Legends and myths of the Titanic. Titanic. True facts Interesting facts about the sunken Titanic

To point 13.
Let me clarify: both the RMS Olympic and subsequent ships of the Titanic and Britannic series - transatlantic liners of the White Star Line had a unique design for their time: they could remain afloat if any 2 of the 16 waterproof compartments were flooded , any 3 of the first 5 compartments, or all 4 bow compartments in a row, starting from the forepeak.
Unfortunately, no one imagined that water would flow into six bow compartments at once and, as the trim on the bow increased, it would begin to overflow through the watertight bulkheads, because usually the above-mentioned ones do not reach the quarters of the masts and consistent flooding of the compartments would begin. It was not a warship...

To point 12.
And, for example: "Hans Hedtoft", January 7, 1959? SOS - January 7, 1959, around 02:00: "Encountered an iceberg. Position 59.5 north - 43.0 west." 02 "The engine room is flooded with water." 03 "We took a lot of water into the engine room." Approximately 05 "We are drowning and need immediate assistance." That's all... No one was rescued, no bodies or debris were found. 55 passengers and 39 crew members were killed.
For reference: "Hans Hedtoft": Danish cargo-passenger ship with a displacement of 3000 tons, second voyage on the line Greenland - continental ports. It was designed for navigation in ice (double the thickness of the sides in the ice belt, double bottom, 7 waterproof compartments, special reinforcement at the bow and stern ends).

To point 9.
According to the investigation, 37.5 seconds passed between the call from lookout Frederick Fleet (10/15/1887 - 01/10/1965) and the moment the iceberg touched down. During this time, the airliner traveled 1,316 feet and deviated from course by 23 degrees (109 feet / 33.22 meters to the left of the original trajectory).
By the way. Frederick Fleet was found hanged on January 10, 1965, in his Norman Street garden. The coroner's report indicated that he had suffered from mental confusion, but acquaintances believed that it was all due to his depressive state, which began after the death of his wife, and was partly caused by the fact that Fleet never got rid of the guilt he felt for the deaths of the passengers . He was buried without any honors in a pauper's grave in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton. There was not even a tombstone on his grave, and only in 1993 the Titanic Historical Society Inc. Using money from private donations, a memorial plaque with an engraving depicting the Titanic was installed. Another victim of the disaster, isn't it?

To point 8.
There was no "mirage". There was a “black” iceberg: when it turns over, the part that was previously in the water does not differ in color from the water. Especially on a moonless night. There was no rough sea at all, so there was no white strip of foam at the “waterline” of the iceberg either. And the lookouts did not have binoculars - a historical fact. They just didn't see him...

To point 3.
Incorrect photo. It should have been signed like this: “The boats of the Titanic. In total, thirteen of them were found. And here they are at the 13th pier in New York, where this magnificent liner was supposed to arrive.”
...
This is a bit of a hobby of mine, in any case, I have collected a normal library in different languages and am familiar with the documents of the official investigation. To begin with, I recommend: www.titanicinquiry.org - complete reports of investigations in the States and Britain (English).

Therefore, let me make a value judgment that the Titanic was destroyed by the command “Stop the car - full reverse” (movement of McMaster Murdoch’s hand), which could not be carried out.

Alas, it only took more than 15 minutes to completely reverse the machines “from full forward to full reverse” (an investigative experiment at the Olympic and I won’t describe the features of steam engines) - while the airliner went through about 2 miles - about 3.7 km. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the features of the rudder group. Three propellers, one rudder blade, were driven by steam engines (reversible), the middle one - by a turbine (non-reversible). "The airliner actually lost control and, instead of circulating (in a circle with a diameter of 3850 feet), began to move in a spiral with an increasing radius tending to infinity. At the same time, if the command “Full speed ahead, full steam forward” had been given, then the on the turn course of 23 degrees, he would have been 8 seconds earlier and by the time of “37.5” he would have gone 92.6 meters to the left. True, there were nuances, like the rolling of the stern, usually solved by the “coordinate” maneuver (Vicki?), but. that's a completely different story...

