williams, “St. John’s Newest Attraction: The Titanic and Iceberg Exhibit,” The Muse, last modified July 7, 2025, https://themuse.ca/st-johns-newest-attraction-the-titanic-and-iceberg-exhibit/.

Titanic leaving Belfast with two guiding tugs, 2 April 1912
Robert John Welch (1859-1936), official photographer for Harland & Wolff
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

St. John’s is the nearest major centre to the wreck of the Titanic and has been the place of departure of Titanic expeditions for years. This includes the infamous Titan submersible in the summer of 2023. This makes St. John’s a prime location for Titanic Tourism. In May of 2025, a brand-new exhibit on The Titanic the opened its doors on Water Street. Owned by Titanic diver Larry Daley, the Titanic and Iceberg Exhibit is a place full of information, replicas, models, props from the 1997 James Cameron Titanic film, and even a controllable R.O.V. When walking down the stairs towards the exhibit, explorers will be greeted with an orchestral version of “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. This song is on a loop in the exhibit.

The exhibit is open daily and costs C$17.00 for general admission. For more information go to www.titanicstjohns.ca.

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Joseph Connell, “Ireland’s Titanic: The Tragic Sinking of the RMS Leinster in 1918,” IrishCentral.Com, last modified July 7, 2025, https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/rms-leinster.

RMS Leinster, circa 1910, from postcard.
Author Unknown
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

On the morning of October 10, 1918, the RMS Leinster set sail from Kingstown to Holyhead, packed with civilians, postal workers, and military personnel. Within the hour, she was torpedoed by a German U-boat—her destruction swift, her loss devastating. There were almost 500 military personnel from the British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force.  Just before 10 a.m. as the Leinster was sailing east of the Kish Bank in a heavy swell, passengers saw a torpedo approach from the port side and pass in front of the bow. A second torpedo followed shortly afterward, and it struck the ship forward on the port side in the vicinity of the mail room. Despite the heavy seas, the crew managed to launch several lifeboats and some passengers clung to life rafts. 
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Jordan Runtagh, “Titanic’s Last Secrets: Inside the Race to Save Ship’s Final Treasures Before They’re Lost Forever (Exclusive),” People, July 6, 2025, https://www.aol.com/titanic-last-secrets-inside-race-170000472.html.

These installations are impressive, but it’s the 350 artifacts recovered from the wreck site that anchor the exhibit in sobering reality. They’re a study in extremes — the large and the small, the mechanical and the personal, the ravaged and the pristine. Gilded chandeliers are twisted beyond recognition, a reminder of both the tremendous violence of the sinking, which tore the ship’s steel hull like paper, and the immense pressure bearing down at such depths. Yet fragile objects like china, crystal and actual paper escaped the devastation entirely. Heavy metal pots are corroded almost to the point of disintegration, while nearby playing cards — the four of hearts, ace of spades and nine of diamonds — appear untouched. A waiter’s notepad is still legible. A champagne bottle remains sealed, its cork intact and its vintage contents still (theoretically) drinkable.

Suggested Reading

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Titanic News for the New Year

If you have the time and place for it, you can make a room to resemble a Titanic cabin. And a Titanic enthusiast in England did just that. He turned his shed into a cabin from the famous ship. He got paneling and other items from Olympic and it really is quite remarkable to see. This is really well done and worth watching the short video.

Screen Capture from BBC

“Derbyshire Man Turns Shed Into Replica of Titanic Cabin.” Video, n.d. https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c2kx4lyv210o.

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Intricate Detail Medals Given To Carpathia Crew

There’s a wonderful level of detail to the medals which were awarded to the crew of the Titanic rescue ship Carpathia. Most crew members got a bronze one of which this is one but it seems it was later gilded. The story goes that Amy Quayle, the stewardess it was awarded to, fell on hard times, left the medal at a pawnbroker’s shop and never returned for it.

“Intricate Detail in Original Carpathia Medal: Titanic Rescuer’s Medal Was Left at Pawnshop,” Encyclopedia Titanica, last modified December 25, 2024, accessed January 2, 2025, https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/intricate-detail-origianal-carpathia-medal.html.

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J. Bruce Ismay, president of White Star Line (1912) Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
J. Bruce Ismay, president of White Star Line (1912)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Childhood Home Of J. Bruce Ismay Has Rooms Available To Rent

The house where J. Bruce Ismay spent his childhood (bought by his father Thomas Ismay who founded the line) was in private hands until 2022. The house, near the Mersey River in Waterloo borough, is Grade II-listed house (meaning it has historical and/or architectural significance) now is open to the public. The Beach Lawn House & Ismay Suites (it overlooks Crosby beach, so it has great views of the river) now has its rooms for rent for those who want to experience living in such a house. They advertise on their website:

One or more of our fully serviced suites will suit your living requirements. One thing is certain: whichever one of our suites you choose from, it will feature all the comforts you would expect to find in a home – state of the art facilities, sumptuous furnishings, elegant interior design, beautiful surroundings, spacious living areas and convenient travel connections along with having a personal host who can arrange things like groceries for your room or dry cleaning and a laundry service.

