More than 100 years have passed since the terrible catastrophe of one of the largest airliners of its time. But so far the world does not know all the secrets that the huge and seemingly indestructible "Titanic" hides. How the ship sank, the material will tell.
The fight of the giants
The twentieth century has become a century of technological progress. Skyscrapers, cars, cinema - everything developed at a supernatural rate. The process affected the ships.
In the early 1900s, there was great competition on the market due to customers between two large companies. Kunard Line and White Star Line, two hostile transatlantic carriers, have been competing for leadership in their field for several years in a row. The new time opened up interesting opportunities for companies, so over the years their ships became larger, faster and more magnificent.
Why and how the Titanic drowned is still a mystery. There are many versions. The most daring of them is a scam. It was held by the aforementioned Star Line company.
But he opened the world of amazing Kunard Line airliners. By their order, two unusual steamships, Mauritania and Lusitania, were built. The public was astounded by their greatness. The length is about 240 m, the width is 25 m, the height from the waterline to the boat deck is 18 m. (But after a few years, the size of the Titanic exceeded these parameters). Two twin giants were launched in 1906 and in 1907. They won first places in prestigious competitions and broke all speed records.
For competitors, Kunard Line was a matter of honor to give a decent answer.
The fate of the three
White Star Line was founded in 1845. During the years of the gold rush, she made money by flying from Britain to Australia. Throughout the years, the company has been competing with Kunard Line. Therefore, after Lusitania and Mauritania were launched, Star Line engineers were tasked with creating fantastic projects that would surpass the brainchild of competitors. The final decision was made in 1909. So the idea of three ships of the class "Olympic". The order was carried out by Harland & Wolfe.
This maritime organization was world famous for the quality of its ships, comfort and luxury. Speed was not a priority. Several times, Star Line proved, not in word, but in deed, that it cares about customers. So, in 1909, when two airliners collided, their ship stood on the water for two more days, which proved its quality. However, the three “Olympic” suffered misfortune. The first ship repeatedly had an accident. So, in 1911, it collided with the cruiser Hawk, from which it received a 14-meter hole and went into repair. There was misfortune and the Titanic. At the bottom of the ocean, he was in 1912. "Briton" found the First World War, where he played the role of a hospital, and in 1916 was blown up by a German mine.
Miracle of the seas
Now we can safely say that great ambitions became the reason for the collapse of the Titanic.
The construction of the second of three Olympic class ships was not without casualties. 1,500 people worked on the project. The conditions were difficult. Security was cared for a little. Due to the fact that it was necessary to work at height, many builders were frustrated. About 250 people were seriously injured. The wounds of eight men were incompatible with life.
The size of the Titanic was astounding. Its length was 269 m, width 28 m, height 18 m. It could reach speeds of up to 23 knots.
On the day the liner was launched, 10,000 spectators gathered on the embankment, among whom were VIP guests and the press to see the unusually large ship,
Further, internal work continued on the ship itself.
First announced the date of the first flight. Swimming was scheduled for March 20, 1912. But due to the collision of the first ship in September 1911 with the cruiser Hawk, some of the workers were transferred to Olympic. The flight was automatically rescheduled for April 10th. It is from this number that the fateful story of the Titanic begins.
Fateful ticket
Its height was equated to an eleven-story building, and the length was four blocks of the city. Phones, elevators, a private electric grid, a garden, a hospital, shops - all this was placed on the ship. Chic halls, gourmet restaurants, a library, a pool and a gym - everything was accessible to high society, first-class passengers. Other clients lived more modestly. The most expensive tickets, with the conversion to today's rate, cost more than $ 50,000. An economical option from $ 100.
The history of the Titanic is the story of different layers of the then society. Expensive cabins were occupied by successful, famous personalities. Tickets to the second grade were bought by engineers, journalists, and representatives of the clergy. The cheapest decks were for expats.
Landing began at 9:30 a.m. on April 10 in London. After several planned stops, the ship headed for New York. A total of 2208 people boarded.
Tragic meeting
Immediately after entering the ocean, the team realized that there were no binoculars on the ship. The key to the box in which they were kept was missing. The ship followed the safest route. He was chosen depending on the season. In spring, the water was full of icebergs, but they theoretically could not greatly damage the liner. Nevertheless, the captain gave the order to drive the Titanic in full steam. How the ship sank, which, according to the owners, it was impossible to sink, was later told by passengers who were lucky to survive.
The first days of the voyage were quiet. But already on April 14, radio operators received repeated warnings about icebergs, which were largely ignored. In addition, by night the temperature dropped significantly. As you know, the team did without binoculars, and such a grandiose ship was not equipped with spotlights. Therefore, the forward observer noticed an iceberg only 650 meters from himself. The man gave a signal to the bridge, where the first assistant Murdoch gave the order: "Turn left" and "Reverse." This was followed by the command: "Right." But the hulking ship was slow in maneuvering. The board collided with an iceberg. That is why the collapse of the Titanic.