Meanwhile. It has been documented that closer to midnight on April 14, 1912, there were only two oilers at the control post of the Titanic’s engines (according to the table of ranks, they were at the level of ordinary stokers, only those were trained to use a shovel, and these were trained to use an oil can). This is not surprising - after all, the previous command from the bridge was received more than three days ago...

Sorry, it was long, but I haven’t said everything yet...

What happened on April 14, 1912 at 23:40 in the North Atlantic remains a mystery to many. That night, the largest passenger liner in the world at that time, the Titanic, collided with an iceberg, as a result of which it sank. However, this version has often been questioned. They even say that the ship sank not because of a collision with an iceberg...

Unsolved mysteries of the Titanic

Rumors about the fatal liner. According to one of the myths, shortly before the completion of construction, shipbuilders repeatedly heard strange knocking sounds in the part of the Titanic where the second bottom was located. There is an opinion that, since the construction of the ship was carried out very quickly, one, or even several builders remained walled up in its hull. This supposedly explains the strange knocking sounds: people were trying to escape from the trap they had fallen into.

It is also widely believed that the Titanic contained an anti-Christian code. The serial number of the ship's hull is 3909 04. According to the myth, some of the ship's builders, who had a negative attitude towards the Catholic Church, put a secret message in the six-digit number. If you write this number by hand on paper and look in the mirror, the words “No Pope” will be reflected there (translated as “No Pope”). Irish Protestants believed that these words meant “No to the Pope,” so divine retribution was not long in coming, and the liner sank on its first voyage.

According to rumors, modern ships still receive the SOS signal from the Titanic to this day. Moreover, this happens once every few years with a certain frequency. The matter is not limited to just receiving radio signals from a long-sunk ship. According to some evidence, decades after the tragedy, ships sailing past the area where the Titanic sank periodically caught... the surviving passengers!

Thus, a middle-aged woman dressed in the fashion of the early 20th century was allegedly caught from the depths of the sea. She claimed that it was now 1912 and she miraculously managed to survive. After the woman was brought ashore and they decided to establish her identity, it turned out that the name she introduced herself with coincided with the real name of one of the Titanic passengers. However, as one would expect, the further fate of this woman is unknown.

This is not the only case of this kind. Crew members of various ships claimed that they were able to pick up a ten-month-old baby in the ocean, who was in a life preserver marked "Titanic", and an elderly man who was wearing a White Star Line captain's uniform. The man claimed that he was none other than the captain of the Titanic, Smith.

Conspiracy theory

Due to the similarities between the Titanic and another White Star Line ship, the Olympic, a conspiracy theory emerged immediately after the disaster that a second ship was actually sent on the tragic voyage. This theory is based on the assumption of possible fraud in order to obtain an insurance payment that could cover all the losses of the White Star Line. According to supporters of the theory, the stern sheets with the name of the ship, as well as all household and interior items with the name of the ship, were replaced, as a result of which no one could suspect a substitution.

In 1911, when leaving on the 11th voyage, the Olympic collided with the English cruiser Hawk. The Olympic suffered only minor damage and was not enough to cover the insurance claim. It was necessary for the ship to receive even greater damage. Therefore, the ship was deliberately exposed to the risk of colliding with an iceberg - the company was confident that even if it received serious damage, the ship would not sink.

There have been attempts to refute this theory more than once. For example, evidence against it was the fact that many of the Titanic's passengers had previously sailed on the Olympic and could have determined which ship they were actually sailing on. But the conspiracy theory was finally debunked only after parts were lifted from the ship, on which the number 401 (the construction number of the Titanic) was stamped, and the construction number of the Olympic was 400.

Other versions of the crash

According to the official version, the Titanic sank not so much because it collided with an iceberg, but because the ship was sailing with it. But not everyone agrees with this.