One can surmise this will cost quite a lot of guineas in the old British currency.

Now this is not the central part of this story. It seems a distant relation of J. Bruce Ismay, Clifford Ismay (Thomas Ismay’s fourth cousin, twice removed) stayed there in 2023 and relates a spooky occurrence. This story was posted on 25 Dec 2024 so not sure if there was a tie-in to A Christmas Carol. At any rate he woke up early in the morning to the smell old pipe tobacco. Then later when he toured a room, now occupied by a long-term tenant and once Thomas’ bedroom, and opened a cabinet where he could smell tobacco. I will leave it to others to draw their own conclusions about this. Clifford is certain that something supernatural occurred.

Whatever you may think of the story, the house that Thomas Ismay purchased for £2,500 is certainly quite lovely and well situated. It is not a hotel but a posh living place for those who have the money to afford it.

McMullin, Kate. “‘I Stayed at “Titanic” Mansion and Something Strange Woke Me Up.’” Liverpool Echo. Last modified December 25, 2024. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/gallery/i-spent-night-titanic-mansion-30647839.

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Lump of Coal Sells for £1,500 in Cornish Auction

“Certificate of Origin: This coal was recovered from the wreck of R.M.S. Titanic during the 1994 Titanic Research and Recovery Expedition. Object No. 94/0036. Authenticated by the signature of President, RMS Titanic, Inc.; Captain, IFREMER.” Exhibited at the National Shipwreck Museum in Charlestown, Cornwall, South West England. [This is the coal up for auction.]
Image: Ben Sutherland via Wikimedia Commons. Posted originally on Flickr.

A small lump of coal recovered from the Titanic wreck is one of hundreds of pieces of shipwreck memorabilia that went under the hammer last week – with that item in particular selling for £1,500 ($1,856). Some of the lots sold for much more with model ships going for thousands of pounds after the collection from Charlestown Shipwreck Museum, near St Austell, went up for auction with the building itself still for sale. Auctioneer David Lay said he had never seen a sale like it with thousands of bids coming in from all over the world.

Letcher, Lisa. “Lump of Coal Sells for £1,500 in Cornish Auction.” Cornwall Live. Last modified November 11, 2024. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/lump-coal-sells-1500-charlestown-9705029.

Suggested Reading

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Thursday Titanic News

Top News

Rostron Watch Sold For Record Amount 

18 Carat Gold Watch made by Tiffany & Company. It was presented to Captain Arthur Rostron of SS Carpathia in recognition of his rescuing Titanic survivors. It was presented to him by three widows-Madeline Astor, Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener-whose husbands had perished when the ship sank. The case is inscribed with these words: ‘Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912. Mrs John B. Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D. Widener.’
Image: Henry Aldridge & Son

The 18-carat gold watch presented to Captain Arthur Rostron, who commanded the Carpathia that rescued Titanic survivors, was sold for a record-breaking amount of £1.56m ($1,976,860) over the weekend. Auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, who specialize in handling Titanic memorabilia amongst other valuable items, reported it was the highest fee ever paid for a Titanic item. The previous record was £1.175m for the watch owned by John Jacob Astor. The watch was originally thought to fetch £120,000.

The watch was given by the widows of three prominent men who died on Titanic-Madeline Astor, Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener-to Rostron in recognition of his service to rescue Titanic survivors. Rostron received the watch while attending at a luncheon given in his honor by Mrs. Astor at her home in June 1912.

The watch was purchased by a private collector (name not disclosed) in the U.S.

Sources

Harry Howard, “Titanic Widows’ Watch Gift to Hero Rescuer: Gold Timepiece Given by Wives of Liner’s Wealthiest…,” Mail Online, November 12, 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14071719/Titanic-widows-watch-gift-hero-rescuer-Gold-timepiece-given-wives-liners-wealthiest-victims-captain-rescue-ship-1912-disaster-tipped-sell-120-000.html.

Guardian Staff Reporter, “Watch Given to Captain Who Saved 700 Titanic Passengers Sells for £1.56m,” The Guardian, November 16, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/16/watch-given-to-captain-who-saved-700-titanic-passengers-sells-for-156m.

Sky News, “Watch Gifted to Captain Who Saved 700 Titanic Passengers Sells for Record Fee,” Sky News, last modified November 18, 2024, https://news.sky.com/story/watch-gifted-to-captain-who-saved-700-titanic-passengers-sells-for-record-fee-13255624.

In Other News

Lawrence, Tom. “Pocket Watch That Stopped When It Went Down With the Titanic in 1912 Goes on Sale for £80,000.” Mail Online, November 4, 2024. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14038713/Pocket-watch-stopped-went-Titanic-1912-goes-sale-80-000.html.

A pocket watch that was frozen in time when its owner went down with the Titanic will go under the hammer for £80,000. Ramon Gomez was one of 1,521 passengers who died when the ill-fated ship hit an iceberg and sank in 1912. Gomez, a Uruguayan first class passenger, supposedly jumped off the vessel whilst holding a deck chair in an attempt to save himself. But it proved futile as his body was recovered from the sea a week later by the Cable Ship MacKay-Bennett. His possessions were removed so they could be sent back to his family, including the Zenith Swiss silver and gilt watch.  The watch has remained ‘frozen in time’ at 4.53am, which was two hours and 33 minutes after the ship sank at 21 minutes past two on April 15, 1912.

