[scroll ned for at læse på dansk]
The Titanic sank April 15, 1912 at 02:20 hours.
1500 people perished into the dark, icy waves, there can be no doubt about it. But did an ocean liner by the name The Titanic sink due to an accidental collision with an iceberg? That's another story. The following report is a highly qualified reconstruction based on comprehensive investigation of all available material made by British investigative journalists. The story is a little different than the one in the history books.
Three giant passenger ships were buildat Harland & Wolff in Belfast for The White Star Line financed by JP Morgan's forthe commercial fleet of this famous – some would say infamous – finance-businessmogul. They were called The Titanic, The Olympic and The Britanic and was a combination of American big business and British shipping industry.
In the beginning of the last century most ships weredesigned to operate for poor emigrants and was in poor condition. They went under the name 'coffin ships'. It was common knowledge that there was widespread insurance fraud and forgery in the industry.
In 1911, The Olympic sailed its maiden voyage under Captain Smith, and was upon arrival in New York involved in a collision that almost caused it to sink. Three months later Captain Smith collided theship again with a British warship, HMS Hawk, in Southhampton port. The warship was simply sucked into the Olympics huge wake and rammed into itsside. In the Navy records it says - not surprisingly - that it was Olympics fault. Testimony confirmed it, and the owners had to put up paying. The Olympic was seriously damaged in the front left side. Even itskeel underneath was bent. The British fleet do have solid warships.
As the ship, which was known as The Titanic, six months later made its maiden voyage starting from Southampton, the ship had a peculiar tendency to gravitate toward herleft side. Several surviving passengers had noticed it. The same was indeed the case with the The Olympic since it after a scanty repair in Southhampton sailed to Belfast to be finalized.
The Titanic was there when The Olympic arrived. The work was stopped to stake everything on the repair. The screw was moved from the Titanic to the Olympic due to aninjury after repair and exit from New York. These two ships were sister ships and almost completely identical. However, there are small but significant differences shown bypictures taken of them side by side at the dry dock in Belfast. The Olympic had 16 port holes in the rear. The Titanic had only 14. The Olympic had uneven windows on deck, The Titanic had evenly spaced windows.
In March 1912 they lay side by side for the last time. Here the decision was made to swap them around. It was Lord Perry, who was chairman of the company, The White Star, who probably conceived the idea. The alternative was bankruptcy because of the huge costs associated with the two shipwrecks.
Those were the times before the first World War. There were no press people who sniffed around, photography was in its infancy and people believed generally on what you told them. The harbor was huge and full of activity, and no one would notice anything. It was easy to swap. You just changed the name tags on the sides, the head of the menu in the restaurant and the signs on therescue belts. And they laid the carpeton top of the linoleum that was unique for The Olympic. Everything else interior, that is theequipment and the plates-cups-forks-knives, you name it, werestandard for all ships of the White Star Line. It could be done by a small working group on a weekend, selected, bribed or threatened to shut up. Back then you separated to orders and did not ask oncritical issues.
Captain Smith had one of the worst career records. He had damaged the entire three large ships before The Olympic: The Romanic, The Republic and The Koptic. There had also been a fire at The Majestic, however, he denied knowledge. The company had a serious squeeze on this incompetent captain. They told him that the ship would be exposed to calamities and sink, but that there would be a ship, The Californian, right near to rescue the passengers and that they had already arranged it with the captain. Captain Smith agreed on the termsthat he could select his own crew.
A rather peculiar thing is, that several machinists refused to be hired to work below deck at The Titanic's maiden voyage. This is contradictory to the coal strike and unemployment, and they would desperately need a hire. Why did they refuse, and what had they seen or heard? They preferred to wait until they were shipped out on another ship. Another sailor wrote just before departure in a letter to his sister that he 'did not like this ship'. He had sailed with The Olympic. Did he recognize significantdetails from the interior?
1500 people perished into the dark, icy waves, there can be no doubt about it. But did an ocean liner by the name The Titanic sink due to an accidental collision with an iceberg? That's another story. The following report is a highly qualified reconstruction based on comprehensive investigation of all available material made by British investigative journalists. The story is a little different than the one in the history books.
Three giant passenger ships were buildat Harland & Wolff in Belfast for The White Star Line financed by JP Morgan's forthe commercial fleet of this famous – some would say infamous – finance-businessmogul. They were called The Titanic, The Olympic and The Britanic and was a combination of American big business and British shipping industry.
In the beginning of the last century most ships weredesigned to operate for poor emigrants and was in poor condition. They went under the name 'coffin ships'. It was common knowledge that there was widespread insurance fraud and forgery in the industry.
In 1911, The Olympic sailed its maiden voyage under Captain Smith, and was upon arrival in New York involved in a collision that almost caused it to sink. Three months later Captain Smith collided theship again with a British warship, HMS Hawk, in Southhampton port. The warship was simply sucked into the Olympics huge wake and rammed into itsside. In the Navy records it says - not surprisingly - that it was Olympics fault. Testimony confirmed it, and the owners had to put up paying. The Olympic was seriously damaged in the front left side. Even itskeel underneath was bent. The British fleet do have solid warships.