For a long time there has been a version that even before sailing, a fire broke out in the coal compartment of the ship, which first provoked an explosion, and then a collision with an iceberg. An expert who has spent more than 20 years studying the history of the Titanic, Ray Boston, has put forward new evidence for this theory. According to him, the fire in the sixth hold of the ship broke out on April 2, and it was never extinguished. The owner of the ship, John Pierpont Morgan, decided that the Titanic would quickly reach New York, disembark the passengers, and then put out the fire. The ship went to sea with a fire on board, and during the voyage an explosion occurred. The Titanic's high speed at night, when the danger of collision with ice was especially high, can be explained by Captain Edward John Smith's fears that his ship would blow up before arriving in New York. Despite numerous warnings from other ships about the ice, Smith did not reduce speed, resulting in the Titanic being unable to slow down when the iceberg was spotted.

There is a version that the Titanic sank not from the damage caused by the iceberg, but from a torpedo fired by a German submarine, again for the purpose of receiving an insurance payment. And the commander of the submarine, who agreed to be a participant in the scam, was a relative of one of the owners of the Titanic. But this theory does not have strong arguments in its favor. If a torpedo had somehow damaged the Titanic's hull, it would not have gone unnoticed by both passengers and crew.

It is also known that one of the historians, Lord Canterville, transported the perfectly preserved Egyptian mummy of a priestess-soothsayer on the Titanic in a wooden box. Since the mummy had a fairly high historical and cultural value, it was not placed in the hold, but placed directly next to the captain's bridge. The essence of the theory is that the mummy influenced the mind of Captain Smith, who, despite numerous warnings about ice in the area where the Titanic sailed, did not slow down and thereby doomed the ship to certain death. This version is supported by well-known cases of mysterious deaths of people who disturbed the peace of ancient burials, especially mummified Egyptian rulers.

Particularly noteworthy is the version that appeared after the publication of the novel by the granddaughter of the second mate of the Titanic, Charles Lightoller, Lady Patten, Worth Its Weight in Gold. According to Patten's book, the ship had enough time to avoid the obstacle, but helmsman Robert Hitchens panicked and turned the wheel the wrong way. The truth about what really happened that fateful night was kept secret by the family of Lightoller, the oldest surviving officer of the Titanic and the only survivor who knew exactly what caused the ship's sinking. Lightoller hid this information, fearing that the White Star Line would go bankrupt. The only person to whom Lightoller told the truth was his wife Sylvia, who conveyed her husband’s words to her granddaughter.

Another version appeared in writing circles. At the time of the Titanic, there was a prestigious prize in shipping awarded to ocean liners for the record speed of crossing the North Atlantic - the Atlantic Blue Ribbon. This prize was awarded to the ship "Mauritania" of the Cunard company, which, by the way, was the founder of this award, as well as the main competitor of the White Star Line. In defense of this theory, it is argued that the president of the company that owned the Titanic, Ismay, encouraged the captain of the Titanic, Smith, to arrive in New York a day ahead of schedule and receive an honorary prize. This supposedly explains the ship's high speed in a dangerous area of the Atlantic. But this theory has an elementary refutation. The Titanic simply physically could not have reached the speed of 26 knots at which the Mauritania set a record that lasted for more than 10 years after the disaster in the Atlantic.

105 years have passed since the Titanic sank, but the memories of this terrible tragedy will apparently never fade from the collective memory of society. Over the past century, many legends and stories have appeared about the Titanic itself and those who were on board the liner on the day of its death. Some of them are true, others are greatly distorted. This article presents ten of the most common misconceptions about the Titanic and that terrible day when it sank.

1. First SOS signal

One of the most enduring myths about the Titanic, which continues to haunt the minds of people interested in this topic, is the claim that this cruise ship was the first ship to use the SOS distress signal. Like most other legends, this one also has a grain of truth, which, however, has been distorted in order to give the story a more dramatic sound.

