On April 15, 99 years have passed since the largest catastrophe of the 20th century. Much of this tragedy is still a mystery. Many books and films have been written about the sinking of the Titanic, and even more legends have been generated. The tragedy shocked the world community, the mass death of people shocked the whole world.
Almost all the time after the sinking of the "Titanic" there are various legends associated with this event. It is said that the logbook of the captain of a Norwegian ship was discovered, in which the sinking of the Titanic was denied. Then historians discovered that the owner of the ship Morgan, a famous financier and millionaire, refused to sail on the ship right before departure. The version was also put forward that the Titanic is the ship Olympia, built according to a similar design. Maybe there was no Titanic? Interest in the tragedy is constantly supported by newly filmed films and written books. But in reality there is no way to check any of these legends, since everything happened a long time ago.
But in any case, each legend has a certain amount of truth, and therefore arouses public interest. It remains only to determine what is true and what is fiction in each legend. It is not worth describing the details of the shipwreck, as much has been said about this. Let's turn to the mysteries associated with the Titanic.
Let's start in order. Several decades before the tragedy in New York, Archibald Welsh & Co. published a fantastic book by a certain Captain Morgan Robertson. It described the experience of a shipwreck of a passenger steamer, in which the captain managed to escape. But this is not the most important thing. The important thing is that the steamer was called "Titan". Moreover, all the technical and technical data coincided with the Titanic! The dimensions of the ship, the number of passengers, the number of lifeboats, and a host of other parts also matched. And the Titan died from a collision with an iceberg. Doesn't it look like anything?
If before the tragedy they practically did not know about the book, then after the sinking of the Titanic the book became a hit of sales. The publishers republished it many times, making huge profits. The book contained an almost documentary description of what happened during the sinking of the Titanic. This is despite the fact that the work was written long before the tragedy. Readers were shocked by this mystical coincidence.
The advertising campaign aimed at popularizing the "Titanic" became the largest in the early 20th century. Every newspaper lavishly paid by the ship's owners described and extolled the ship's merits. Newspaper headlines were full of descriptions of a ten-story floating palace with a displacement of 50 thousand tons, 269 meters long and 28.2 meters wide. The promenade decks and long corridors of the ship were beautifully described, and 762 cabins were ready to receive a lot of willing passengers. The ship was protected by a double bottom and 19 watertight compartments, which made it virtually unsinkable. The ship's chief designer, Thomas Andrews, even stated that the ship would be able to sail with four compartments filled with water.
Newspapers with might and main described the modern equipment of the liner and its luxurious salons, made incredible statistical calculations that should have amazed the imagination of the reader. It was said that the "Titanic" stocked 44 tons of meat and poultry, 35 thousand eggs and 40 tons of potatoes, 27 thousand bottles of beer and water and 5 tons of sugar. It was reported that 10 millionaires will go on the first flight, who will carry gold and jewelry in the safes of the liner, the cost of which exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars. Everyone dreamed of getting on the first voyage of the ship, which was especially proud of the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic.
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The Titanic entered service on April 2, 1912, and on April 10, at 1 pm, the ship left for its maiden and last voyage. On the fourth day of the voyage, the Titanic's radio operators began to receive alarms from nearby ships. It was reported that there are many icebergs around and it is better to slow down.
The Titanic was at this time 450 miles south of the island of Newfoundland. The signals were reported to the captain of the ship, Edward John Smith. But he did not attach due importance to this, ordering the lookouts to be more vigilant.
The result of such a decision is known to everyone. "Titanic" collided with an iceberg, about one and a half thousand people died, only a few miraculously escaped, getting on boats. The chronology of events is described in detail in many sources, so we will not go into details. However, there is something to complain about.
It is unclear why a ship like the Titanic did not have a powerful searchlight that would illuminate the path along the ship's course. This is still a trifle, because the lookouts didn't even have binoculars. The behavior of the captain also raises questions, who, in a collision with an iceberg, gave the command "Medium forward", which only brought closer the moment of the ship's death. As a result, the Titanic's holds were instantly filled with water. The actions of the captain generally have the most questions. At the moment of the collision, he immediately went to the cabin of one of the richest men in America, John Astor, inviting him to take a seat in the boat. And this is instead of ordering the radio operators to give an SOS signal. It is puzzling.
Another fact that is puzzling. There were only 20 boats on the Titanic, which could hold 1,178 people. During the tragedy, there were 1,316 passengers and 885 crew members on board. And this despite the fact that the liner is designed for 3300 people. One gets the impression that someone specially created all the conditions for the tragedy.
This has also been noted by Western writers. In June 1995, a book called The Mystery of the Titanic was published. Its authors Robert Gardiner and Dan van der Vata described many strange events and incidents directly related to the tragedy. It was again mentioned that for health reasons the famous millionaire Pearson Morgan, who owned the ship, refused to sail on the ship. Although a couple of days after the tragedy he was seen in one of the resorts of France with his mistress. There was no question of illness, Mr. Morgan radiated health and well-being.
Another interesting fact. A unique collection of paintings was to be transported aboard the ship, but it remained on the shore. At the moment, this collection is the basis of the New York Museum of Modern Art. Why the paintings did not go along with the liner. Also at the last moment, about 50 people refused to sail. These are mainly Morgan's close friends and business partners. Among them are German steel tycoon Henry Frick and American multimillionaire George Vanderbilt. What is the reason for this unexpected decision?
The book also puts forward a version that the Titanic was in fact very similar to the steamer Olympic, which was built a year earlier. Before the departure, the inscription was changed on the stern and side of the Olympic, after which the Titanic had already entered the sea. Why was it done?
One of the versions is that Olympic had managed to get into several unpleasant situations before. The steamer collided with a British cruiser, while the captain of the Olympic at that time was Edward John Smith, the future captain of the Titanic. The crew of the ship "Olympic" was found guilty, and the White Star Line was to lose one million dollars. At that time, it was a large amount. This, according to the authors of the book, was the reason for the creation of the insidious plan. The Olympic, disguised as the Titanic, was sent on a voyage. At the same time, his captain was ordered to move at full speed, despite any warning of icebergs. The disaster was a planned act.
Several years ago, more than four thousand items were retrieved from the sunken liner. None of them were marked "Titanic". The authors of the book claim that the real Titanic served the company for another twenty years under the name Olympic and was decommissioned in 1935. How true this is, only the reader can judge. Unfortunately, there is no way to get reliable evidence.
It was another legend about an event that shocked the whole world. But no one can know the real cause of the sinking of the Titanic.