The auction is set for 16 Nov 2024 at Henry Aldridge & Son, UK. Also being auctioned off is a postcard written on Titanic by Richard William Smith to a friend in Norwich. It was sent from Cork.

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“The Final Voyage of the Princess Sophia.” CBC (Radio), November 7, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/sloc-s6-ep15-1.7374689.

This is a radio broadcast of a documentary on the sinking of the Princess Sophia.

It’s been called Canada’s Titanic. 106 years ago the Princess Sophia crashed into a coral reef on route to Vancouver and Victoria. Over 300 passengers died and it was the worst maritime disaster in the Pacific Northwest, so why haven’t we heard more about it?

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Farley, Lloyd. “The Bizarre, Tragic History of the Nazi Titanic Movie.” Collider. Last modified November 10, 2024. https://collider.com/nazi-titanic-movie/.

But the impetus for a third German film about the Titanic was, interestingly, driven by the 1942 classic Casablanca. The success of that film took Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels by surprise, and with Germany already facing setbacks in the war, Casablanca’s anti-fascist narrative was decidedly at odds with the Nazi Party. So Goebbels planned to beat the Allies at their own game, “Nazifying” the Titanic tragedy in a film that would be a showcase for the Germans’ exceptional movie-making skills and moral superiority. Goebbel’s intentions with the film were to frame the disaster as being the direct consequence of Western greed, and those intentions are made very clear from the onset. The main antagonist of the film is E.F. Fürbringer’s Joseph Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, who is so intent on increasing the value of his shares in the company that he sends the liner speeding through Iceberg Alley on a quest to break transatlantic crossing records.

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Howard, Harry. “Titanic Widows’ Watch Gift to Hero Rescuer: Gold Timepiece Given by Wives of Liner’s Wealthiest…” Mail Online, November 12, 2024. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14071719/Titanic-widows-watch-gift-hero-rescuer-Gold-timepiece-given-wives-liners-wealthiest-victims-captain-rescue-ship-1912-disaster-tipped-sell-120-000.html.

A superb gold watch three wealthy widows gifted to the captain of the ship that saved them in the Titanic disaster is tipped to sell for £120,000. Madeline Astor, Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener bought the 18ct gold timepiece from Tiffany & Co after they returned safely to New York on rescue ship the RMS Carpathia. Their husbands – three of the richest men in the world – all perished in the 1912 tragedy. [The case of the watch is engraved “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912. Mrs John B. Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D. Widener”]

This is part of the same auction at Henry Aldridge & Son that will take place on 16 Nov 2024.

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“National Catholic Register.” Last modified November 13, 2024. https://denvercatholic.org/mother-frances-cabrini-the-unsinkable-saint-who-missed-the-titanic/.

In April 1912, Mother Frances Cabrini was in Italy with her sisters. Her plans were to visit her foundations in France, Spain and England before sailing back to the United States in mid-April to continue work in New York City. Her sisters in England were eagerly awaiting this visit from their 62-year-old founder and superior. To help make her journey back to the U.S. more comfortable, they bought her a ticket and booked passage on a new ocean liner, the RMS Titanic. While the sisters in England waited, word got to Mother Cabrini that there was trouble at the Columbus Hospital she had established in New York. It was overflowing and there was urgent business to settle connected to a new expansion. She could not wait. She had to get back to raise desperately needed money to proceed with the project. So she changed her plans and left early, sailing from Naples, disappointing the sisters in England who had booked her passage on the Titanic.

Suggested Reading

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Monday Titanic News

Hansons Auctioneers

Stephens, D. (2024, August 22). Haunting Titanic newspaper article found in woman’s wardrobe. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9w31jdejxo

A newspaper published in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic has been unearthed in a wardrobe. The edition of The Daily Mirror from 20 April 1912, which shows a photo of two women waiting for the list of survivors to be posted on a wall in Southampton, was found in a house in Lichfield, Staffordshire, after 112 years.

[The newspaper was auctioned off for £34 ($44)]

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HMS Hawke 1914
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Breen, K. (2024, August 16). Wreck believed to be WWI ship that sank with over 500 sailors found in “remarkable” condition. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hms-hawke-world-war-one-ship-believed-found-scotland/

A group of divers working off the coast of Scotland found the wreck of what’s believed to be a World War I ship that sank with more than 500 sailors on board. The HMS Hawke was torpedoed by a German U-boat on Oct. 15, 1914, according to Lost in Waters Deep, a U.K. agency that memorializes naval losses from World War I. The Royal Navy warship caught fire and sank in fewer than eight minutes, according to CBS News partner the BBC, with just 70 sailors surviving. In total, 524 sailors died when the ship sank near northern Scotland.

