96 years

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[RMS Gigantic]

Rest in peace, all those who went down with the ship. You will not soon be forgotten. Among those casualties are:

Lorrain Allison: the only child in all of first and second class to lose her life in the tragedy.

Thomas Andrews: The man who knew the ship that he built so well, he could tell that it would, and how it would, sink.

John (Jack) George Phillips: the radio operator, who had it not been for the distress calls he sent, there would be no survivors.

--And Last, But By No Means Least--

Captain Edward John Smith: Captain of the greatest ship the world had ever seen before 1912, in 1912, and since 1912.

[trains]

Andrews knew because he built the ship and studied the blue prints carefully.

[DerBandit]

Holy Moly, let me know when you're done with the incense of that ship.
Funny that you mention that one child out of 1st/2nd class. Was she a better child then the ones from the lower decks?

[mvsmith]

I don’t see how Titanic, by any stretch of the imagination, can be called the greatest ship. Even at the time of her construction—apart from being the biggest and perhaps the most opulent—she was inferior to most other liners of that time.

She was not the fastest. She used outmoded reciprocating engines while Cunard liners had adopted turbines for all screws.

She was inadequately equipped for passenger safety.

The organization of bridge operations was lax; only one of the many ice warnings was ever plotted. The others ended up in scattered places including Ismay’s pocket.

Her rudder, while not necessarily undersized, had an inadequate steering engine that required a full thirty seconds to put the rudder hard over.

She was, in many respects, a floating death trap.
Marty

[IRI5HJ4CK]

We will never know exactly what happened that day and why, sadly.


IRI5HJ4CK

[mvsmith]

Actually, we do have a pretty clear picture of what happened, and why. Extensive transcripts of two inquiries, along with archeological evidence that became available after Ballard located Titanic give a good picture of the events to those who research the subject rather than rely on motion pictures and old myths.
Marty

[RMS Gigantic]

I don’t see how Titanic, by any stretch of the imagination, can be called the greatest ship. Even at the time of her construction—apart from being the biggest and perhaps the most opulent—she was inferior to most other liners of that time.

She was not the fastest. She used outmoded reciprocating engines while Cunard liners had adopted turbines for all screws.

She was inadequately equipped for passenger safety.

The organization of bridge operations was lax; only one of the many ice warnings was ever plotted. The others ended up in scattered places including Ismay’s pocket.

Her rudder, while not necessarily undersized, had an inadequate steering engine that required a full thirty seconds to put the rudder hard over.

She was, in many respects, a floating death trap.
Marty

Do a little more research:

White Star went for size and luxury,  leaving speed for Cunard, whose ships went so fast there were vibration problems.

Titanic PASSED the lifeboat requirement, carrying 20, rather than 16. The standard was only changed to passenger capacity AFTER her loss.

Captains in the day were taught to keep to the schedule, which is why they didn't slow down. They DID respond to the warnings, however, by changing the course to go a little more south before crossing the field. Again, only after her sinking did captains start to slow down in case of ice.

She could turn well by TODAY'S standards!

[mvsmith]

What you have just offered are excuses for the fact that she was an ill-conceived and ill-used ship that killed a lot of people.

By today’s standards she would not be allowed to operate, even if someone were silly enough to build her. By today’s standards, had her captain survived he’d have been tossed into jail for reckless endangerment, if not depraved indifference to human life.

[RMS Gigantic]

What you have just offered are excuses for the fact that she was an ill-conceived and ill-used ship that killed a lot of people.

By today’s standards she would not be allowed to operate, even if someone were silly enough to build her. By today’s standards, had her captain survived he’d have been tossed into jail for reckless endangerment, if not depraved indifference to human life.

Today's  standards? It may be bad by today's standards, but when it was built, it surpassed every standard exept for tensil strength in the expansion joints (something White Star would most likely fix soon after). Besides, I don't care much for today's standards. The ships today can't even compare to the luxury of the Olympic class ships.

[kjh787]

Also today, there is olny 1 living suvivor left, everyone else who sialed titanic has passed away.

[mvsmith]

Being the cause of perhaps the greatest maritime disaster does not make her the greatest ship.
Unless, of course, the title of “The Greatest” is awarded on the basis of the body count.

[RMS Gigantic]

Being the cause of perhaps the greatest maritime disaster does not make her the greatest ship.
Unless, of course, the title of “The Greatest” is awarded on the basis of the body count.

if that WAS how it was awarded, Titanic wouldn't get it, as there was a disater where a ship had over 4,000 casualties!

[Agent|Austin]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004349474_titanic15.html

[DerBandit]

Today's  standards? It may be bad by today's standards, but when it was built, it surpassed every standard exept for tensil strength in the expansion joints (something White Star would most likely fix soon after). Besides, I don't care much for today's standards. The ships today can't even compare to the luxury of the Olympic class ships.

Luxury for a view, mainly build for the mass of emigrants willing to or forced to or needed to leave europe.