This myth arose around a recording of a conversation that took place between the Titanic's wireless operators, Harold Bride and Jack Phillips, after the liner collided with an iceberg. Bride joked that Phillips had the opportunity to try out the new SOS distress signal. Before the Titanic sank, there was no internationally recognized standard distress signal for ships in distress. At that time, British ships typically used the CQD signal - SEEK YOU - DANGER/DISTRESS. In 1906, a wireless communications conference attempted to end the confusion and designate a standard distress signal that could be easily recognized. They chose SOS, which, contrary to popular belief, does not actually stand for anything. These letters were chosen for the simple reason that they were easy to convey and recognize. Even a novice operator was able to cope with them if necessary.

However, many preferred to stick to the old traditions, and British ships continued to use the CQD as a distress signal. Titanic was no exception. After the airliner struck an iceberg, Phillips initially transmitted a CQD signal. He then followed Bride's instructions and dialed SOS.

Although the SOS signal was considered relatively new, by 1912 it had already been in use for several years (even if it was not the operator's preferred choice). The fact that it was used by the operators of the Titanic only contributed to its wider distribution.

2. The lookouts didn't see the iceberg because they didn't have binoculars.

Everyone knows that the lookouts on the Titanic did not have binoculars. Many argue that if not for the lack of binoculars, the lookouts would have been able to notice the iceberg in time, and the disaster would have been avoided. During interrogation, lookout Frederick Fleet, who was on duty when the liner collided with the iceberg, stated the same thing. Was that all there was to it? If so, why weren't they provided with binoculars?

To begin with, Titanic's lookouts were actually provided with binoculars, or at least that was the plan. They were stored on the ship in a special place. While the ship was in port, the lookout's binoculars, as a rule, lay locked in a box - for reliability. They were given to the lookout only after the sea voyage began. When the Titanic left Belfast, it became clear that the lookouts' binoculars were missing, so the second mate offered them his pair. On arrival in Southampton he asked for his binoculars to be returned and locked them in his cabin. A few minutes before the Titanic's departure from Southampton, an unscheduled change of the second mate occurred. When the lookout asked the new crew member for binoculars, he said that he did not have them. The lookouts again asked him to give them binoculars when the ship left Queenstown, but were refused.

After interrogating the captains, their assistants and lookouts, a more or less clear picture began to emerge. Opinions on the advisability of using binoculars by lookouts are divided. And for that matter, the practice of providing binoculars to lookouts used by the British shipping company White Star Line was more the exception than the rule. If they were provided with binoculars, it was usually in cases where the ship encountered bad weather during the voyage (the weather was good the night the Titanic hit the iceberg).

Some argued that there was no need for lookouts to use binoculars. Others even saw a danger in this, pointing out that focusing on one small part of the horizon without peripheral vision was disastrous. Some lookouts explicitly said that they only used binoculars when they noticed something on the horizon with their natural vision and wanted to get more information about the object. In fact, it was noted that it was not the responsibility of the lookouts to identify the object; they had to, having noticed an obstacle, inform the captain's assistants who were on the bridge about it.

It is understandable why Frederick Fleet, who was afraid of becoming a scapegoat, said that binoculars would have helped to avoid tragedy. However, in reality it seems unlikely that they could change anything. If Fleet had spotted an iceberg and then asked for binoculars to identify the object, it would have taken a very long time. In general, a collision was inevitable.

3. The Mummy of Amen-Ra

According to one popular urban legend, the Titanic's cargo hold contained the cursed mummy of Amen-Ra, which wreaked havoc and magically caused the ship to head straight for an iceberg. Of course, there was no mummy on board the Titanic.

During the cruise, the famous spiritualist William T. Stead told his companions over dinner the fascinating story of the cursed mummy of Amen-Ra. At the time, the mummy was on display in the British Museum. After the Titanic hit an iceberg, Stead's story began to spread at the speed of light. Soon everyone began to claim that the mummy of Amen-Ra was in fact not in the British Museum, but on board the Titanic.