As the ship, which was known as The Titanic, six months later made its maiden voyage starting from Southampton, the ship had a peculiar tendency to gravitate toward herleft side. Several surviving passengers had noticed it. The same was indeed the case with the The Olympic since it after a scanty repair in Southhampton sailed to Belfast to be finalized.
The Titanic was there when The Olympic arrived. The work was stopped to stake everything on the repair. The screw was moved from the Titanic to the Olympic due to aninjury after repair and exit from New York. These two ships were sister ships and almost completely identical. However, there are small but significant differences shown bypictures taken of them side by side at the dry dock in Belfast. The Olympic had 16 port holes in the rear. The Titanic had only 14. The Olympic had uneven windows on deck, The Titanic had evenly spaced windows.
In March 1912 they lay side by side for the last time. Here the decision was made to swap them around. It was Lord Perry, who was chairman of the company, The White Star, who probably conceived the idea. The alternative was bankruptcy because of the huge costs associated with the two shipwrecks.
Those were the times before the first World War. There were no press people who sniffed around, photography was in its infancy and people believed generally on what you told them. The harbor was huge and full of activity, and no one would notice anything. It was easy to swap. You just changed the name tags on the sides, the head of the menu in the restaurant and the signs on therescue belts. And they laid the carpeton top of the linoleum that was unique for The Olympic. Everything else interior, that is theequipment and the plates-cups-forks-knives, you name it, werestandard for all ships of the White Star Line. It could be done by a small working group on a weekend, selected, bribed or threatened to shut up. Back then you separated to orders and did not ask oncritical issues.
Captain Smith had one of the worst career records. He had damaged the entire three large ships before The Olympic: The Romanic, The Republic and The Koptic. There had also been a fire at The Majestic, however, he denied knowledge. The company had a serious squeeze on this incompetent captain. They told him that the ship would be exposed to calamities and sink, but that there would be a ship, The Californian, right near to rescue the passengers and that they had already arranged it with the captain. Captain Smith agreed on the termsthat he could select his own crew.
A rather peculiar thing is, that several machinists refused to be hired to work below deck at The Titanic's maiden voyage. This is contradictory to the coal strike and unemployment, and they would desperately need a hire. Why did they refuse, and what had they seen or heard? They preferred to wait until they were shipped out on another ship. Another sailor wrote just before departure in a letter to his sister that he 'did not like this ship'. He had sailed with The Olympic. Did he recognize significantdetails from the interior?
When the Titanic sailed, the ship was not fully loaded at all. Lots of first-class cabins were empty. Why did the already financially strapped shipping business middle of a coal strike where coal fuel was scarce not to fill up the ship? In a similar mannerCaptain Lord ofThe Californian sailed awayfive days before with the cargo full of coal and woolensweaters – but without passengers!
About50 passengers, mostlyfirst class, canceled their trip at the last minute. Many of them were business associates ofbanking mogul JP Morgan, who had originally financed the ships. Morgan himself should have been traveling as passenger, but canceled the trip at the last minute, even though he had the ship's ultimate luxury suite. He was sick, he said. A few days after it sank, a reporter spotted him in brilliant form in Aix-les-Bains in France - with his mistress. He had also ordered a collection ofprecious bronze statues removed from the ship before it sailed. They would simply have been moved to New York, and thiscould hardly have been a coincidence. So there was another reason.
Sailors are generally very nervous about one particular thing: fire on board. Nonetheless hortly after departure a fire broke out in the pile of coal at section 10 in the bottom of the ship. The captain knew all about it, but the crew was orderedto throw more coal on top of the section, while trying to keep the fire under control. Could this controlled fire have been a Plan B?
The Californian sailed in haste to set sail for Boston, but stopped suddenly on April 4th in the middle of an area full oficebergs. Captain Lord insisted on sleeping with all hisclothes on a couch on the bridge. He also ordered the boilers heated and engines on standby. What did he expect?
Captain Smith on The Titanic took a different route than normal. He received the radio signals coming from The Californian, who told me that this was standby, AND where ice fieldfound himself - which he steered his ship directly into it.
It was quite normal to sail full speed through areas with icebergs. Any iceberg that was large enough to damage an Atlantic cruiser, would be seen in ample time to avoid. So actually the captain didnot do anything unusual except that he took a detour. And also he chose to rest fully clothed in a room behind the bridge. He expected to be called to the bridge at any time?
An officer stood on the right side of the bridge when he saw the iceberg about one kilometer ahead. Instead of steering away at full speed as usual - full speed and control provides full turn - he struck his machine in reverse, which disabled the ship's steering ability and increased the risk of collision dramatically. This he had to have known as a fully fledged officer licensed to drive an ocean liner.
The passengers felt a disturbance in the ship, but it was indistinguishable from the sound and feel of the machine and screw on the reverse. When the ship hit the iceberg, it was not perceivedas other than the sound and vibration of a slowdown. The iceberg haddriven away before it became clear that the ship was damaged. Some passengers came out of their cabins, as the machines were stopped. In the first 40 minutes there was nothing to report. The ship would be unable to sink, passengers had been told, so no one was worried about it. The part we all know as the official version. But the crew in the circle around the captain behaved very laid-back. They even knew that there was a fire in the huge pile of coal no. 10. They cannot have been unaware. They knew, in other words probably what was about to happen. But they knew that they would be rescued. They then spent 45 minutes on doing nothing, then nonchalantly started the usual emergency procedures: pumps, radio signals, lifeboats, and so on. It took an hour and 25 minutes before the first distress rocketwas sent up!
