"New theories floated on Titanic disaster; 2 studies posit celestial lineup, mirage had role" by William J. Broad | New York Times, April 10, 2012
NEW YORK — What doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline. On a moonless night in the North Atlantic, the liner hit an iceberg and disaster ensued, with 1,500 lives lost.
Hundreds of books, studies, and official inquiries have addressed the deeper question of how a ship that was so costly and so well built — a ship declared to be unsinkable — could have ended so terribly. The theories vary widely, placing the blame on everything from inept sailors to flawed rivets.
Now, a century after the liner went down in the early hours of April 15, 1912, two new studies suggest that rare states of nature played major roles in the catastrophe.
And a second theory, put forward by a Titanic historian from Britain, contends that the icy waters created ideal conditions for an unusual type of mirage that hid icebergs from lookouts and confused a nearby ship as to the liner’s identity, delaying rescue efforts for hours.
The author, Tim Maltin, said his explanation helps remove the stain of blunder from what he regards as a tragedy.
“There were no heroes, no villains,’’ Maltin said in an interview. “Instead, there were a lot of human beings trying to do their best in the situation as they saw it.’’ The title of his new book, “Titanic: A Very Deceiving Night,’’ being published this week as an e-book, alludes to how mirages could have wrought havoc with human observations.
Scholars of the Titanic, as well as scientists, are debating the new theories. Some analysts question whether natural factors can outweigh the significance of ineptitude. Others find the mirage explanation plausible — but only in limited scenarios. Overall, though, many are applauding the fresh perspectives.
“It’s important new information that can help explain some of the old mysteries,’’ said George M. Behe, author of “On Board R.M.S. Titanic,’’ a 2010 book that chronicles the letters, postcards, and accounts of the ship’s crew and passengers.
The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious ship of its time, a glittering icon of the good life. It carried 10 millionaires, including Isidor Straus of Macy’s, then the world’s largest department store. Like hundreds of other passengers, he perished when the ship went down — the water calm and the sky luminous with stars.
From the start, news reports and inquiries said that the ice in the North Atlantic was unusually bad that year. The New York Times, in an article shortly after the sinking, quoted United States officials as saying that the winter had produced “an enormously large crop of icebergs.’’
Recently, a team of researchers from Texas State University-San Marcos and Sky & Telescope magazine found an apparent explanation in the heavens. They published their findings in the magazine’s April issue.
The team discovered that Earth had come unusually close to the sun and moon that winter, enhancing their gravitational pulls on the ocean and producing record tides. The rare orbits took place between December 1911 and February 1912 — about two months before the disaster.
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"100 years later, retracing the trek of the ‘unsinkable’" by Cassandra Vinograd | Associated Press, April 09, 2012
LONDON - A cruise carrying relatives of some of the more than 1,500 people who died aboard the Titanic nearly 100 years ago set sail from England on Sunday to retrace the ship’s voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank.
The Titanic Memorial Cruise, carrying the same number of passengers - not including crew - as the Titanic did, cast off from Southampton, where the doomed vessel left on its maiden voyage. The 12-night cruise will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the White Star liner.
Waving passengers crowded the decks as the ship prepared to leave port, many dressed in period costumes as first-class passengers, crew members, steerage passengers, and stewards.
Graham Free was dressed as an Edwardian gentleman and described his excitement for the cruise as he waited to board.
“I have been a fan of the Titanic since I was nine years old and this cruise is the closest you are going to get to it,’’ said Free, 37. “The trip has cost a considerable amount, but I wanted to do it.’’
Fellow cruiser Carmel Bradburn, 55, who lives in Australia, described herself as “fanatical’’ about the Titanic and struck back at accusations that retracing the doomed voyage is in poor taste.
“I don’t think the cruise is morbid. It’s like saying Gallipoli is morbid or commemorating the [Crimean] war,’’ she said. “Remembering those who died is not morbid.’’
With 1,309 passengers aboard, the MS Balmoral will follow the same route as the Titanic - though the Balmoral had to leave two days earlier than the Titanic did because it is a smaller and slower vessel.
The Balmoral is operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, whose parent company, Harland and Wolff, built the Titanic in Belfast. It has been chartered for the event by Miles Morgan Travel, which specializes in tailor-made holidays.
The organizers are trying to recreate the onboard experience - minus the disaster - including the food and a live band playing music from that era, in a tribute to Titanic’s musicians who reportedly played their instruments until the ship sank.
The Titanic struck the iceberg late on April 14, 1912, and sank the next day in international waters in the North Atlantic....
Cruise organizers have set up a special memorial service on Saturday to start at 11:40 p.m. to mark the moment Titanic hit the iceberg, and later at the exact moment when the ship sank.
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