4. If there were enough lifeboats on board the Titanic, everyone would be able to escape

Most people know that there were not enough lifeboats on board the Titanic. According to the standards of the time, such a huge liner required only sixteen lifeboats (plus four collapsible boats). It is worth noting that the idea that an “unsinkable” ship did not need rescue equipment is an outright lie. But if the Titanic had enough lifeboats to accommodate everyone on board, would that make a difference in the number of lives saved?

Answer: no; and there are a number of reasons for this. First, we know that the last lifeboats were launched at approximately 2:15 a.m., just five minutes before the ship completely sank. In other words, the assistants barely had enough time to launch the existing boats. In addition, eyewitnesses said that many passengers categorically refused to board lifeboats, believing that they would be safer on board a sinking ship. Only a few were convinced. We also know that those in third class had difficulty getting into the lifeboats. Most of them never managed to do this. The way lifeboats are stored has also become a problem. So, for example, collapsible boat C could not be dismantled until lifeboat No. 1 was launched. Collapsible boats A and B were stored on the roof of the mates' quarters; in order to get them out of there and lower them onto the boat deck, it took time, which was already running short. It is likely that additional boats would have been stored in exactly the same way; the captain's assistants and crew members simply would not have time to dismantle them and launch them.

Yes, several additional lifeboats, if available, could indeed help save more people, given that the sea was quite calm at that time, but even in this situation, the number of victims would still be incredibly high.

5. The last moments of the life of Thomas Andrews

Shipbuilder Thomas Andrews is rightfully considered one of the heroes of the story associated with the death of the Titanic. Interestingly, the legend of Andrews romanticized the last moments of his life: he stood alone in the first class smoking room, staring moodily at a picture of Plymouth harbour; his life preserver was draped over a chair, symbolizing the loss of hope of survival. A touching description, which was made from the words of eyewitnesses. But is this how Thomas Andrews really met his end?

One of the aforementioned eyewitnesses was named John Stewart. There is no reason to doubt his words, except for the timing of what we think were the last moments of Thomas Andrews' life. Stewart ended up in Lifeboat No. 15, which departed the ship at approximately 1:40 a.m. It turns out that he saw Andrews in the smoking room at least 40 minutes before the ship sank. However, there is more recent evidence that gives us a better idea of Andrews' final moments. One of the survivors (we do not know his name) stated that he saw Andrews on the boat deck when there were only a few minutes left before the final death of the Titanic. He threw deck chairs overboard to help those clinging to life in the icy water. Barman Cecil William N. Fitzpatrick saw Andrews with Captain Smith on the bridge as the Titanic made its final dive. The captain reportedly told him: “We can’t stay here any longer—he’s going under!” After that, both dived into the water together.

Apparently, Thomas Andrews spent the last minutes of his life not in despair, but in trying to save the lives of other people. In 1912, Andrews' biographer, Shan F. Bullock, wrote: "Whatever he witnessed in his last moments did not deprive him of his composure and manliness. Work is work; he had to fulfill his duties to the bitter end.”

6. Third class passengers were not given a chance to escape

The idea that third class passengers were forced to simultaneously fight for their lives and against the class system is the basis of most films about the sinking of the Titanic. However, this is not true. Yes, we know that out of 700 third class passengers, only one fourth managed to escape. There is also evidence that several small groups deep inside the ship were unable to reach the boat deck. This in itself sounds shocking. However, it is important to remember the context of the situation.