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Refined, J. T. a. S. (2024, August 13). Seattle’s New “Titanic: The Exhibition” is an emotional voyage. Seattle Refined. https://www.seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/seattle-titanic-the-exhibition-immersive-experience-museum-display-history-tragedy-survivors-waterfront-cruise-pnw

A new museum on the Seattle waterfront is bringing a historical event back to the surface like never been before. “Titanic: The Exhibition” opened this summer on Alaskan Way and offers an immersive experience into the heart of the fateful ship. There is a model of the ship with cut-outs that give a glimpse of how the ship looked inside and how everything was laid out, but the best parts of the exhibition are the life-sized recreations of the various spaces onboard. You get a chance to see the huge differences between the first-class and third-class rooms (even the tableware was significantly different). Walking down the ornate first-class hallway gives you a real “you were there” moment. There is also a recreation of the wireless cabin known as Marconi Room, where Morse Code was used to help save the lives of those who fled the ship.

Suggested Reading

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Titanic

Ohio Billionaire Plans To Dive To Titanic; Harland & Wolff Warnings; Update on Titan Tragedy and more.

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

O’Neill, Natalie. “Ohio Billionaire Larry Connor Plans to Take $20M Sub to Titanic Site to Prove Industry’s Safer After OceanGate Implosion.” New York Post, 28 May 2024, nypost.com/2024/05/27/us-news/ohio-billionaire-plans-to-take-20m-sub-to-titanic-site-to-prove-industrys-safer-after-oceangate-implosion.

Real estate investor Larry Connor, of Dayton, said he and Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey will plunge more than 12,400 feet (2.3 miles) to the shipwreck site in a two-person submersible. “I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way,” Connor told the Wall Street Journal. Lahey has designed a $20 million vessel dubbed the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, which Connor said can carry out the voyage repeatedly. The duo said they want to prove that the trek can be done without disaster — despite the implosion of the Titan submersible in June, which killed all five people on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

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

Titanic Shipbuilder Warns Scottish Yards and 500 Jobs Are at Risk.” The Telegraph, 27 May 2024, www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/05/27/titanic-harland-wolff-shipbuilder-warns-scottish-yards-risk.

Struggling shipbuilder Harland & Wolff will be forced to close its yards in Scotland and focus exclusively on work for the Royal Navy if a £200m funding lifeline falls through, bosses have warned. The company – best known for building the Titanic –  is understood to have told workers that in a “worst case scenario”, where it cannot secure a loan guarantee from the Government, the Arnish and Methil facilities will shut, putting around 500 jobs at risk.

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Looby, David. “Kilkenny Titanic Sinking Survivor Is Recalled at Historical Lecture.” Irish Independent, 25 May 2024, www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/new-ross-news/kilkenny-titanic-sinking-survivor-is-recalled-at-historical-lecture/a1886753959.html.

An interesting and well illustrated lecture on Liam Fitzpatrick, a Kilkenny Titanic survivor, took place recently in Mullinavat parish hall. MaryAnn Vaughan delivered the lecture, which drew a large audience to the hall and also online, via Zoom. William Cecil Fitzpatrick was born on April 26, 1890, exactly 134 years to the day of the lecture, at William Street, Kilkenny, to Robert Fitzpatrick and Mary Gertrude Fitzpatrick (formerly Ryan). Robert and Mary Gertrude were married, in Kilkenny, in September 1895.

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Titan (submersible)
Becky Kagan Schott, OceanGate

Guinness, Emma. “OceanGate Titan Sub: Key Update on Submersible Investigation Ahead of Anniversary of Tragedy That Killed Five.” The Independent, 24 May 2024, www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/titan-submersible-oceangate-titanic-investigation-b2551060.html.

Now, the Coast Guard has revealed that this investigation is in its “fact-finding” stage almost a year on from the tragedy. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told The Independent: “The Titan Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) remains in the fact-finding phase of the investigation and is collecting all relevant evidence and information. “A projected completion date is not available. “The latter part of the fact-finding phase will include a public hearing, and the MBI will provide at least 60 days’ notice ahead of the public hearing.”

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Jesse. “Headline.” Cracked.com, 22 May 2024, www.cracked.com/article_42269_5-phrases-from-the-replica-titanic-wikipedia-page-that-merit-closer-inspection.html.

I had no idea there was a Wikipedia entry called Replica Titanic. It does list some of the more prominent ones of recent years, so it is worth a look to see what Cracked is referring to. Clive Palmer still claims to be plugging along with his Titanic 2 venture. Despite all the flurry, parties, and press releases nothing has been built yet. If you want to read the Wikipedia entry without reading the Cracked story, click here.

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TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition Arrives in Germany This July. 22 May 2024, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/titanic-the-artifact-exhibition-arrives-in-germany-this-july-302153069.html.

Following sold-out Exhibitions across the United States, Europe, and Oceania, the gripping story of the legendary ship arrives in Germany when TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition opens its doors in Stuttgart on July 21, 2024. Produced by E/M Group and RMS Titanic, Inc., the Exhibition offers guests the chance to experience Titanic and connect with the stories they’ve encountered in movies or books in a deeply personal way.

Get all the details at  https://titanic-ausstellung.com/.