Only six crew members were on duty when the ship hit the iceberg. Two of them drowned. Two survived, one of which saw nothing, and the other was hastily transferred to a post in Cape Town as far as possible from the first maritime inquiry in New York. Only two were able to be called by this interrogation. One was extremely nervous and defensive. Had he received any specific instructions or threats before? He repeated again and again: 'I did not see it, I did not see it, I did not hear ...'.
The Titanic had, as you know received radio signals from The Californian with returns of position. But from his browser he obtained a completely different position about 12 milesfrom the correct position. The captain could see a ship on the horizon, but it was a completely different ship. Captain Smith could have sailed his ship there, but instead he turned off the machine. He figured that it was The Californian, and it would come to him? Did he believe that it all went according to the agreed plan? He was as described above not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
On The Californian they saw the flares. Captain Lord asked repeatedly his crew what color the rockets had, and the answer was always: only white rockets. Didhe expectt red or blue rockets? In between The Californian and The Titanic was a fourth ship, The Samson, who performed illegal fishing with small boats in the water. They used white low-flying rockets so they could see each other in theboats. The captain told several months later that he had seen flares from a larger ship, but that he had not sailed over theredue to his illegal activities.
One of the survivors of The Titanic, Edith Russell, reported that the officers told them that they should not worry, for The Californian would come back and pick them up if they did not come back from lunch. They even sent half full lifeboats off. How could these naval officers be assured that it was The Californian, they saw on the horizon? They figured that it would come immediately and save them? But it was the wrong ship foreThe Californian was 19 mil away awaitingcolored rockets that dueto the distance never wereseen.
At one time it must have become clear to Captain Smith on The Titanic, that the planned rescue did not arrive. Theybegan filling the lifeboats, and the passengers were about to panic.
The other surviving officer, Lightholler, made maritime inquiry full ofcontradictions. He was in his cabin, he said, but he gave all sorts of information that he could not have gotten there. He had both seen it all and not seen anything. He lied then about the number of warnings that had arrived aboutthe iceberg as if ithad almost come out of thin air. He also claimed that he had spent half an hour in the water before he was picked up. This is not physically possible if the water is below freezing and the water surface only ice-free due to the currrent. A human being can survive only 3-4 minutes there. Such an explanation would today be peeled apart, but the questioning referee had no alternative but to take to his head.
When Captain Lord of The Californian was aware that The Titanic was over there, he started at full speed but too late. The ship hadalready sunk and a ship called The Carpatia had arrived and was about to pick up the survivors.
When the surviving crew members, who had not been on dyty, arrived at Southhampton April 29th, 1912, they counted on gettingto return to their families But they were detained for 48 hours and forced to sign various papers. They were told that there would leak information about scams and insurance fraud, they would be thrown in jail for 20 years without a job to get out to afterwards. The officers returned to The Adriatic and had plenty of time on the way to reconcile their statements forthe upcoming British maritime inquiry.
Then started the chapter of the British government's connivance and complicity. It is inconceivable that a fraud of these dimensions may have taken place without the core people in the government havingknowledge and giving their approval. Whetherthis approval thenwas voluntary and wholehearted is probably a question. The British government could not afford a huge shipyard in Belfast beingforced to close and render20,000 people unemployed. The opposition would gain speed, and the government would lose the next election. Prime Minister Lord Asquith was made painfully aware of the situation and strongly reminded, that JP Morgan had agreed to British use of his merchant fleet in times of war - if need be. Remember the year 1912! If the Company The White Star Line went bankrupt, it would be JP Morgan, who stood as a general creditor. England would lose disposal over all this substantial fleet.
The Prime Minister with all likelihood tookhis decision with great distaste and contempt for the fact, that greedy and cynical bankerslike JP Morgan - and here we are talking about the all-time most powerful and most cynical rogue in the industry - could dictate to governments what they should do. It was decided to bring a Lord Mercy on the field to carry out investigations and interrogations. This was a shrewd person with a special experience for the type of cover-ups that were needed to put a lid on events like these and make sure that the hearing was obstructed and historiography falsifiedin the same manneras the foul play already done.
The hearings were held in a room with an impossible acoustics, so that the audience had trouble hearing what was said. The person who represented the yard, saidThe Olympic instead of The Titanic. Lord Mercy 'failed'to ask about all relevant issues that could have uncovered the fraud, and the press was more interested in the scandal with a naval officer, Bruce Ismay, who should have been on board the ship but was stuck on one of the first lifeboats. Experienced sailors could tell that even on a moonless night there would be no difficulty in spotting an iceberg 5-6 kilometers way, but it was not put on the record nor did it form the basis for conclusions.
