Topic: BELLY FULL OF THE TITANIC (Read 21532 times)

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #25 on:** April 13, 2012, 10:38:02 am »

Titanic is just one of many incidents that catch the public imagination and generate a momentum all of their own such as the assassination of Kennedy, death of Diana, Rosewell Aliens etc. Titanic has in fact only become 'popular' during the last 25 years or so, particularly after the discovery of the wreck gave it a new lease of life (My God! It's still there - and we can see it!). Accordingly it becomes marketable so you get lots of books about it, some good others just repeats and a large number rubbish. After 2012 interest will almost certainly die down again, nobody bothers much about Diana now do they?

What I do find interesting is that whereas most ships have long and useful lives at the end of which they are broken up and only live on in picture, photos - and of course models - those which sank are still down there, deteriorated to a greater of lesser degree, but otherwise just as they were when they came to grief. Advances in diving techniques and underwater archaeology are making these 'time capsules' available to us. In the North Sea you can still see the rear turret of the battlecruiser Invincible with its two guns trained forever on the High Seas Fleet, the turret roof blown off when the magazines detonated while off Tripoli there is the extraordinary wreck of the Victorian battleship HMS Victoria stuck vertically in the seabed following her collision with HMS Camperdown. Hood and Bismarck are other examples and I'm sure there are many more to come.

Colin

Perkasaman2 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 13, 2012, 12:51:37 pm »

I agree with John, the saturation point has been reached but this bandwaggon is still rumbling on. The event was a tragic loss of life. I think our Colin's might have some data protection issues to consider.

Spook · « **Reply #27 on:** April 13, 2012, 01:24:39 pm »

Andyn - you beat me to it

rickles23 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 13, 2012, 02:03:14 pm »

Hi,

It was a shipbuilders magazine of the time that said the Titanic was practicably unsinkable.

The Press then left off the first word and the myth of the unsinkable ship began.

Regards

lilgoth · « **Reply #29 on:** April 13, 2012, 02:24:33 pm »

Quote from: Bob K on April 13, 2012, 10:08:15 am

Another myth: Neither the builders nor the owners made such claims before the event. This story was generated by the Press afterwards, as usual putting words into peoples mouths via misquoted interviews. Something like "With so many advanced safety features would you say that the ship was virtually unsinkable?"

The lifeboats issue annoys me too. The trend in international maritime safety rules in 1912 was on compartmentation, as keeping the ship afloat after collision (with a ship or rock) would save more lives. Titanic had more then the stipulated number of lifeboats, yet modern dramas keep showing crew worried about lack of boats. The killer factor was the intense cold, apparently not factored into a scenario that those in the water could hold onto the lifeboat rope loops until rescued. Major changes in martime safety laws invariably follow on from disaster investigations.

Sorry for the rant:

same with airliners as well...they build a plane...something goes wrong, they figure out what went wrong...and correct it for future generations
every crash is all over the papers for a short time, then it all fades into memory, but ultimatly makes flying safer
the titanic disaster ment all ships became safer ( number of lifeboats, atlantic ice patrol, + MANY other laws )

as for the titanic, ive seen to many documentaries now...half of them contradict each other, the other miss out a huge number of key points
although i did watch one based on the carpathia running to titanics aid which was good.
i just wish they would leave it to rest in peace ( and the relatives of survivors to get on with their lives )

as for the unsinkable, it was simply a word the press jumped on ( just like the false stories they printed as well )
my teacher once told me

scientist tells a journalist ' science results are useless when taken out of context'
jounalist reports in paper ' science results are useless'

Neil · « **Reply #30 on:** April 13, 2012, 02:32:22 pm »

Quote from: bikerdude999 on April 13, 2012, 05:21:15 am

Definitely had enough of the titanic, if we had this amount of fuss made of every large loss of life we constantly have program's on about al sorts of disasters,

thought we had that with Hillsborough..........but then again that's another story........football..........say no more!!!

Norseman · « **Reply #31 on:** April 13, 2012, 03:25:04 pm »

Quote from: Colin Bishop on April 13, 2012, 10:38:02 am

Titanic is just one of many incidents that catch the public imagination and generate a momentum all of their own

Colin has hit the nail on the head; there is a tip over point that once reached an event or the idea of it become a cultural icon.
However there are very many vested interests manipulating the public's perception - so it isn't an organic process.

In a few years we will have the Mayhem Meltdown of 2012 memorial service and the smash DVD 'A 504 To Remember'
Starring ???? as Martin

Dave

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #32 on:** April 13, 2012, 04:27:24 pm »

On a side note, many years ago I was in the Carney wharf offices of a London newspaper and in a frame on the wall was a reproduction of the frontpage of the paper that announced the sinking to the world. Eerie.

Big Ada · « **Reply #33 on:** April 13, 2012, 05:44:04 pm »

Did you see the one in the Daily Mail this week that a chap has built in his back garden, it is a monster.

Len.

Arrow5 · « **Reply #34 on:** April 13, 2012, 05:56:48 pm »

Yes I was just looking at it yesterday. Looking good pending a visit from local council jobsworths re"permission". He has a few other maritime artifacts and vessels non-Titanic. Pictures coming later,teas ready

John W E · « **Reply #35 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:05:29 pm »

I was just wondering there - did they ever find the gash in the side of the Titanic; where the iceburg had hit? Have they solved that mystery yet? The one that really I would like to find out - on an Engineer's uniform he has gold braid on a purple background (round the cuff) I always was told that the purple represented the blood of the Titanic Engineer's - do we know if this is true?

aye
John

Shipmate60 · « **Reply #36 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:46:41 pm »

John,
I am certainly not sure if it is factual.
I was told a long time ago that Engineers were given Officer Rank due to the bravery of the Engineering Staff on board Titanic. Ie keeping the lights on until she actually sank.
I doubt it is true but an unusual tale.

