April 15th for most people brings visions of long lines at the Post Office, as many of us scurry to get our tax returns posted before midnight tonight (did you put if off until now?). But for a lot of people, April 15th means more than just tax day.
96 years ago last night, at 11:40 PM, the most opulent passenger ship of its time, the R.M.S. Titanic, struck an iceberg and began taking on water. In less than three hours, at 2:20 AM, the largest moving object ever created by man (at that time) disappeared beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. The ship took over 1500 souls with it. Of 2207 people on board, only around 705 survived.
Weather played a significant factor in the Titanic disaster. It was a perfectly clear night, with no wind at all and no moon. The lack of moonlight made it difficult to see icebergs at a distance. In addition, the lack of wind meant that there were no waves at all. Under normal conditions, waves lapping up on the bottom of an iceberg make it easier to see. Thus the men in the crow's nest did not see the iceberg until it was too late, and at the speed the Titanic was moving, it wasn't possible to dodge the ice. The ship struck the iceberg a glancing blow.
Now we learn, according to yesterday's New York Times, that a new book shows that the builders of the Titanic may have used substandard iron and rivets in its construction, thus causing the bow plates to pop open when they struck the ice. If the iron plates and rivets had been stronger, the e damage might have been less and the ship might have stayed afloat longer, or even survived the collision entirely.
Historians have always been fascinated by the Titanic story and all its aspects. Now, on the 96th anniversary of the world's greatest peacetime maritime disaster, they have something new to think (and write) about.