The whole scenariowas a staged white washing. Captain Smith was no longer alive and could not tell about the dirty deal that was signed let alone defend himself. The officers were not held responsible, the ship's construction was made responsible. No one had a responsibility! Except Captain Lord, who was standing alone. Lord Mercy manipulated his statements and accused him of not rescuingThe Titanic. Captain Lord chose notto defend himself ashe, after all, had been part of the scam. With the attention toCaptain Lord hereby given, he drew attention away from all othersensitive topics.
Hereafter the insurance fraud itself. The real Titanic could be insured for the full amount at that $ 10 million. The Olympic could not have been insured for anything close to the same due to its extensive damage. Here alone, there was a motive for the swap. In the days before the sinking the insurance premium for The Titanic was even raised significantly and Lloyds of London paid subsequently$ 12.5 million.
What about the wreck that has lain 3/4 century at the bottom of The Atlantic(probing took place already in the 80s)? The black paint has fallen off in most of the ship, but it is still possible to see areas of the original gray primer. Moreover, it was only at The Olympic that was used gray primer. Photos of the screw shows the number ..01 plunger. The original screw on The Titanic had number 401, but remember that the screw was replaced in Belfast, so this is the original screw from The Titanic, which should have been at The Olympic. Remote-controlled submarines also shows constructions of the hull that is not original. It corresponds closely to the repairs and reinforcements that were deployed after the two shipwrecks.
And then there's the name. In 1986 the French Oceanographic Institute and Dr. Robert Ballard studied the hull where the original letters of iron were encapsulated and painted over. The place is corroded by rust, and the letters are dropped out, leaving a hole corresponding to the shape. It is the letters ...M P..
Captain Smith on The Titanic took a different route than normal. He received the radio signals coming from The Californian, who told me that this was standby, AND where ice fieldfound himself - which he steered his ship directly into it.
It was quite normal to sail full speed through areas with icebergs. Any iceberg that was large enough to damage an Atlantic cruiser, would be seen in ample time to avoid. So actually the captain didnot do anything unusual except that he took a detour. And also he chose to rest fully clothed in a room behind the bridge. He expected to be called to the bridge at any time?
An officer stood on the right side of the bridge when he saw the iceberg about one kilometer ahead. Instead of steering away at full speed as usual - full speed and control provides full turn - he struck his machine in reverse, which disabled the ship's steering ability and increased the risk of collision dramatically. This he had to have known as a fully fledged officer licensed to drive an ocean liner.
The passengers felt a disturbance in the ship, but it was indistinguishable from the sound and feel of the machine and screw on the reverse. When the ship hit the iceberg, it was not perceivedas other than the sound and vibration of a slowdown. The iceberg haddriven away before it became clear that the ship was damaged. Some passengers came out of their cabins, as the machines were stopped. In the first 40 minutes there was nothing to report. The ship would be unable to sink, passengers had been told, so no one was worried about it. The part we all know as the official version. But the crew in the circle around the captain behaved very laid-back. They even knew that there was a fire in the huge pile of coal no. 10. They cannot have been unaware. They knew, in other words probably what was about to happen. But they knew that they would be rescued. They then spent 45 minutes on doing nothing, then nonchalantly started the usual emergency procedures: pumps, radio signals, lifeboats, and so on. It took an hour and 25 minutes before the first distress rocketwas sent up!
Only six crew members were on duty when the ship hit the iceberg. Two of them drowned. Two survived, one of which saw nothing, and the other was hastily transferred to a post in Cape Town as far as possible from the first maritime inquiry in New York. Only two were able to be called by this interrogation. One was extremely nervous and defensive. Had he received any specific instructions or threats before? He repeated again and again: 'I did not see it, I did not see it, I did not hear ...'.
The Titanic had, as you know received radio signals from The Californian with returns of position. But from his browser he obtained a completely different position about 12 milesfrom the correct position. The captain could see a ship on the horizon, but it was a completely different ship. Captain Smith could have sailed his ship there, but instead he turned off the machine. He figured that it was The Californian, and it would come to him? Did he believe that it all went according to the agreed plan? He was as described above not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
On The Californian they saw the flares. Captain Lord asked repeatedly his crew what color the rockets had, and the answer was always: only white rockets. Didhe expectt red or blue rockets? In between The Californian and The Titanic was a fourth ship, The Samson, who performed illegal fishing with small boats in the water. They used white low-flying rockets so they could see each other in theboats. The captain told several months later that he had seen flares from a larger ship, but that he had not sailed over theredue to his illegal activities.
One of the survivors of The Titanic, Edith Russell, reported that the officers told them that they should not worry, for The Californian would come back and pick them up if they did not come back from lunch. They even sent half full lifeboats off. How could these naval officers be assured that it was The Californian, they saw on the horizon? They figured that it would come immediately and save them? But it was the wrong ship foreThe Californian was 19 mil away awaitingcolored rockets that dueto the distance never wereseen.
At one time it must have become clear to Captain Smith on The Titanic, that the planned rescue did not arrive. Theybegan filling the lifeboats, and the passengers were about to panic.
