Importance Of The Lessons Learned From The Sinking Of The Titanic

Introduction

The sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic remains one of the worst catastrophes in history. On April 10, 1912, the Titanic started on its maiden voyage. At the time, it was considered the safest, largest, and most luxurious ship in the world.[footnoteRef:1] Many people considered it unsinkable. Philip Franklin, vice president of the liner, was even quoted saying “I was confident today when I made the statement that the Titanic was unsinkable ”.[footnoteRef:2] Yet, just five days after it set sail on April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk. The accident left 1,503 people dead with only 705 survivors.[footnoteRef:3] People all over the world were shocked and outraged at the tragedy. People demanded to know what happened and how to stop it from happening again. This public outcry prompted positive changes. The purpose of this paper is to show how the lessons learned from the sinking of the Titanic were used to help improve laws and safety standards. [1: Sloan, Titanic, 20.] [2: Quoted in the Guardian, The Titanic is Sunk, https://www.theguardian.com/news/1912/apr/16/leadersandreply.mainsection. Accessed January 16, 2019.] [3: Sherrow, The Titanic, 72.]

Methods

Primary and secondary resources, such as library books, websites, computer databases, newspaper articles, letters, diary entries, and eyewitness accounts, were used to examine how the Titanic disaster demonstrates the theme of “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” The paper was developed by answering questions about when and where events happened, why they happened, and what impact they had over time. Reasonable help was received from my parents to properly format, organize, and edit this paper.

Results

The Titanic set sail for the first time across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City on April 10, 1912. At the time, the ship was the largest moving object ever built.[footnoteRef:4] According to historians, there were between 2,201 and 2,224 people on onboard (1,316 passengers and 885-908 crew and staff members).[footnoteRef:5] There were first class, second class, and third class passengers. Passengers included the rich and famous as well as poor immigrants. The crew included cooks, stewards, engineers, and a doctor. The staff included orchestra members, wireless radio operators, and restaurant workers. [4: Gannon, What Really Sank the Titanic, 49.] [5: Sloan, Titanic, 34. ]

On April 14, 1912 at 11:40 p.m., the Titanic hit an iceberg. The impact damaged the hull and water flooded into several watertight compartments.[footnoteRef:6] At first, passengers were told there was no danger. One eyewitness states, “Having been told there was no danger, and believing such to be the fact from the general conduct of the passengers & such officers as I saw I insisted my family remain in bed and await developments…”[footnoteRef:7] Over twenty minutes later, the Titanic sent out its first distress signal “C.Q.D.” requesting help.[footnoteRef:8] Several ships responded, including the Carpathia, Baltic, and Olympic.[footnoteRef:9] Passengers were evacuated to the ship’s 16 wooden and 4 collapsible lifeboats.[footnoteRef:10] Unfortunately, there were not enough lifeboats. The ship sank at around 2:20 a.m., before help could arrive. Over 1,500 people were still onboard.[footnoteRef:11] [6: Gannon, What Really Sank the Titanic, 51.] [7: Dodge, Eyewitness Account of the Sinking of the Titanic, 2.] [8: “Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg,” New York Times, https://www.nytimes. com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0415.html#article. Accessed January 18, 2019.] [9: Ibid.] [10: Sloan, Titanic, 43.] [11: “The Titanic is Sunk,” Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/news/1912/apr/16/leadersandreply.mainsection. Accessed January 16, 2019.]

People were shocked and horrified at the news of the tragedy. The U.S. and Great Britain conducted investigations to find out what went wrong. They found many factors contributed to the accident.[footnoteRef:12] There were flaws in the ship’s design and construction. The ship failed to slow down after receiving ice warnings. Lookouts did not have binoculars. Wireless radio room operations were poor. The leadership had been too overconfident and indifferent to danger. The escape from the ship was disorganized. Crewmembers did not properly notify steerage passengers of the imminent danger, resulting in a higher death rate among third class passengers. Crewmembers did not conduct lifeboat drills. There were not enough lifeboats for all people onboard, and lifeboats did not have adequate supplies, such as lamps and compasses. [12: Sloan, Titanic, 56-63.]

Discussion

The results of the investigations made people realize changes were needed. The first International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea took place in November 1913.[footnoteRef:13] Others followed. According to author Victoria Sherrow, these conventions led the way to many safety improvements.[footnoteRef:14] The standard North Atlantic route was moved farther south. The International Ice Patrol was created to watch for icebergs in the North Atlantic. Laws were changed to require ships to have 24-hour radio communications and enough lifeboats for all passengers. Crewmembers were required to conduct lifeboat drills. Also, changes were made in how ships were built. New kinds of hulls were required to allow for stronger keels (bottoms). Bulkheads were strengthened and pumping equipment was improved. [13: Sherrow, The Titanic, 85.] [14: Ibid, 85-86.]

The sinking of the Titanic was a terrible tragedy. As a result of this disaster, many changes were made to safety regulations and ship design. They provided more safeguards to passengers at sea. Overall, maritime safety has improved and many lives have been saved.

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources

1. Dodge, Washington. “Eye Witness Account of the Sinking of Titanic, 1912: A Spotlight on Primary Source by Washington Dodge.” Glider Lehrman Institute of American History, 15 Apr. 1912, www.gliderlehrman.org/content/eyewitness-account-Sinking-titanic-1912. Accessed 16 Jan. 2019. I used this source to get an eyewitness account from Washington Dodge about his experience.
2. “Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg, 866 Rescued by Carpathia, Probably 1250 Perish; Ismay Safe, Mrs. Astor Maybe, Noted Names Missing.” New York Times, 16 Apr. 1912, https:// archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0415.html#article. Accessed 18 Apr. 2019. I used this source for first-hand information about the Titanic’s distress signal.
3. “The Titanic is Sunk, with Great Loss of Life.” Guardian, 16 Apr. 1912, www.theguardian.com/news/1912/apr/16/leadersandreply.mainsection. Accessed 16 Jan. 2019. This is the source I used for the quote from Philip Franklin about the Titanic being unsinkable.

Secondary Sources

1. Gannon, Robert. “What Really Sank the Titanic,’ Popular Science Feb. 1995: 49-55. I found information about the Titanic’s structure and the damage to it in this source.
2. Sherrow, Victoria. The Titanic. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1992. I used this source to get information about the findings from official investigations.
3. Sloan, Frank. Titanic. New York: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1987. The information about the changes in maritime laws and safety standards came from this source.