Titanic

Recent Titanic News

[This is a curated list of news stories. If you see a news story we should cover here, send email to editor@titanicnewschannel.com]

“The Titanic’s Other Casualties | Holy Cow! History.” Lompoc Record, 20 Apr. 2024, lompocrecord.com/opinion/columnists/the-titanic-s-other-casualties-holy-cow-history/article_139171a2-904a-5670-9d43-73dfbf00d555.html.

Let’s start with what we know for sure. At least three dogs escaped in lifeboats: two Pomeranians and one Pekingese show champion, Sun Yat Sen. Their escape was a big deal because, with so many passengers and so little space in the lifeboats, crew members refused to let animals go with their owners. It’s believed all three owners spared their beloved pooches by smuggling them inside their cabins because they were so small, later hiding them inside thick winter coats as they fled the ship.

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“‘Rare’ Footage of Titanic Shipwreck Released for First Time: See Into Chief Officer’s Cabin and More.” Yahoo.com, People, 16 Apr. 2024, ca.news.yahoo.com/rare-footage-titanic-shipwreck-released-184318760.html.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has just released never-before-seen video of the wreck on YouTube to celebrate the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic. The “rare, uncut footage” includes nearly 90 minutes of images from the July 1986 voyage that, according to Today, helped inspire the award-winning movie.

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Grover, Jamie. “Remembering the Somerset Passengers on Board the Titanic.” Somerset County Gazette, 21 Apr. 2024, www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/24258613.remembering-somerset-passengers-board-titanic.

Among those on board was 26-year-old Marion Wright, from Yeovil, who survived the disaster. She eventually arrived in New York and was reunited with her fiancé.  Marion said: “I don’t think I shall ever want to cross the ocean again just yet. It has been sad losing all I had, wedding presents and everything I had worked so hard at, but they’re nothing in comparison to all the lives lost.” The couple married and successfully ran a farm in Oregon.

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D’Arcy, Sharon Dolan, and Sharon Dolan D’Arcy. “West Clare Connection to Famous Titanic Bugler.” The Clare Champion, 18 Apr. 2024, clarechampion.ie/west-clare-connection-to-famous-titanic-bugler.

The young 25-year-old man tragically died when the ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. A mere three months previously, he had married a Kilrush woman called Mary Meaney at St Gregory’s Catholic Church in Wandsworth. Local historian and county Tyrone native, Geoff Simmons had put out an appeal in March via local Clare media and social media for descendants of Mary Meaney’s to attend the unveiling of an historic blue plaque in Percy’s honour at his former home at 26, Lessingham Avenue on April 14, the eve of the anniversary of the ship’s sinking. Mr Simmons had hoped The Cliffs of Doneen would be sung on the day in recognition of Mary and the Clare connection.

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Alam, Zoheb. “Titanic Survivor Revealed He Continued to Have Nightmares About the Tragedy for Over 65 Years.” https://www.good.is, 20 Apr. 2024, www.good.is/titanic-survivor-revealed-he-continued-to-have-nightmares-about-the-tragedy-for-over-65-years.

One of the survivors, Frank Prentice, shared his experience and recalled how he survived the sinking ship but continued to have nightmares about it. His interview was recorded by BBC in 1979 for their documentary series “The Great Liners” and has been shared on YouTube. Since the tragedy, he had held on to a keepsake that was a vivid reminder of the tragedy. It was the watch he wore that night that remained frozen in time and had stopped at exactly 02:20 AM after lasting for a couple of minutes in the freezing water. During the BBC interview, he was asked whether talking about the Titanic bothered him and he replied, “I shall probably dream about it tonight; have another nightmare.”

You can view his BBC interview on YouTube by clicking here.

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“The Titanic Disaster Was Predicted in an 1898 Novel With ‘eerie’ Foretelling.” Irish Star, 19 Apr. 2024, www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/titanic-disaster-predicted-1898-novel-32628706.

A novel released in 1898 eerily foretold the sinking of the Titanic, with multiple parallels between a fictitious sinking in the book and the infamous Titanic disaster. “The Wreck of the Titan Or, Futility” was authored by the American writer, Morgan Robertson. In his book, the Titan sank off Newfoundland Banks, around 1,000 miles off the coast of New York. Coincidentally, it had hit an iceberg and, in a similar fashion to the Titanic, and the accident occurred in mid-April on an otherwise calm night at sea.

Editor’s note: As the article notes, there are some striking similarities to the actual tragedy of 1912. There are some crucial differences though. Unlike what happened to Titanic, the fictional Titan was not in calm seas. In fact, according to the story, it was a hard choppy sea and fog as well that made it hard to sea. Like Titanic, the lookouts could not see the iceberg until too late. However, it hits the berg directly and this is what Robertson wrote of the collision:

“But in five seconds the bow of Titan began to lift, and ahead, and on either hand, could be seen, a field of ice which arose in an incline to a hundred feet high in her track. But a low beach, possibly formed by the recent overturning of the berg, received the Titan, and with her keel cutting the ice like steel runner of an iceboat, and great weight resting on the starboard bilge, she rose out of the sea, higher and higher-until the propellers in the stern were half exposed-then meeting an easy spiral rise in the ice under her port bow, she heeled, overbalanced, and crashed down on her side to starboard.”