The other surviving officer, Lightholler, made maritime inquiry full ofcontradictions. He was in his cabin, he said, but he gave all sorts of information that he could not have gotten there. He had both seen it all and not seen anything. He lied then about the number of warnings that had arrived aboutthe iceberg as if ithad almost come out of thin air. He also claimed that he had spent half an hour in the water before he was picked up. This is not physically possible if the water is below freezing and the water surface only ice-free due to the currrent. A human being can survive only 3-4 minutes there. Such an explanation would today be peeled apart, but the questioning referee had no alternative but to take to his head.
When Captain Lord of The Californian was aware that The Titanic was over there, he started at full speed but too late. The ship hadalready sunk and a ship called The Carpatia had arrived and was about to pick up the survivors.
When the surviving crew members, who had not been on dyty, arrived at Southhampton April 29th, 1912, they counted on gettingto return to their families But they were detained for 48 hours and forced to sign various papers. They were told that there would leak information about scams and insurance fraud, they would be thrown in jail for 20 years without a job to get out to afterwards. The officers returned to The Adriatic and had plenty of time on the way to reconcile their statements forthe upcoming British maritime inquiry.
Then started the chapter of the British government's connivance and complicity. It is inconceivable that a fraud of these dimensions may have taken place without the core people in the government havingknowledge and giving their approval. Whetherthis approval thenwas voluntary and wholehearted is probably a question. The British government could not afford a huge shipyard in Belfast beingforced to close and render20,000 people unemployed. The opposition would gain speed, and the government would lose the next election. Prime Minister Lord Asquith was made painfully aware of the situation and strongly reminded, that JP Morgan had agreed to British use of his merchant fleet in times of war - if need be. Remember the year 1912! If the Company The White Star Line went bankrupt, it would be JP Morgan, who stood as a general creditor. England would lose disposal over all this substantial fleet.
The Prime Minister with all likelihood tookhis decision with great distaste and contempt for the fact, that greedy and cynical bankerslike JP Morgan - and here we are talking about the all-time most powerful and most cynical rogue in the industry - could dictate to governments what they should do. It was decided to bring a Lord Mercy on the field to carry out investigations and interrogations. This was a shrewd person with a special experience for the type of cover-ups that were needed to put a lid on events like these and make sure that the hearing was obstructed and historiography falsifiedin the same manneras the foul play already done.
The hearings were held in a room with an impossible acoustics, so that the audience had trouble hearing what was said. The person who represented the yard, saidThe Olympic instead of The Titanic. Lord Mercy 'failed'to ask about all relevant issues that could have uncovered the fraud, and the press was more interested in the scandal with a naval officer, Bruce Ismay, who should have been on board the ship but was stuck on one of the first lifeboats. Experienced sailors could tell that even on a moonless night there would be no difficulty in spotting an iceberg 5-6 kilometers way, but it was not put on the record nor did it form the basis for conclusions.
The whole scenariowas a staged white washing. Captain Smith was no longer alive and could not tell about the dirty deal that was signed let alone defend himself. The officers were not held responsible, the ship's construction was made responsible. No one had a responsibility! Except Captain Lord, who was standing alone. Lord Mercy manipulated his statements and accused him of not rescuingThe Titanic. Captain Lord chose notto defend himself ashe, after all, had been part of the scam. With the attention toCaptain Lord hereby given, he drew attention away from all othersensitive topics.
Hereafter the insurance fraud itself. The real Titanic could be insured for the full amount at that $ 10 million. The Olympic could not have been insured for anything close to the same due to its extensive damage. Here alone, there was a motive for the swap. In the days before the sinking the insurance premium for The Titanic was even raised significantly and Lloyds of London paid subsequently$ 12.5 million.
What about the wreck that has lain 3/4 century at the bottom of The Atlantic(probing took place already in the 80s)? The black paint has fallen off in most of the ship, but it is still possible to see areas of the original gray primer. Moreover, it was only at The Olympic that was used gray primer. Photos of the screw shows the number ..01 plunger. The original screw on The Titanic had number 401, but remember that the screw was replaced in Belfast, so this is the original screw from The Titanic, which should have been at The Olympic. Remote-controlled submarines also shows constructions of the hull that is not original. It corresponds closely to the repairs and reinforcements that were deployed after the two shipwrecks.
And then there's the name. In 1986 the French Oceanographic Institute and Dr. Robert Ballard studied the hull where the original letters of iron were encapsulated and painted over. The place is corroded by rust, and the letters are dropped out, leaving a hole corresponding to the shape. It is the letters ...M P..
- The Titanic is the first ship in living memory, which is sunk by collision with an iceberg.
- Captain Lord tried before his death in 1962 several times to reopen the case to clear his name, but without success.
- Lord Mercy was summoned to lead the investigation on the Lusitania sinking - the British-American hoax and cover-up that brought America into WW2.
- The mate who first spotted the iceberg, committed suicide in 1965
- Bruce Ismay left the company 12 months after the sinking. All people around him were strictly forbidden from ever mentioning The sinking of the Titanic
The original Titanic sailed for 25 years under the name The Olympic. It was used by the British Government for troop transport in World War 2.