Distress alert
The clash happened at 23:40, when people were almost all asleep. On the upper deck, the blow was invisible. But the bottom was pretty shocking. Ice drilled 5 sections, they instantly began to fill with water. Overall, the hole was 90 meters long. Designer Thomas Andrews said the ship would last a little over an hour with such damage. The crew was preparing for an emergency evacuation. Radio operators transmitted the SOS signal.
The captain gave the order to put women and children in boats. The team itself also wanted to survive, so strong sailors picked up oars. First of all, the wealthy passengers of the Titanic escaped. But there was not enough space for everyone.
From the very beginning, the liner was not sufficiently equipped with everything necessary. A maximum of 1,100 people could have been saved. In the first minutes it was completely imperceptible that the ship began to sink, so the relaxed passengers did not understand what was happening, and reluctantly climbed into half-empty boats.
The last moments of the miracle ship
When the nose of the liner leaned strongly, widespread panic among passengers.
The third class was left closed in its part. Riots began, and people in horror tried to escape, as best they could. The guards tried to put things in order and scared the crowd with shots from pistols.
At that time, the Californian steamboat was passing by, but he did not receive a signal for help from a neighboring vessel. Their radio operator overslept messages. How the “Titanic” was drowning, and how fast it was going to the bottom, knew only “Carpathia”, which with maximum speed headed in their direction.
Despite the distress signals, independent attempts to escape did not stop. Pumps pumped out water, there was still electricity. At 2:15 a pipe fell. Then the lights went out. Experts believe that the liner was torn in half, because the bow got water and sank. The stern first went up, and then, under the pressure of its own weight, the ship broke.
Chill in the abyss
The nose was sinking fast. The feed also went under water in a few minutes. But at the same time, its sheathing, body, furniture floated upstairs. At 2:20, the great ship Titanic was completely under water. As the ship sank, dozens of feature films and documentaries are shown today.
Some passengers tried hard to survive. Dozens jumped in vests into the black abyss. But the ocean was ruthless to man. Almost everyone froze to death. After a while, the two boats returned, but only a few remained alive at the scene. An hour later, "Carpathia" arrived and picked up those who remained.
Together with the ship, the captain went to the bottom. 712 people were saved from all who bought a ticket for the Titanic. The victims of 1496 were mainly representatives of the third class, people who, on this journey, wanted to touch something unrealizable and desirable.
Century Scam
Two vessels of the Olympic class were built according to one project. After the first ship went sailing, all its flaws crawled out. So, the management decided to add some details to the Titanic. Reduced the place for walking, completed the cabins. A cafe was attached to the restaurant. To protect passengers from bad weather, the deck was closed. As a result, an external difference appeared, although earlier it could not be distinguished from the Olympic liner.
The version that the “Titanic” was not accidental under water was made public by Robin Rardiner, an expert on shipping matters. According to his theory, the senior and battered Olympic was sent to swimming.
Ship replacement
The first liner was launched without insurance. Having survived several accidents, it became an unpleasant burden for the company. Permanent repairs required tremendous funds. After the damage inflicted on him by the cruise, the ship was again sent on vacation. Then it was decided to replace the old ship with a new one, which was insured and very similar to the Titanic. As the liner sank, it is known, but few people know that after the tragedy, the company White Star Line received a round compensation.
It was not difficult to arrange a catastrophe. Both ships were in the same place. “Olympic” was redecorated, rebuilt the deck and stuck a new name. The hole was patched with cheap steel, which weakens in ice water.
Theory confirmation
An important proof of the veracity of the version is undeniable facts. For example, the fact that world tycoons and successful, wealthy people abruptly and unreasonably refused the long-awaited trip on the eve. Among them was the owner of the company, John Pierpont Morgan. Only 55 first-class customers canceled tickets. Also, all expensive paintings, jewelry, gold reserves and treasures were removed from the liner. There is an idea that the privileged passengers of the Titanic knew some secret.
Interestingly, the captain was appointed Edward John Smith, who still went to the "Olympic". Repeatedly, he noted that this is his last flight in life. People around him took the words literally, because the sailor was going to retire. Researchers believe that this was a punishment to the commander for past mistakes on the previous ship.
Many questions arise because of the first assistant captain William Murdoch, who ordered to turn left and turn on the reverse. The right decision in such a situation would be to go straight and mash your nose. In this case, the Titanic would not be at the bottom.
The Curse of the Mummy
For years, there have been stories that there were innumerable treasures aboard. Among them is the mummy of the seer Pharaoh Amenhotep. Even 3000 years ago, a woman predicted that her body would fall under water and this would happen under the cries of innocently dead people. But skeptics do not consider the prophecy to be true, although they do not exclude the possibility that the secrets of the Titanic have not yet been revealed.
There is also such a version: the catastrophe was planned in order to suspend the technical development of society. But this theory is even less believable than the mummy myth.
The ruins lie at a depth of 3750 meters. Dozens of grand dives were carried out to the liner. James Cameron, the filmmaker of the famous film, was repeatedly in the group of researchers.
A century has passed, and the secrets of the Titanic still interest and excite humanity.