That is quite a scene if you picture it in your head! Robertson, like many authors, latched on to a great kernel of a story when he speculated on huge ships like his fictional Titan hitting an iceberg. Other great authors have done the same as well. It should be noted another Robertson story foretold of a Japanese attack on the United States as well. There was a greater loss of life in his story as they only had 24 lifeboats (the bare minimum) lashed to the upper deck (and hard to use since the ship was inclined) but to minimize other safety costs put cork jackets in passenger and crew cabin.

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Cummings, Denis. “A Look at the Titanic Second Class Survivors.” www.findingdulcinea.com, 19 Apr. 2024, www.findingdulcinea.com/titanic-second-class-survivors.

As a fervent admirer of history with a penchant for uncovering forgotten tales, the stories of resilience and survival especially captivate me. Among such narratives, the epic tale of the Titanic stands out not just for its unfortunate demise but for the human spirits that persevered.  In this article, I’m thrilled to shine a light on those extraordinary individuals – the Titanic second class passengers who managed to survive this monumental tragedy.

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Felton, James. “Iceberg That Sank the Titanic May Be Shown in Unearthed Photo From 1912.” IFLScience, 18 Apr. 2024, www.iflscience.com/iceberg-that-sank-the-titanic-may-be-shown-in-unearthed-photo-from-1912-73865.

A rediscovered photo captured two days after the Titanic sank is going on auction this month. The photo, taken by undertaker John Snow Jr, may show the iceberg that sank the ship on its maiden voyage 112 years ago on April 14. When the Titanic sank 640 kilometers (400 miles) off Newfoundland, Canada, over 1,500 of the passengers, of which there were over 2,200, died – many by drowning or immersion hypothermia. John Snow Jr was chief embalmer of funeral directors John Snow & Co and was summoned to the wreck of the Titanic to help collect some, but not all, of the bodies for burial.

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 “Titanic Secrets Revealed: Number of Lifeboats Reduced to Give First Class Passengers a Better View.” Sarajevo Times, 17 Apr. 2024, sarajevotimes.com/titanic-secrets-revealed-number-of-lifeboats-reduced-to-give-first-class-passengers-a-better-view.

His video showcases all 10 of Titanic’s decks, including the boat deck at the very top. Part of the reason for the lack of lifeboats was also because designers didn’t want to overcrowd the ship’s deck and obstruct the view of the Atlantic for first-class passengers. Another interesting fact is that Titanic actually had two grand staircases, both restricted to first-class passengers only. The far larger and grander one was the front grand staircase, adorned with a wall panel of carved oak with a clock in the center, also the setting where Jack and Rose meet in James Cameron’s 1997 film hit.

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 “How Many First Class Passengers Died on the Titanic?” www.findingdulcinea.com, 18 Apr. 2024, www.findingdulcinea.com/first-class-passengers-died-on-the-titanic.

Are you curious about the tragic fate of the Titanic’s elite? My passion for history has always drawn me towards unraveling stories from the past, and today, I’m here to share with you a piece of history that still captures our imagination over a century later.We often hear about the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage, but who exactly were those first-class passengers who lost their lives in one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters? Let’s explore together and uncover how many first class passengers died on the Titanic.

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Mawson, Brandon. “A Look at Two Cumbrians Who Lost Their Lives on the Titanic.” News and Star, 18 Apr. 2024, www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/24257172.look-two-cumbrians-lost-lives-titanic.

Two men in particular, Jonathon Shepherd and his mentor Joseph Bell, were some of the Cumbrians who lost their lives on the ship. Jonathon was born in Whitehaven in 1880 and Joseph was originally from Farlam, near Brampton. 

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Fraga, Kaleena. “Edward John Smith, the Captain of the RMS Titanic.” All That’s Interesting, 18 Apr. 2024, allthatsinteresting.com/titanic-captain-edward-smith.

On the Olympic, Smith was involved in the worst catastrophe of his career (until he became captain of the Titanic). In September 1911, the Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. Though Smith was reportedly not directing the ship at the time, the Royal Navy protested that the Olympic had caused the collision by taking an abrupt turn. White Star Line vehemently disagreed but ended up having to pay high legal fees.

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Jonathan. “Titanic: Fact Vs. Fiction – Debunking Common Myths About the Disaster.” Anglotopia, 17 Apr. 2024, anglotopia.net/british-history/titanic/titanic-fact-vs-fiction-debunking-common-myths-about-the-disaster.

The sinking of the RMS Titanic has captured the imagination of people worldwide for over a century, spawning countless myths and misconceptions about the events that transpired on that fateful night in April 1912. While the Titanic disaster remains one of the most well-documented maritime tragedies in history, numerous myths and inaccuracies have persisted over the years. Here, we debunk ten common myths surrounding the Titanic and separate fact from fiction.