_____________________
It is recommended to see the excellent British documentary, based on the above referenced investigation of thispiece of mythology from the last century, that most people only know from a romantic movie with a young- Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, and a bad-taste, high-fat pop ballad sung by Celine Dion.
http://vimeo.com/40021362
And untimely joking aside, we of course wereall taught in primary schoolabout the sinking of the Titanic. History has become iconic. It has been diligentlyused as an expression of hubris / pride – but on a false premise. It has become symbolic of the downfall we unsuspectinglysail against dancingaround on the parquet floor and drinking champagne. It has become the story of the unsinkable ship and the morale of science pride - on a falsempremise. And the narrative fits like a hand in a glove with the mindset of the apocalyptics and theescatologists, if you are into those genres. We are all in the same boat, and doomsday is near. You'd better be scared to death!
_____________________
It is recommended to see the excellent British documentary, based on the above referenced investigation of thispiece of mythology from the last century, that most people only know from a romantic movie with a young- Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, and a bad-taste, high-fat pop ballad sung by Celine Dion.
http://vimeo.com/40021362
And untimely joking aside, we of course wereall taught in primary schoolabout the sinking of the Titanic. History has become iconic. It has been diligentlyused as an expression of hubris / pride – but on a false premise. It has become symbolic of the downfall we unsuspectinglysail against dancingaround on the parquet floor and drinking champagne. It has become the story of the unsinkable ship and the morale of science pride - on a falsempremise. And the narrative fits like a hand in a glove with the mindset of the apocalyptics and theescatologists, if you are into those genres. We are all in the same boat, and doomsday is near. You'd better be scared to death!
But it was in deed aprelude to the great disasters that would come - the two wars, both of them thoroughly based on the very same methods of fraud instigated by the establishment of the very same British Empire.
There may be some truth in mythologies. But behind the myths a true story often hides, which can be even more instructive, although not so slick and beautiful. The truth is not polite.
There may be some truth in mythologies. But behind the myths a true story often hides, which can be even more instructive, although not so slick and beautiful. The truth is not polite.
The Titanic - skibet der aldrig sank
The Titanic sank d. 15 april 1912 kl. 02:201500 mennesker omkom. Derom hersker der ikke tvivl. Var der et oceangående passagerskib ved navn Titanic, der sank som følge af en tilfældig kollision med et isbjerg? Derom hersker der absolut tvivl. Følgende beretning er en særdeles kvalificeret rekonstruktion baseret på omfattende kulegravning af alt tilgængeligt materiale foretaget af engelske undersøgende journalister. Historien er lidt anderledes end den, der står i historiebøgerne.
Der blev bygget tre gigantiske passagerskibe af Harland & Wolff i Belfast for The White Star Line finansieret af J.P. Morgan's og bygget til hans handelsflåde. De hed The Titanic, The Olympic og The Britanic og var en kombination af amerikansk storkapital og britisk skibsindustri.
I starten af forrige århundrede var de fleste skibe beregnet til sejlads for fattige emigranter og var i dårlig forfatning. De gik under navnet 'coffin ships'. Det var almindelig kendt, at der var udbredt forsikringssvindel og falskneri i branchen.
I 1911 sejlede The Olympic sin jomfrurejse under kaptajn Smith, og ved ankomsten til New York blev det involveret i en kollision, der næsten fik det til at synke. Tre måneder senere kolliderede kaptajn Smith skibet med et engelsk krigsskib, HMS. Hawk i Southhampton havn. Krigsskibet blev simpelthen suget ind i Olympics enorme kølvand og vædrede det i siden. I flådens optegnelser står der - ikke overraskende - at det var Olympics skyld. Vidnesudsagn bekræftede det, og ejerne måtte finde sig i at betale. The Olympic blev seriøst beskadiget i venstre forreste side. Selv kølen underneden var bøjet. Den engelske flåde har solide krigsskibe.
Da skibet, der blev kendt under navnet The Titanic, seks måneder senere foretog sin jomfrurejse med udgangspunkt i Southampton, havde skibet en besynderlig tendens til at hælde mod sin venstre side. Flere overlevende passagerer havde bemærket det. Det samme var tilfældet med det The Olympic, da det efter en nødtørftig reparation i Southhampton sejlede til Belfast for at blive færdiggjort.
The Titanic lå der, da The Olympic ankom. Arbejdet blev stoppet for at satse alt på reparationen. Man overflyttede skruen fra Titanic til Olympic pga. en skade efter reparation og udsejling fra New York. Disse to skibe var søsterskibe og næsten fuldstændig identiske. Der er dog små men signifikante forskelle, som billeder taget af dem side om side ved tørdokken i Belfast viser. The Olympic havde 16 porthuller øverst foran. The Titanic havde kun 14. The Olympic havde ujævnt fordelte vinduer på dækket, The Titanic havde jævnt fordelte vinduer.
I marts 1912 lå de side om side for sidste gang. Her blev beslutningen truffet om at bytte dem rundt. Det var Lord Perry, der var formand for rederiet The White Star, der sandsynligvis undfangede ideen. Alternativet var rederiets konkurs på grund af de enorme udgifter i forbindelse med de to forlis.