In 1912, authorities decreed that ships must be strictly separated by class to prevent the spread of disease. The open decks had low gates; There were also signs posted throughout the ship. High gates were installed in the deeper parts of the ship. The gate was a simple way to separate class compartments. However, how often these gates were actually locked is another matter. Stewards had to ensure that passengers did not move from one class to another. On the night the Titanic sank, many passengers, crew and officers did not realize the gravity of the situation. Even those who knew that the ship was sinking hoped for the ships that went to help the Titanic. Many thought that they would be rescued within an hour. In other words, people believed that even in such a critical situation, the usual rules should be followed. On top of this, most of the passengers chose to remain in their part of the ship rather than seek safety, thinking that the situation was under control. The suggestion of a deliberate attempt to prevent third class passengers from reaching the boat deck would make sense if high gates in the deeper parts of the ship were blocking their only route to escape, but this is simply not the case. Third class passengers had unhindered access to the open decks. Many eyewitnesses reported seeing third class passengers heading towards these open decks. Unfortunately, there were very few signs on the ship indicating the way to the upper decks. The problem was also compounded by the fact that many third class passengers did not speak English. Eyewitnesses claimed that stewards helped third class passengers navigate the ship, but imagine how difficult it was for those who had to do this alone. However, many succeeded. The real problem arose when they tried to gain access to parts of the ships intended for the second and first classes, located on the upper decks. It was then that they encountered real difficulties, finding themselves deprived of the opportunity to get to the boat deck. Available evidence suggests that most of the third class passengers managed to get to the boat deck, but it was too late. The suggestion that third class passengers were deliberately left to fend for themselves is, frankly, preposterous. The truth is that the main reasons for the death of so many third class passengers were underestimation of the seriousness of the situation, difficulties in navigating the intricate labyrinths of the liner, language barriers and poor organization.

7. The Titanic's tail number stood for "No Pope"

In Belfast, the hometown of the Titanic, after the sinking of the liner, rumors began to spread that if its tail number, 360604, was read with a mirror, the words “No Pope” would appear. This story became extremely popular in religious Belfast, and soon many people began to claim that the reason for the death of the Titanic was its demonic hull number.

However, this myth is quite easy to debunk, since in fact the Titanic was given hull number 401.

8. Joseph Bruce Ismay was a mustachioed villain.

There are many incredible stories of heroes and villains surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. One of them is associated with the name of the chairman and managing director of the White Star Line shipping company, Joseph Bruce Ismay. Today he is considered a mustachioed super-villain who sacrificed the safety of passengers and crew members for the sake of speed. However, how true is this image?

The first accusation leveled at Ismay relates to cutting corners during the construction of the Titanic and saving money on passenger safety. Yes, it is true that Ismay was a businessman. And it is possible that cost reduction was an absolute priority for him. However, the facts suggest that Ismay complied with the Commerce Department's demands without question and was willing to provide funds for additional lifeboats (and newly developed davits that would have allowed even more lifeboats to be carried on board if regulations had required it). It would be unfair to say that he did this purely out of the goodness of his heart, and also considered such expenses as a wise investment in the future. All of the above definitely indicates that he was not a miserly Scrooge who sat in his gloomy office and desperately tried to find ways to save on the safety of the liner in order to line his pockets with money. In fact, this would be stupid on his part, because the safer and stronger the ship, the more profit it will bring in the future. Moreover, attempting to deceive the Department of Commerce could lead to a bad reputation and negatively impact business development.

The next accusation against Ismay is that a businessman, blinded by a thirst for fame and glory, allegedly used threats and intimidation to force the captain and his assistants to increase the speed of the Titanic beyond its safety limits. But Ismay himself was a passenger. It would be stupid of him to put his own life at risk. A Titanic passenger, Elizabeth Lines, admitted that she overheard a conversation between Captain Smith and Ismay about the ship. In it, Ismay voiced bright, optimistic ideas about the future of the liner. He also said that he would like the Titanic to break the speed record set by the Olympic - a completely normal desire for the managing director of a shipping company. Everyone - both crew members and passengers - knew that the Titanic might arrive in New York a day ahead of schedule. In any case, Captain Smith was in charge of the ship, and he had no reason to fear Ismay. The White Star Line paid him a lot of money; he was even nicknamed "Captain of Millionaires" because he was popular in high society. In fact, the fact that he was appointed captain of the Titanic helped sell tickets. The idea that Ismay pressured Smith into overstepping his bounds seems unlikely. Those lucky enough to survive the terrible tragedy subsequently stated that Ismay warned them about increasing the speed of the liner during the journey. There was nothing unusual about this. In clear weather, ships, especially on their maiden voyages, sailed at full speed whenever possible. However, on the night of April 14, when the collision with the iceberg occurred, the Titanic was not sailing at full speed. The captain planned to increase it on April 15 or 16, depending on weather conditions. The liner did sail faster than usual, but not at full speed. On top of that, contrary to popular belief, the captain's mates did not reject, but rather took the iceberg warnings seriously. They informed the lookouts about this, and the captain ordered to slow down at the slightest deterioration in the weather.