Bob

Bob K · « **Reply #37 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:52:50 pm »

Quote from: bluebird on April 13, 2012, 06:05:29 pm

- did they ever find the gash in the side of the Titanic; where the iceburg had hit? aye
John

Both main undersea surveys tried to find the damage but that part of the hull is buried too deeply in the sea floor sediment. If only 4 compartments had been flooded instead or 7, and the watertight bulheads extended a deck higher . . .

Arrow5 · « **Reply #38 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:55:54 pm »

The Inverness Titanic builder, Stan Fraser, has just been interviewed on STV Grampian news. Seems the "Coonsil" wisny pleased. Here are some pictures taken from the canal bank yesterday. There is also a yellow submarine, a RNLI lifeboat , a fishing boat wheelhouse and various other maritime artifacts.

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #39 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:15:32 pm »

Quote

I was just wondering there - did they ever find the gash in the side of the Titanic; where the iceburg had hit?

When the ship hit the bottom the hull was driven into the silt so the damaged area is hidden from view. However, it's probable that there wouldn't be much to see anyway as the available evidence suggests that the impact drove in the rivetted seams between the plates thus displacing them and creating long slits just a few inches wide. At 15 feet or so below the waterline the pressure is such that you don't need a very big hole to admit a lot of water very quickly and I think it has been demonstrated that this would be consistent with the rate at which the ship sank.

I think there have been some Sonar side scans trying to penetrate the silt to check the damage but with no results so far.

As far as the engineers are concerned this link is quite interesting and labels the 'purple' insignia as a myth. http://www.uco.es/~ff1mumuj/titanic1.htm

Colin

dave301bounty · « **Reply #40 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:45:02 pm »

Just read ,with great interest your article on Engineers ,Colin .quite good ,I myself was an Engineer Officer ,starting from Jnr 6 up to Senior 4th ,on various ships ,and on two occasions saw the watertight door coming down when i was down the tunnel ,the first time i knew it was a boat drill ,there fore i was not undult bothered ,second time ,we had been in collision and were in an emergency state ,,lots of people have no idea what an Engineers lot was ,the watch keeping ,the repaires on watch ,and of on field days ,pulling units in the hottest places on earth ,but it was a good life ,i saw the world as most did ,got into tricky situations as most did ,but what a life , cargo ships ,big passenger jobs ,tramping ,the lot ,a great 18 yrs .on steam and motor ,small and monsters ..13 hatch lakers up the plate bow first up ,stern first down ..

Shipmate60 · « **Reply #41 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:53:27 pm »

Couldn't agree more Dave, I have just retired after 30 yrs as Ships Engineer.
From tugs to Worldwide Survey Ship.
Never involved in a collision but an Engine Room Fire.
Only on motor ships, but good pay, 6 months work a year, and on the ships I served on lots of leave.

Bob

tobyker · « **Reply #42 on:** April 14, 2012, 12:05:14 am »

Remember the Wilhelm Gustloff - was it 6,00 or 9,00 lives lost?

DickyD · « **Reply #43 on:** April 14, 2012, 12:21:34 am »

Quote from: tobyker on April 14, 2012, 12:05:14 am

Remember the Wilhelm Gustloff - was it 6,00 or 9,00 lives lost?

9,000 not 900.

Norseman · « **Reply #44 on:** April 14, 2012, 01:12:49 am »

http://www.wilhelmgustloff.com/index.htm
good site - lots of info and loads of pics

Dave

Footski · « **Reply #45 on:** April 14, 2012, 08:24:43 am »

Ashamed to say, i have never heard of this ship.....but will read every word of that site now....Incredible and terribly sad.

mikearace · « **Reply #46 on:** April 14, 2012, 08:37:24 am »

The Titanic also pales in significance when compared to the loss of the Lancastria which the majority of public are totally unaware of.

http://www.lancastria.org.uk/Victim_List/victim_list.html

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #47 on:** April 14, 2012, 09:04:22 am »

Quote from: tobyker on April 14, 2012, 12:05:14 am

Remember the Wilhelm Gustloff - was it 6,00 or 9,00 lives lost?

I read about it yesterday on ~~Pinch-of-Salt~~ Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff

TheLongBuild · « **Reply #48 on:** April 14, 2012, 10:59:46 am »

Quote from: arrow5 on April 13, 2012, 06:55:54 pm

The Inverness Titanic builder, Stan Fraser, has just been interviewed on STV Grampian news. Seems the "Coonsil" wisny pleased. Here are some pictures taken from the canal bank yesterday. There is also a yellow submarine, a RNLI lifeboat , a fishing boat wheelhouse and various other maritime artifacts.

Cool..

DickyD · « **Reply #49 on:** April 14, 2012, 11:32:16 am »

Quote from: Martin - Admin on April 14, 2012, 09:04:22 am

I read about it yesterday on ~~Pinch-of-Salt~~ Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff

There was a documentary about it on the TV sometime ago. Now on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ufWAflyB88&feature=related

News:

Author Topic: BELLY FULL OF THE TITANIC (Read 21532 times)