Tiderne var før 1. Verdenskrig. Der var ingen pressefolk, der snusede rundt, fotografiet var i sin barndom, og folk troede generelt på det, man fortalte dem. Havnen var kæmpestor og fuld af aktivitet, og ingen ville bemærke noget. Det var nemt at bytte rundt. Man skiftede blot navneskiltene på siderne, hovedet på menukortet i restauranten og skiltene på redningsbælterne. Og så lagde man tæppe ovenpå det linoleum, der var unikt for The Olympic. Alt andet interiøre, udstyr og service var standard for alle skibe hos White Star Line. Det kunne gøres af en lille arbejdsgruppe på en weekend udvalgt, bestukket eller truet til at holde kæft. Dengang parerede man ordrer og stillede ikke kritiske spørgsmål.
Kaptajn Smith havde en af de værst tænkelige generalieblade. Han havde beskadiget hele tre større skibe før The Olympic: The Romanic, The Republic og The Koptic. Der havde også været en brand på The Majestic, som han dog nægtede kendskab til. Rederiet havde en seriøs klemme på denne uduelige kaptajn. De fortalte ham, at skibet ville komme ud for et forlis og synke, men at der ville være et skib, The Californian, lige i nærheden til at redde passagerne, og at de allerede havde arrangeret det med kaptajnen. Kaptajn Smith accepterede, men fik gennemført, at han selv udvalgte sin besætning.
Her skete der så det besynderlige, at adskillige maskinarbejdere nægtede at lade sig hyre til at arbejde underdæks på The Titanics jomfrurejse. Der var ellers kulstrejke og arbejdsløshed, og de havde hårdt brug for en hyre. Hvorfor nægtede de, og hvad havde de set eller hørt? De foretrak at vente, til de fik hyre på et andet skib. En anden sømand skrev lige før afsejlingen i et brev til sin søster, at han ikke 'brød sig om dette skib'. Han havde sejlet med The Olympic. Genkendte han for mange detaljer fra interiøret?
Da Titanic sejlede af sted, var skibet overhovedet ikke fyldt op. Masser af førsteklasses kahytter stod tomme. Hvorfor ønskede det i forvejen økonomisk klemte rederi midt i en kulstrejke, hvor kulbrændsel var sparsomt, ikke at fylde skibet op? På samme vis sejlede kaptajn Lord af sted på The Californian fem dage før med lasten fuld af kul og uldtrøjer - uden passagerer!
Omkr. 50 passagerer, mest på første klasse, aflyste deres rejse i sidste øjeblik. Mange af dem var forretningsforbindelser til bankmogulen J.P. Morgan, der oprindelig havde finansieret skibene. J.P. Morgan himself skulle have været med, men aflyste rejsen i sidste øjeblik, selvom han havde skibets ultimative luksussuite. Han var syg, sagde han. Et par dage efter forliset fandt en rapporter ham i strålende form i Aix-les-Bains i Frankrig - med sin elskerinde. Han havde endvidere beordret en stribe kostbare bronzestatuer fjernet fra skibet, før det sejlede. De skulle blot have været flyttet til New York, og de kunne næppe være blevet forkølede. Der var altså en anden grund.
Sømænd er generelt meget nervøse for én ting: brand ombord. Kort efter afsejlingen udbrød der brand i kulbunke 10 i bunden af skibet. Kaptajnen vidste det, men man smed blot mere kul ovenover, mens man prøvede at holde branden i ave. Kunne denne kontrollerede brand have været en plan B?
The Californian sejlede i største hast med angivet kurs mod Boston, men stoppede pludselig d. 4. april midt i et område med isbjerge. Kaptajn Lord insisterede på at sove med alt tøjet på en briks på broen. Han beordrede også kedlerne til at være opvarmede og maskinerne på standby. Hvad forventede han?
Kaptajn Smith på The Titanic valgte en anden rute end den normale. Han modtog de radiosignaler, der kom fra The Californian, der fortalte, at dette lå standby, OG hvor isfeltet befandt sig - hvorefter han styrede sit skib direkte ind i det.
Det var helt normalt at sejle for fuld fart gennem områder med isbjerge. Ethvert isbjerg, der var stort nok til at beskadige en atlantkrydser, ville blive set i rigelig tid til at styre udenom. Så egentlig foretog kaptajnen sig ikke noget unormalt bortset fra, at han tog en omvej. Og at han også valgte at hvile fuldt påklædt i et rum bagved broen. Forventede han at blive kaldt på broen når som helst?
En styrmand stod på højre side af broen, da han så isbjerget ca. en kilometer fremme. I stedet for at styre udenom i fuld fart, som man plejer - fuld fart og styring giver fuld drejning - slog han han maskinen i bak, hvilket hæmmede skibets styreevne og øgede risikoen drastisk for kollision. Dette måtte han have vidst som fuldbefaren styrmand med licens til at føre en oceandamper.