So what happened to Ismay after the collision? It is well known that he escaped, for which he had to pay for the rest of his life. However, few people know that the lifeboat in which he found himself was one of the very last to be launched. Also less known is the fact that this lifeboat carried another first class passenger and four stowaways. How Ismay managed to get into this lifeboat, no one knows for sure. As a representative of the White Star Line, he had to remain on board the ship. But it is worth noting that until the moment he got into the lifeboat, Ismay was on the boat deck and actively helped women and children. He also convinced and encouraged those who refused to abandon the sinking ship.

Today, Ismay is often portrayed as a coward who should not have lived, but the truth is that the image of the mustachioed villain that he is portrayed as is not entirely accurate. Ismay certainly cannot be blamed for the tragedy that claimed the lives of almost 1,500 people.

9. The Titanic sank because a fire in a coal bunker damaged its hull.

It's an old theory that has been revived thanks to a recently released documentary. New photographs have been discovered that show a “blurred spot” on the right side of the Titanic (it was on this side that the liner collided with the iceberg). According to this theory, a fire that occurred in one of the coal bunkers damaged the structure of the ship. If it had not been for the fire, the liner would not have received serious damage as a result of the collision with the iceberg and would not have sank.

There really was a fire in the coal bunker. This was not considered a common occurrence on ships of that time, but it still happened from time to time. Titanic crew members managed to control the fire; for this purpose there were all the necessary means on board. The biggest flaw in this theory is that the “smudge,” which supposedly indicates damage to the Titanic’s hull, is located about 15 meters from where the fire occurred. Moreover, the suggestion that cost cutting led to a weaker hull that was unusually susceptible to fire damage is unfounded. There is no convincing evidence that the structural elements of the Titanic's hull were not strong enough.

The interesting thing is that there is a theory that the fire was actually beneficial. If any of the starboard bunkers were completely emptied during the fire, this could explain why the Titanic did not capsize to starboard immediately after hitting the iceberg. Be that as it may, any ship in such a situation would receive quite a lot of serious damage.

10. Captain Smith was planning to retire after the Titanic voyage.

There is no doubt that the tragedy associated with the death of the Titanic is only intensified by the thought that the captain of the liner planned to retire after the voyage. What could be better than the opportunity to say “Goodbye!” the sea while on board a majestic liner? And what could be worse than when a life ends in such a sudden, tragic way?

However, the truth is less dramatic. Yes, it is true that Captain Edward John Smith was in the twilight of his career. However, there is no evidence that the Titanic's maiden voyage was intended to be the end of Smith's career.

Unlike most of the misconceptions on this list, these rumors began before the Titanic set sail. In 1911, the ship Olympic made her maiden voyage under the command of Captain Smith. Then The New York Times wrote that Captain Smith would retire by the end of the year due to his age. The article also stated that the Titanic would most likely be commanded by Captain Bertram Hayes. However, this was not certain, since Joseph Bruce Ismay had not yet decided who to choose. By the end of 1911, it became known that Smith, who was supposed to retire in the summer of 1912, would become the captain of the Titanic.

On April 11, 1912, as the Titanic began its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, The New York Times reported confirmation of rumors that this would indeed be Smith's last voyage. In turn, the White Star Line denied this, stating that Smith would command the Titanic until he had the opportunity to become the captain of a bigger and better ship" (most likely, the Britannic was meant here ", which at that moment was under construction).