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O’Rourke, Connor. “Extraordinary Story of Titanic’s Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightroller.” IrishCentral.com, 17 Apr. 2024, www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/titanic-charles-herbert-lightoller.

In the following years, he joined the Royal Navy and helped with the naval efforts during WWI and eventually became a full commander at the end of 1918. Remarkably, even in his old age, he had commanded one of many civilian ships in 1940 that helped rescue over 338,000 men from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Second World War.

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Ratliff, Melissa. “WATCH: How Was the Sinking of the RMS Titanic Reported Locally?” https://www.mysuncoast.com, 16 Apr. 2024, www.mysuncoast.com/2024/04/16/watch-how-was-sinking-rms-titanic-reported-locally.

It took days for information to be distributed to sources and some of the information that got out was completely incorrect. By the time the news began trickling down to major newspapers in Florida, there were different accounts of everything. On April 15, 1912, the evening edition of the Tampa Daily Times reported that the ship was afloat and all passengers had been rescued. This was eventually retracted and corrected in subsequent editions.

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Knudsen, Cory. “So Minnesota: Deephaven Couple Were Passengers on Titanic.” KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News, 16 Apr. 2024, kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/so-minnesota-deephaven-couple-were-passengers-on-titanic.

Monday marks the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. Walter Douglas and his wife Mahala from Minnesota were passengers on the ship. The Douglas family’s wealth came from starting the Quaker Oats Company and Douglas Starch Company. “His peers dubbed him a captain of industry,” said Liz Vandam with the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society. “They considered him to be a man of great integrity.” By the beginning of 1912, Walter Douglas retired and construction of the family’s palatial mansion in Deephaven overlooking Lake Minnetonka was complete.

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Burgess, Madison, and Jonathan Chadwick. “Inside the Remaining Mysteries Surrounding the Titanic – From What Happened to the Passengers To…” Mail Online, 15 Apr. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13309119/remaining-mysteries-titanic-happened-passengers-iceberg-caused-tragedy.html.

One theory suggests that a freak weather event created the phenomenon, which possibly both obscured the iceberg until it was too late and hindered communication with a nearby ship. Historian and broadcaster Tim Maltin claims the Titanic’s crew fell victim to a thermal inversion, which is caused by a band of cold air forcing itself underneath a band of warmer air, the Times reports. He believes that the cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean called Labrador pushed this cold air beneath the warm Gulf Stream, creating a mirage.

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Chadwick, Jonathan. “See Inside the Titanic Like NEVER Before: Incredible Video Reveals a Cross Section of the Doomed…” Mail Online, 14 Apr. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13288299/Titanic-Incredible-video-cross-section-doomed-liner.html.

But the scale and the glory of RMS Titanic can be admired once more, thanks to a detailed digital cross section of the stunning luxury liner.  Posted to YouTube by US animator Jared Owen, it shows Titanic from every angle, exactly as it appeared just before it set sail from Southampton 112 years ago.  The video may prove helpful to Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, who has promised to recreate the famous ship at an estimated cost of £1 billion.  ‘Titanic II’, to be ready by 2027, will closely mimic the original ship’s specifications, while including modern 21st navigation and safety systems.

You can view the video on YouTube by clicking here.

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Winston, Alex. “The Lives of Jews Who Boarded the Titanic.” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, 14 Apr. 2024, www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-796496.

Some 69 of the passengers on board the Titanic were known to be Jewish, and their stories and experiences are some of the most interesting and heart-wrenching of the whole saga.

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Watch “‘Titanic: The Official Cookbook’ Author Demonstrates ‘Blue Moon’ Cocktail.” ABC7 Chicago, 11 Apr. 2024, abc7chicago.com/titanic-the-official-cookbook-veronica-hinke-recipes-recipe/14646456.

There were several events happening around the Chicagoland area to commemorate that day. Author Veronica Hinke, author of “Titanic: The Official Cookbook” stopped by ABC 7 Eyewitness news to talk about her book and demonstrate one of the 40 timeless recipes for every occasion.

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Jones, Alec. “Five Ways ‘Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition’ Makes You Feel Like You’re Actually on the Ship.” Concrete Playground, 11 Apr. 2024, concreteplayground.com/melbourne/arts-entertainment/five-ways-the-titanic-the-artefact-exhibition-makes-you-feel-like-on-the-ship.

A more engaging way to learn this tragic story is to Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition, an incredibly detailed exhibition that studies the vessel, its crew, the passengers and takes visitors through a memorable journey through the events of that fateful night. But how does it do that and why is it worth your time? Let’s set sail to find out.

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Bromovsky, Lettice. “Is This the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic? Newly-unearthed Photo Provides Fascinating Clue to 1912…” Mail Online, 10 Apr. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13293371/Titanic-photo-fascinating-clue-1912-tragedy-killed.html.

A newly unearthed photo of the iceberg that may have sunk the Titanic has come to light 112 years after the disaster. The black and white image was captured by an undertaker working on the body recovery ship that arrived on the wreck site in the aftermath of the sinking. It is now coming up for sale at Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers of Devizes, Wiltshire, for an estimated price of £4,000 to £7,000.  It shows a large glacier oddly shaped like an elephant above the surface of the north Atlantic.It was taken two days after the luxury liner struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank killing 1,522 people.

