Hull Number 401

Forgive me for geeking out in this article, but I wanted something I could direct people to when the subject comes up.

RMS Titanic.  Yes, I'm one of the "Titanic" people.  I dislike the term "Titanic Fan" as that is a rather derogatory term.  I also wouldn't call myself a Titanic "historian" because, when compared to actual historians, I don't know squat.  I also don't like the "Titanic enthusiast" term.  I'm an "armchair historian".  I read books, a lot of books and also watch any documentary (even the preposterous ones) that I can get my grubby paws on.  Despite my self-imposed "armchair historian" status, I know a lot more about Titanic than the average Joe/Jolene.  Allow me to share my background regarding Titanic.

My gateway to Titanic was not Walter Lord's book "A Night To Remember".  The spark that lit the fire was a model.  In the summer of 1982 I was about ten years old, my sister was getting married and, after the rehearsal, dinner was held at a place just outside of town.  I don't know if the place was "for hire" or if the place was owned by friends, but it was a rather nice house.  There was an indoor swimming pool at ground level and the second level, a mezzanine you might say, had some tables and a "U" shaped bar.  Along one of the walls sat a large model of this ship.  Black hull, white superstructure, four funnels...  I had been interested in ships from a very young age because my Dad had been in the Navy.  His "bluejackets manual" was one of my favorite books and still is.  Being the inquisitive child I was, I asked an adult about that model.  I was told it was the Titanic.  That model captured my attention even though I had no idea what "Titanic" was besides some ship.  After that was all said and done, I did what people used to do when they wanted to know more about something back then.  I walked downtown to the library and searched the card catalog for "Titanic".  I found one book.

I read Walter Lord's "A Night To Remember" in just a few sittings.  I just couldn't put that book down.  Once the book was finished I returned it to the library and forgot about Titanic.  Just a few years later Dr. Robert Ballard found Titanic.  The first I knew about it was from the cover of National Geographic (Dad had a subscription).  I remember holding that magazine in my hands, staring at that classic photo, almost not able to process what I was looking at.  Of course, I dove into that magazine like a boy possessed.  I hadn't realized it until that day but Titanic had its hooks in me.  I wanted more information, I craved more information.  We didn't have cable TV, we didn't have internet...  That issue of National Geographic was all I had until much, much later in life.  I did find a book in the early '90s, Charles Pellegrino's "Her Name, Titanic", which I devoured.  Now that I think of it, I should read that book again to see how it compares to what we know of Titanic now.  After the discovery of the wreck there was a bit of Titanic mania but nothing like what was to come.

I saw James Cameron's movie with my best friend in the theater while visiting, oddly enough, my Sister over Christmas break '97.  I had known a movie was coming out and was chomping at the bit to see it.  It didn't help much that the game (Mac and PC on the same discs) "Titanic: Adventure Out of Time" came out the year prior to Cameron's movie.  I played the hell out of that game.  I watched the movie, bought the VHS version as soon as it was available and revelled in the mass quantities of information that were spewing forth.  The movie, as good as it was, created a monster.  The movie created... Fans.

I believe that if James Cameron had had a free hand and unlimited resources, he would have put out the best documentary anyone would ever see.  Unfortunately, that would have been a financial disaster.  At that time, the audience for an "in theater" Titanic documentary would have been rather small.  Expeditions to the wreck are not cheap.  Before the movie "Titanic" as we now know it, and the mania that surrounds that movie, there's no way Mr. Cameron could have raised enough money to pay for an expedition to Titanic for just a "documentary".  I think Mr. Cameron, sort of, had to put the Jack and Rose love story into it just so it would sell.  And sell it did.  There is definitely a line which marks pre-movie and post-movie.

Pre-movie, if I had started talking Titanic, I would have been looked down upon as a huge dork.  Post-movie I could, pretty much, have a Titanic conversation with almost anyone and appear as if I were an expert (LOL).  The post-movie hysteria died down and the general public pretty much forgot about Titanic again.  But the historians, enthusiasts and idiots like myself kept right on with it.  The growth of the internet helped quite a bit.  Encyclopedia Titanica is my favorite website.  I urge you to visit and peruse the wealth of information available there.  The research articles are my favorite part.

One research article on Encyclopedia Titanica turned my view of Titanic on end and caused me to view that ship's story from a completely new vantage point.  That article was "Acquitting the Iceberg" by Peter Elverhoi.  That article made me realize a lot of what I considered "fact" in regards to Titanic was simply myth that has been perpetuated throughout the decades.  From that point on, I would only considered actual facts.  Things said about Titanic without proof were pure speculation.  Guesses.  This new view of Titanic led me to the documents which, to me, are the basis of what we know about the night Titanic sank.  The inquiries.

I've read the US Senate inquiry and am only 1/4 through the British inquiry.  The British inquiry seems less of a witch hunt than the US inquiry but the US inquiry started immediately after survivors reached New York.  If there was an attempt to cover anything up, it would have been weak at best.  There simply hadn't been time to organize a cover up.  The survivors were scattered, some simply vanished into America, there was no way to organize a cover up.  That being said, I think some of the crew were probably covering their butts and may have left out certain details.  They wished to remain employed after all.  Details of the disaster can vary greatly from witness to witness.  Especially times of events.  The only times I would trust are from the witnesses who expressly stated that they had taken notice of the time.  When you read the inquiries, try and forget what is currently known about Titanic.  The biggest sin a person can commit when researching Titanic is to look upon the whole thing from a modern perspective.

A person researching Titanic must be wary of the marketing wank that is spewed forth to sell stuff.  Overly dramatic "documentaries", conspiracy theories, speculative facts...  I've watched many, many documentaries.  Sometimes I learn something new, sometimes I watch an hour-long program only to realized nothing of what was said can be proven.  The things that are know about Titanic are few.

Since this article is getting to be quite long, I will continue in Part 2.  If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.  I may not respond right away, but I do check in regularly.