In all likelihood, Smith really planned to resign, but his popularity forced him to stay in his post. Given this, it is reasonable to assume that rumors of his impending retirement helped boost business, providing additional incentive for the Titanic voyage. Unfortunately, we will never know what decision Smith would have made later if the cruise ship had managed to safely cross the Atlantic Ocean. Whatever he did, it's fair to say that he certainly wanted to continue his career, and he had the opportunity to do so. And there is no reason to assume that the Titanic’s maiden voyage would be its last.

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The sinking of the Titanic has gone down in history forever, because both before and after it, no liner of such magnitude sank due to a collision with an iceberg. More than a hundred years have passed since the disaster, and the sunken ship has already acquired a mass of myths and legends, many of which are just fiction. We have collected in one list only the truest and most interesting facts about the Titanic, which you may not have heard of yet.

1. The liner was so huge that in order to launch it into the water, 24 tons of lubricants were needed for the gangway. These included fat, soap and even oil used by steam locomotives.

2. Interesting facts about the film "Titanic". The very first full-length film dedicated to the crash was filmed just a month after the disaster. A key role in it was played by one of the girls who was present on the ship and managed to survive the fatal night of the encounter with the iceberg.

3. The engineers and hull workers responsible for the construction of the Titanic were completely sure that their brainchild could not be sunk, because they equipped it with a powerful double bottom, as well as sixteen bulkheads. But no one fully understood the threat posed by a block of ice that was more than two thousand years old.

4. Such a tragedy could have been avoided. If you believe the collected data, the ship’s crew was told more than a dozen times that there were icebergs nearby and they should turn around or be more vigilant. But not only were they not heeded to the warnings, the radio operator did not even listen to the last one, which came less than an hour before the collision.

5. Among the interesting facts about the film “Titanic” is the reality of the entire production of the film. As in the feature film, gentleman Benjamin Guggenheim was present on the ship. He went on a voyage with his girlfriend and an assistant, and when problems arose, he did everything to ensure that his companion got into one of the boats. Having promised to join her soon, he and his assistant went into the hold, changed into an expensive suit and, returning to the bar, began to drink. No one succeeded in convincing Guggenheim to try to save himself; he decided to die like a gentleman.

6. Small items related to the shipwreck are sold at auctions with great success to this day. So the keys to a small closet where lanterns for boats were kept were bought for 60 thousand pounds. The menu from the restaurant on the ship, which was miraculously saved, cost its new owner $31,000. After some time it turned out that there was a second one and the price for it in London was already more expensive. A beautifully designed list of 40 dishes was sold for 76 thousand pounds.

7. Among the interesting facts about the sinking of the Titanic is the music that sounded from its deck until the very end. Due to its incredible volume, it sank for 2 hours and 40 minutes, and all this time, while people were being saved and seated on boats, an orchestra was playing, the members of which did not even think about saving their lives.

8. To this day, legends are made about the ship, the most popular of which is considered to be a distress signal, which is caught by other ships not far from the sunken liner every six years. The radio operator on the battleship Theodore Roosevelt first seriously thought about this back in 1972. He pulled up old records and managed to find a pattern, seeing that his colleagues had left similar messages in 1924, 1930, 1936. History repeated itself again in 1996, when the Quebec, a small Canadian ship, received an SOS signal.

9. An interesting fact about the Titanic ship - its remains were found and examined only 73 years after it sank.

10. The study of what was left of it was greatly helped by Russian-made deep-sea vehicles. They descended several times to a depth of 3.8 kilometers, where the ship now lies, and filmed it. It was these shots that were later included in the legendary film directed by James Cameron.

Unsolved mysteries of the Titanic

Conspiracy theory

Other versions of the crash

According to the official version, the Titanic sank not so much because it collided with an iceberg, but because the ship was sailing with it. But not everyone agrees with this.

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