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What were the origins of this great ocean liner? Why was Titanic built? Why was she called unsinkable? Why did she sink? Why weren’t there enough lifeboats for everyone? Was third class prevented from getting into lifeboats? Who was at fault? What changed after the disaster? At the turn of the twentieth century Great Britain was pre-eminent; her largest shipping companies, Cunard and White Star, since the earliest days of transatlantic travel, battled for the

Olympic and Titanic were built using Siemens-Martin formula steel plating throughout the shell and upper works. This type of steel was first used in the armed merchant cruisers, Teutonic and Majestic in 1889/90. This steel was high quality with good elastic properties, ideal for conventional riveting as well as the modern method (in 1912) of hydraulic riveting. Each plate was milled and rolled to exact tolerances and presented a huge material cost to both yard

A Haitian French Family Which Traveled in Second Class Aboard Titanic Miss Louise Laroche was an Honour Member of the Titanic Historical Society from the beginning until her death in 1998. Since she could not speak English, correspondence over the years was thin. When a young man from France joined the Titanic Historical Society who spoke fluent English, Edward Kamuda asked Olivier Mendez if he would pay her a visit and her story was published

Excerpted from “The White Star Line; An Illustrated History 1869-1934” J. Bruce Ismay at the time of the disaster, as chairman and managing director of the White Star Line, was held to blame for the loss of the Titanic by the American press; especially those controlled by William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper magnate and one of the richest and most powerful men in America. Ismay had met Hearst years before, when he was White Star’s

The White Star Line, the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company was, from 1902 until 1927, a wholly owned subsidiary of the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMMC). From its inception thirty years earlier up to the turn of the century, it was probably the most successful of the British transatlantic carriers. Thomas Ismay, the Line’s founder, was both conservative and innovative. During a period of competitive turbulence and rapid technological advances, White Star earned an enviable reputation

 U. S. Coast Guard International Ice Patrol Once Again Remembers Those Lost on Titanic  On a cold but sunny April 15th over the treacherous iceberg invested waters of the North Atlantic the men and women of U. S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina and the International Ice Patrol once again paused to remember the 1500 plus souls lost with the RMS Titanic. Ice Reconnaissance Detachment (ICERECDET) #5 deployed from Elizabeth City on

The Titanic Historical Society published this article to its readers as a public service. Documentation is in the Society’s files. While in Denver in April, 1999 attending The Titanic Historical Society’s convention, a menu was shown on the television programme, “Antiques Roadshow,” whose owner in Boston claimed was an original from the Titanic worth $75,000.00. A few months later, an antique gallery in Texas had another that it was planning to auction online. That menu

The Titanic disaster is a classic tale and now has become a modern folk story, but like all folk stories our understanding of what really happened has been clouded by the way the disaster has been recounted over the years following that terrible night in April 1912. As soon as the waves of the North Atlantic closed over her stern the myths began. It was said that the builders and owners of Titanic claimed she was unsinkable.

The distribution of myths and misinformation about the Titanic, and their perpetuation is a situation we uncover ad infinitum. Thirty-five years of publishing in the Commutator, including Don Lynch’s survivor archives, Ken Marschall’s knowledge of Titanic’s structure, information from George Behe, Ray Lepien, Eric Sauder, Paul Louden-Brown and many more authors, make a lengthy list of talent. Books, reprints, new and old material that the THS or 7C’s Press offers are a convenient resource. It

The sinking of Titanic was an event that shocked the world. Thousands of lives were touched by the tragedy. All that we know about Titanic comes from the accounts and the stories of the survivors, the rescuers and the people directly involved in the tragedy. There were countless acts of bravery and sacrifice that occurred that night. The stories of too many have been lost forever. Thankfully, many have been preserved through the continuing efforts

The whistle let out a long, booming blast, and a light outside drifted slowly by the porthole, showing that the Olympic was under way. But that’s all I saw, for these were the days of midnight sailings, and I was around nine years old. It had been decreed that I must go directly to bed, and so I was never able to join the crowds that lined the rails as the great White Star liner

ALEC BAGOT was a Marconi operator on Olympic when the Titanic struck an iceberg. He was an old man when he finished the last draft of his book, Roaming Around so his memories are faulty and tainted by pop culture about the Titanic.It should also be noted that he lived a much fuller life then most who were involved in the drama on that fateful night of April 14-15, 1912. Bagot served in the First World War, became a wealthy businessman, chaired

Simon Mills, a long time friend and member of the Titanic Historical Society has written a special chapter for his latest book “To Hell And Back, The Maiden Voyage of Britannic” exclusively for The Titanic Commutator. We will be offering you a taste of the article here and the complete article will appear in the February/May 2003 issue of The Titanic Commutator. Her first voyage was a far cry from that originally planned for the

In April 1912 when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, the subject of distress rockets was a prime news event. To this very day, due to the United States and British Enquiries ignoring the International Regulations regarding the display of signals of distress, there is confusion. Strange as it may seem, some people including a few “experts” of the Titanic story, don’t fully understand distress signals. Sadly,it seems, no one on the Titanic that