It has been more than 110 years since RMS Titanic was struck by an iceberg and the presumably unsinkable ship sank, taking 1500 unfortunate souls with it. The devastation struck by this incident was immense and so was the long list of stories and myths that followed it. So, what is the truth and what not? Let us debunk some of the most famous myths surrounding the luxury liner, Titanic.
Myth: Titanic was touted and advertised as the “unsinkable” ship before its maiden journey by the White Star Line
We all find it quite ironic that the ship that was considered “unsinkable “, sank on its maiden journey. Yes, while it is true that Titanic was considered unsinkable, it was never advertised as one. The words that were always used in the advertisements were something on the lines “as far as it is possible to do so, the ship is designed to be unsinkable. It was only once remarked by Albert Franklin of White Star Line that the boat was unsinkable and there is no danger of sinking. People seem to have harped upon this one incidence to say that the ship was advertised as being unsinkable.
Myth: Women and children went first on the lifeboats
No there was no such rule that dictates that women and children must go first on the lifeboat. It was just a social etiquette in 1912 that men stepped away to give their seats to women and children first. The truth is that many men and male crew jumped into lifeboats without thinking about others.
Myth: There was a shortage of lifeboats on the ship
This myth is widely circulated and thanks to popular media we all believe that the Titanic had an acute shortage of lifeboats, thanks to it being “unsinkable”. Well, it is an absolute myth and you would be quite surprised to know that the Titanic, in fact, had a sufficient number of lifeboats. So, who is the culprit? It is the law that sanctioned a meager number of lifeboats on the ship. The English law stipulated the number of lifeboats on the basis of the vessel’s gross tonnage. But after this disaster, the rules were modified and changed, and now. So, the absence of lifeboats was not due to the negligence of the owners of the ship but the rule-makers.
So, do you feel drawn to the Titanic?
