Young Writers Society

This is an editorial paper sorta thing (Basically a research paper) about who I think is to blame for the tragedy of the TITANIC. Reviews greatly appreciated, its for a project. Thanks!

RMS TITANIC

Who’s to Blame?

On the night of April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. Hitting the iceberg tore the flank of the ship, filling the ship with more water than it could hold. But who’s to blame? The ship’s designer Thomas Andrews? Captain Smith? The crew? The ship builders? Who caused the Titanic to sink to the bottom of the ocean?

Some say it was Mr. Thomas Andrews. The Titanic was built to stay afloat if the first four compartments were filled, but no more. When the iceberg raked along the bottom edge of the ship, water flowed past the four unroofed compartments, slowly sinking the bow and front edge of the ship. If Mr. Andrews had designed the Titanic with closed compartments, it may have stayed afloat.

Many people blame the Titanic’s own captain, Edward John Smith, and the crew. That fateful night, the binoculars were nowhere to be found, therefore, the iceberg couldn’t be seen until thirty seconds before the collision. Officer Murdoch ordered the crew to turn the ship, which ended up giving them more damage than it would have if they had hit it head on. When they turned, the iceberg cut all along the bottom of the ship, where if they had hit it head on, it may have damaged some of the bow, but the Titanic, being made of steel plates and iron rivets, would have suffered minor damage.

Another suspect is J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman and the managing director of White Star Line. (The company that built the Titanic.) J. Bruce Ismay was a very rich man, who boarded the Titanic on its maiden voyage, as a representative for the White Star Line. He encouraged the captain to go at the ship’s fastest speed, wanting to get to New York as soon as possible. He felt that the Titanic was unsinkable, and was proud and ambitious. If the ship had been going slower, they might have missed the iceberg and made it safely to New York.

I think that many people are to blame for the tragedy of the Titanic. Mr. Andrews could have designed the ship with tight fitted compartments and made it so it could stay afloat if more compartments needed to be filled. I know for sure that Captain Smith is to blame. Eight to twelve iceberg warnings were sent out a few days before the Titanic sank, them all being about an ice field. On the thirteenth of April, a day before the Titanic sank, they received six more iceberg warnings. Five iceberg warnings were all sent out the night of the Titanic’s sinking, ranging from nine-o-clock A.M. to 9:40 P.M., then the radio was shut off. I also think that mother nature had something to do with it. That night it was a new moon, no light shone on the water, illuminating the iceberg. The iceberg wasn’t one we think of, it wasn’t snowy white, but like black ice, crystal clear. No waves splashed against the iceberg, making the iceberg even more difficult to see. But that is why it is a tragedy, not one person caused the Titanic to sink, many people are to blame. If one thing had changed that night, so would the outcome of the RMS Titanic.