The auction will take place on 27 April 2024 at 9:00 am UK time. Information about how to bid can be found here.

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Small, Alonzo. “Titanic: The Exhibition at Old Orchard Extended Due to Popular Demand.” WGN9, 10 Apr. 2024, wgntv.com/news/trending/titanic-the-exhibition-at-old-orchard-extended-due-to-popular-demand.

On the 112th anniversary of the ship’s departure, Exhibition producer Imagine Exhibitions announced that, due to popular demand, they would extend the immersive experience through July 7. A Titanic-inspired afternoon tea experience has also been added, which “promises to transport visitors back in time, blending culinary delights with the rich tapestry of Titanic’s story.” Titanic Afternoon Tea begins on April 28. A new combination ticket will also be available, which grants access to both Titanic: The Exhibition and Downton Abbey: The Exhibition.

 Information on dates, times, and prices can be found here.

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Hickey, Kate. “Titanic Hero Irishman Thomas Andrews Epitomized Bravery as Ship Went Down.” IrishCentral.com, 10 Apr. 2024, www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/thomas-andrews-titanic-hero.

Andrews had been overruled on two key issues when the ship was being designed. He wanted to double the number of lifeboats to 64 and wanted a double hull built extending up to the B deck which would certainly have prevented the disaster. After he died on 15th April 1912, his father received a telegram from his mother’s cousin, who had spoken with survivors in New York, seeing news of Andrews. The telegram was read aloud by Andrews Sr. to the staff of their home in Comber: “Interview Titanic’s officers. All unanimous that Andrews heroic unto death, thinking only safety others. Extend heartfelt sympathy to all.”

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“How New York City Grieved the Titanic – Ephemeral New York.” Ephemeral New York, ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/how-new-york-city-grieved-the-titanic. (8 April 2024)

For the next 55 years, as ship traffic decreased in New York Harbor and South Street’s fortunes turned, the Titanic memorial with its time ball stayed in service on the roof. In 1968, the Seaman’s Institute moved to a new headquarters on State Street. The top of the Titanic Memorial was given to the South Street Seaport Museum. But it wasn’t until 1976 when the memorial lighthouse went up on a triangular corner at Pearl and Fulton Streets (now known as Titanic Memorial Park), held in place by a concrete podium. The time ball is also gone; it’s been replaced by an ornamental sphere.

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Molony, Senan. “Faces of the Titanic: William Burke, Irish Hero Who Saved a Woman’sLife.” IrishCentral.com, 8 Apr. 2024, www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/titanic-william-burke-irish-hero.amp.

This is an extract from the book “The Irish Aboard the Titanic” by Senan Molony which tells the tales of the people who were on board the night the ship went down. This book gives those people a voice. In it are stories of agony, luck, self-sacrifice, dramatic escapes, and heroes left behind.

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Barnes, Freya. “Leather Case for Violin Used on the Titanic to Reassure Passengers as the Ship Sank Is Set to Sell…” Mail Online, 5 Apr. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13277023/leather-case-violin-titanic-sale-auction.html.

A leather case that protected the violin played by the bandmaster on the Titanic as the ship sank is tipped to sell for £120,000 at auction. Wallace Hartley and his orchestral band famously played on to reassure the passengers as the 1912 disaster unfolded around them. Wallace went down with the ship but not before he put his wooden violin back in its valise bag which he strapped to himself – possibly for buoyancy – using the long handles.

The auction will take place on 27 April 2024 at 9:00 am UK time. Information about how to bid can be found here.

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“112-Year-Old Elaborate Menu of Titanic Is Viral, Internet Reacts.” NDTV.com, www.ndtv.com/offbeat/112-year-old-elaborate-menu-of-titanic-is-viral-internet-reacts-5374994. (4 April 2024)

A popular page on X named Fascinating has released the elaborate menu served onboard the Titanic. The page posted two slides that included pictures of the original menu cards for the first and third-class passengers of the Titanic. The original menu card exudes an enchanting aura, offering various dining options from luncheon and buffet to breakfast, catering to first and third-class passengers. The post soon went viral on X.  “Third class’s menu looked good to me,” a user commented.

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Knoxville News Sentinel. “Pigeon Forge’s Titanic Museum Attraction Buys Panel at Center of ‘Titanic’ Controversy.” Knoxville News Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024, www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2024/04/02/pigeon-forge-museum-buys-panel-at-heart-of-titanic-controversy/73177923007.

Speculation will likely continue forever on whether Jack would, in fact, have fit on the “door” with Rose and survived the sinking of the Titanic. But any possible conspiracy theories over who, exactly, shelled out more than half a million dollars during a March auction for the iconic wood panel from the eponymous film can now be laid to rest. The “door” that featured prominently in the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Titanic” was purchased by Titanic Museum Attraction, which has locations in Pigeon Forge and Branson, Mo. According to the museum, it will become part of one of the largest permanent collections of Titanic artifacts anywhere.

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Titanic

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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