Who sank the Titanic?

by wooji (student)

Who sunk the Titanic?

1911 April 14th A disaster struck that would claim 1514 lives. Under the icy seas of the Atlantic the Titanic rests on the seabed with the souls of those unfortunates who lost their lives.

1900's the turn of the new century Europe was in a shipbuilding frenzy company’s strived to out do each other by building bigger and more luxurious ships than before. One of such company’s was the White Star Line. 1909 Bruce Ismay the owner of White Star Line ordered the construction of three Olympic class luxury cruisers. The shipbuilding company Harland and Wolf agreed to construct this titanic order. Thomas Andrews the ship designer set about in drawing the schematics for the Olympic class liners. Thus the Titanic began constructions besides her sister ship the Olympic. 1911 the Titanic was launched in April 10th the ship sailed to Liverpool. Proclaimed to be unsinkable the Titanic was reckoned to be invulnerable, but yet the Titanic suffered perhaps the worst maritime disaster. Was this because of bad engineering or shoddy seamanship? Or because of company greed?

Of the many suspects 5 of them seem the most likely. Capitan Smith the Capitan of the Titanic, Bruce Ismay owner of of the White Star Line, the shipbuilders of of Harland and Wolf, Thomas Andrews the ship designer or Capitan Lord the Capitan of the ship in front of the Titanic.

Capitan Smith may have been responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. Smith was to retire after the voyage, and he had a serious belief that the Titanic could withstand anything. After all Smith said in a interview that “I cant imagine anything a ship to sink, modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” Smith had 7 warnings of dangerous ice burgs ahead, foolishly he dismissed the warnings and had sped full steam ahead.

The Capitan also may have not been responsible of this accident because he was old fashioned sailor. The Olympic class liners were a new class of liners. The Capitan and the crew would have been learning on the job. Smith was also a experienced mariner he spent most of his life on sea, so he would had have some valuable experience of sailing with him. Smith had a life waiting for him after the voyage. Nobody would have left their life to blind luck.

Years later after the Titanic sank researchers investigated the wreck of the ...

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Years later after the Titanic sank researchers investigated the wreck of the Titanic to discover that the rivets were made of poor quality soft iron. Perhaps the shipbuilders of Harland and Wolf were responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. Harland and Wolf accepted a ridiculous order of building a monster construction. To save money and make a profit the shipbuilders may have purchased cheap poor quality rivets.

Harland and Wolf had a reputation to protect, who would want to buy ships from poor shipbuilders?The ship broke asunder after the Titanic hit the iceberg. So for the poor quality rivets to even cause any problems the Titanic had to have hit some thing making it the crews fault.

Bruce Ismay the owner of The White Star Line proclaimed the Titanic was unsinkable. Using the logic size means safety Ismays company advertised that their Olympic class liners can withstand anything that nature can throw at it. Ismay also had to beat his rivalling company's and the only way to beat them was to build the biggest, fastest and most luxurious ship. Ismay may have patronised Capitan Smith on the voyage to break a speed record on crossing the Atlantic, this may have pushed Capitan Smith into making rash decisions. Because on the 13th of April an eye witness states that the Capitan and Ismay were arguing. Ismay already caused a few deaths of his own. The Titanic was supposed to have 32 life boats, Ismay cut the total down to 20 for purely aesthetic reasons. 1025 people were dead men walking.

Again Ismay may not have been responsible in the sinking of the Titanic. The White Star Line had to secure a reputation for safe ships or otherwise The White Star Line would be out of business. Because who would want to sail on a liner that would sink?

Thomas Andrews chief designer of the Titanic could have been the one to blame for the sinking of the Titanic. The apparent ingenious Mr Andrews 16 watertight compartments would have saved the ship from sinking. When Andrews designed the Titanic his ingenious watertight container bulkheads did not reach as high as it could have. Andrews shortened the height of the bulkheads for extra first class rooms. If andrew placed lives higher than luxury he would have built the bulkheads higher and the Titanic may not have sinked.

Andrews may have not have been able to raise the bulkheads height because he was ordered to build a luxury liner. He was just payed to do a job. Maybe even raising the bulkheads would have not changed any thing. Anyway the Titanic had to have again crashed into something for the bulkheads to cause any problems, thus making it the crews fault.

Capitan Lord the Capitan of the Californian a ship only 19 miles away from the Titanic hit the iceberg. It was at 11:15 pm when the Californian sent its last radio message to the Titanic warning her about icebergs. Capitan Lord may have sent a more insistent message to the Titanic. Capitan Lords radio operator fell asleep shortly after 12am and the radio was turned off. A few moments later rockets could be seen fired into the sky. The Capitan was woken by the crew, thinking that the rockets were just a part of a party Capitan Lord dismissed the rockets as a party trick and sailed on. Perhaps if Capitan Lord turned on the radio or turned back he may have been able to save a few more souls.

It seems very unlikely more impossible that Capitan lord sank the Titanic. The Capitan sent enough radio warnings and did as he was expected, to sail the Californian. Capitan Lord was not the commanding officer of the Titanic thus holding no power of her actions nor any responsibility’s.

I think that it was mainly Capitan Smiths fault that the Titanic sank. Smith may had been a experienced sailor and a man with a future but he had been careless. Smith had ignored the last 7 iceberg warnings and his arrogance and misplaced trust into the Titanic’s ability's . On a ship the Capitan is the lord and master of the ship. People may outrank him but on his ship he is god and master. No man can counterman him. Perhaps Bruce Ismay patronised him to rash decisions but this just shows the lack of fortitude in his character. On the night of April the 14th 1911 Capitan Smith made a choice, he could have been influenced but he made that choice and by doing so he dammed 1517 lives to the bottom. But a the very end Capitan Smith redeemed himself and his name by going down with his ship.

Every suspect contributed to the sinking of the Titanic. And on the cold night of April the 14th Capitan Smith played the last card. On the bottom of the cold Atlantic sea rests one of the most epic legacy of human failure the Titanic and the remains of the 1514 dead.

Wooji Choi 9GH