101 Things You Thought You Knew About The Titanic …But Didn’t

by Tim Maltin and Eloise Aston

Wakefield Press 2010

The Titanic disaster seems to have raised an incredible number of theories, misinformation and just plain lies than almost any other disaster in history. In an event such as this people have different memories of what happened depending on their location and viewpoint at the time. There will therefore be conflicts or inconsistencies in their stories. These are seized on by the conspiracy theorists and whole alternate scenarios built up.

This highly detailed book looks at the various myths and “facts” surrounding the disaster and tries of make sense of them by the simple expedient of going in search of the truth. The records are there – the authors make extensive use of the records of both the American and British enquiries – and are extensively quoted. Surprisingly some of the “myths” are true, as recounted in witness statements. Others seem based more on the money to be made from a good story, and of course there is always the political angle. The book covers all of these.

The British enquiry seems to have been a whitewash to cover up the inadequate safety precautions set by the British Board of Trade. The evidence presented here and the comments made by the enquiry members differ from the American enquiry and this is fertile ground for conspiracy theory. It is up to the authors to straighten out the inconsistencies. They point out, for instance, that the safety regulations as regard lifeboats were based on the assumption that new ships divided into watertight compartments would be virtually unsinkable. Passengers would be safer on the ship. The idea that a number of these compartments could be holed at the same time (as happened to the Titanic) was not considered. It is this evenhanded approach by the authors that sets the book apart from more simplified histories.

The various myths about the ship’s safety and standard of construction are examined in detail. There is sufficient evidence presented in the book to show that safety was important to the White Star line and the catastrophe was partly the result of circumstances that were simply unforeseen in the designers’ extensive experience.

The book goes on to look at the voyage itself, the Captain, the crew and the rescue. As befitted a new prestige ship the company put some of its best men in charge. Many accusations were levelled at the Captain but he appears from the information in the book to have been a fine seaman, skilled and experienced. Some myths surrounding him seem to be based more on a search for a scapegoat than on fact. It is true that he had no experience in handling such a large ship, but neither did anyone else. Ships like the Titanic pushed the envelope for size, speed and power.

The details of the wireless calls and the response of nearby ships is well explained. Those ships that could respond did so, and those that didn’t had good reasons for their inability. Even the myth of the “ghost ship” supposedly sighted near the sinking ship is adequately explained by the facts – if you bother to look for them, as the authors have. The disaster is covered thoroughly by witness statements. Special attention is given to the story about “not enough lifeboats”. The results involve looking at the details of ship construction and layout, the procedures followed to launch the lifeboats, even how many passengers a lifeboat could hold while it was being lowered before it would break up. The results are surprising but revealing.

The book is a pleasure to read. When I put it down I felt I knew much more about the disaster and its causes because of the simple, clear explanations and the wealth of background. Only the most hardened conspiracy theorist could fail to accept its conclusions. It is based on information, not speculation. We need more books like this.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 5 of the digital and print edition of Synergy.

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