[IRI5HJ4CK]

I've always said this, Titanic was and still is the greatest liner of all time, although she may have had her faults, in my opinion these faults would not have been a problem if Titanic was handled in the correct manner. The faults only came into action when Titanic started to sink. Now, if she was handled correctly she would have not hit that iceberg, and she would not have sunk, and besides whats done is done, she sank and we will never know exactly what happened, even though we have "records" some of these records are different than others, since people were so scared and schocked they may have not been sure what happened, and if there is any secrets to be kept, they always will be kept until time has forgotten about them.

IRI5HJ4CK

[DerBandit]

She sure was a nice ship. But some people here get a little carried away, the way they speak about here. It's like they almost want to build a temple for her.
And how can a ship be the greatest liner of all times if it did not even survive the maiden voyage. Maybe it is the fact that it was her maiden voyage, when she sunk. That put all the glory arround the ship, otherwise she would just be one of many going into service and out of service.

[RMS Gigantic]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004349474_titanic15.html

From what I've read/heard/watched, even though the metal plates and rivits she was made of turned weak and brittle in cold tempurature, she was still made of some of the best stuff available at the time!

[RMS Gigantic]

It's like they almost want to build a temple for her.

Sounds good to me!

[DerBandit]

Certainly not to me

[Mad_Fred]

I agree that there's some overly enthusiastic worshipping of the ship going on. I believe that, if she had not sunk, the people that display this behaviour, would not speak of her at all nowadays.

So yes, I do think that it is the disaster that made her the "greatest ship of all times" to some of you.
Had she just been taken out of service after she had become obsolete, she would have been not much more or less than her contemporary counterparts. There would be no movie made, there would be no museu,, there would be no self proclaimed experts that worship her.

Luxury is relative. The liners of today offer much more than they did back then. I second mvsmith's remarks. The materials she was built from were not all first class, the engines outmoded, the safety requirements inadequate and some of the people that are said to be "hero's" actually ran her in such a way that she sunk.

Greatest disaster at sea?  Yeah, I guess so... If you don't count any of the war related sinkings...
What about the Wilhelm Gustloff..  an estimated 6 to 9 thousand refugees where on her and most of them died in that nasty attack... Why doesn't anyone talk about that then?  Or the sinking of the Goya (6000 wounded and refugees). Or the Armenia (5000 wounded/refugees), or the Awa Maru (2000 civilians), or the Tsushima Maru (1500 schoolchildren en civilians) to name a few.

And greatest ship ever?  Nope. Not by a long shot. Sorry. Set against her type/class and how well she was built and equipped to do that job, she's not the greatest. There are many many other ships that did and do their job much better and much safer. I'm not just talking about luxury cruise liners, I am talking about all ships, and if you call something the greatest ship ever, you must take all ships into account.. I think a nimitz class carrier would be a bit "greater" than the titanic. To name just one. 

Regards,
Fred

[marcstrat]

Greetings guy's,
Well dont forget the 'Estonia'.
That was also a great disaster,on the baltic sea.
And it's not that long ago,the same with the 'Herald of free Enterprice'here in Zeebrugge.
Well i think the list is long if you want.
Marc

[[RWP]DJM]

Hiya all

I think a lot of this comes from the 'romance' behind the story, she has been remembered for almost a Century for many reasons, but the biggest reason has to be the way people feel about her after finding out about the sinking.

That's how it all started with me, my first memory of Titanic is way back in 1985, (1st September actually) when they discovered the wreckage.  This happened to coincide with my Sister's 10th Birthday, so it had a little more significance at the time for me

I did an essay in school a few years later, after reading so much about what happened that night (some of which seems to be pure speculation).  I've had a sort of 'passion' for the ship ever since

As others have said though, she isn't the worst disaster on record, far from it, just one of the most publicised

Regards.

DJM.

[TJK]

  Last witness from Titanic has died
On Saturday the 6th of May 2006, Lillian Asplund died at the age of 99. She was five years old when she was onboard the Titanic with her family and eventhough there are two other survivors still alive theese two were too young to remember anything. Lillian and her family had been in Sweden visiting relatives (she is of Swedish descent), and was on her way home with her parents and four brothers. Only Lillian, her mother and a younger brother survived from the family. Ever since Titanic Lillian has given very few interviews and has avoid any publicity.

[RMS Gigantic]

Last witness from Titanic has died
On Saturday the 6th of May 2006, Lillian Asplund died at the age of 99. She was five years old when she was onboard the Titanic with her family and eventhough there are two other survivors still alive theese two were too young to remember anything. Lillian and her family had been in Sweden visiting relatives (she is of Swedish descent), and was on her way home with her parents and four brothers. Only Lillian, her mother and a younger brother survived from the family. Ever since Titanic Lillian has given very few interviews and has avoid any publicity.

Rest in Piece

[RMS Gigantic]

I agree that there's some overly enthusiastic worshipping of the ship going on.

I actually refered to her in another thread as "the object of my idolatry"!