Passagerne mærkede en uro i skibet, men det var ikke til at skelne fra lyden og fornemmelsen af maskinen og skruen på bak. Da skibet ramte isbjerget, blev det ikke bemærket som andet end lyden og vibrationerne fra en opbremsning. Isbjerget var drevet væk, inden det stod klart, at skibet var beskadiget. En del passagerer kom ud af deres kahytter, da maskinerne var stoppet. I de første 40 minutter, var der ikke andet at bemærke. Skibet skulle være ude af stand til at synke, havde man fortalt passagererne, så ingen var bekymrede for det. Den del kender vi alle som den officielle version. Men besætningsmedlemmerne i kredsen omkring kaptajnen opførte sig særdeles tilbagelænet. De vidste oven i købet, at der var ild i den store kulbunke 10 i lasten. De kan ikke have været uvidende. De vidste med andre ord sandsynligvis, hvad der var ved at ske. Men de vidste, at de ville blive reddet. De brugte herefter 45 minutter på ikke at foretage sig noget, hvorefter de nonchalant satte de sædvanlige nødprocedurer i gang: pumper, radiosignaler, redningsbåde, osv. Der gik en time og 25 minutter, inden den første nødraket blev sendt op!
Kun seks besætningsmedlemmer var på vagt, da skibet ramte isbjerget. To af dem druknede. To overlevede, hvoraf den ene ikke så noget, og den anden blev i hast overført til en stilling i Cape Town så langt som muligt fra det første søforhør i New York. Kun to var i stand til at blive indkaldt ved dette forhør. Den ene var særdeles nervøs og defensiv. Havde han modtaget særlige instrukser eller trusler forinden? Han gentog gang efter gang: 'Det så jeg ikke, det så jeg ikke, det hørte jeg ikke ...'.
The Titanic havde som bekendt modtaget radiosignaler fra The Californian med opgivelser af position. Men fra sin navigatør fik han opgivet en helt anden position ca. 12 mil ved siden af. Kaptajnen kunne se et skib i horisonten, men det var et helt andet skib. Kaptajn Smith kunne have sejlet sit skib derover, man han slukkede i stedet for maskinen. Regnede han med, at det var The Californian, og at det ville komme over til ham? Troede han, at det hele gik efter den aftalte plan? Han var som ovenfor beskrevet ikke den skarpeste kniv i skuffen.
På The Californian så man nødraketter. Kaptajn Lord spurgte gentagne gange sin besætning, hvad farve raketterne havde, og svaret var hele tiden: kun hvide raketter. Forventede han røde eller blå raketter? Midt imellem The Californian og The Titanic lå et fjerde skib, The Samson, der foretog ulovligt fiskeri med mindre både i vandet. De brugte hvide lavtflyvende raketter, så de kunne se hinanden i bådene. Kaptajnen fortalte flere måneder senere, at han havde set nødraketter fra et større skib, men at han ikke var sejlet derover på grund at sine ulovlige aktiviteter.
En af de overlevende fra The Titanic, Edith Russell, berettede, at officererne sagde til dem, at de ikke skulle bekymre sig, for The Californian ville komme tilbage og hente dem, hvis de ikke kom tilbage fra frokost. Man sendte endog nonchalant halvfulde redningsbåde afsted. Hvordan kunne disse søofficerer være forvissede om, at det var The Californian, de så i horisonten? Regnede de med, at det ville komme omgående og redde dem? Det var jo det forkerte skib, for The Californian var 19 mil væk afventende farvede raketter, som på grund af afstanden aldrig blev set.
På et tidspunkt måtte det være gået op for kaptajn Smith på The Titanic, at den planlagte redning ikke ankom. Man begyndte at fylde redningsbådene, for passagererne var ved at gå i panik.
Den anden overlevende officer, Lightholler, afgav søforklaring (i ordets anden betydning) fuld at selvmodsigelser. Han var i sin kahyt, sagde han, men han gav alle mulige oplysninger, som han ikke kunne have fået der. Han havde både set det hele og ikke-set noget. Han løj dernæst om det antal advarsler, der var ankommet om isbjerget for at det skulle fremgå, at isbjerget nærmest var kommet ud af den blå luft. Han hævdede desuden, at han havde tilbragt en halv time i vandet, inden han blev samlet op. Dette er ikke fysisk muligt, hvis vand er under frysepunktet og vandoverfladen kun er isfri pga. strøm. Et menneske kan kun overleve 3-4 minutter der. En sådan forklaring ville i dag blive pillet fra hinanden, men forhørsdommeren kunne ikke gøre andet end at tage sig til hovedet.
Da kaptajn Lord på The Californian blev klar over, at The Titanic lå derovre, startede han i fuld fart men for sent. Skibet var allerede sunket og et skib ved navn The Carpatia var ankommet og var ved at samle de overlevende op.
Da de overlevende besætningsmedlemmer, som ikke havde været på vagt, ankom til Southhampton d. 29 april 1912, regnede de med at skulle tilbage til deres familie. Men de blev tilbageholdt i 48 timer og tvunget til at underskrive forskellige papirer. De fik at vide, at skulle der lække oplysninger om svindel og forsikringshumbug, så ville de blive smidt i fængsel i 20 år uden job at komme ud til bagefter. Officererne vendte tilbage på The Adriatic og havde masser af tid til undervejs at afstemme deres udsagn til den kommende engelske søforklaring.
Herefter startede kapitlet om den britiske regerings medviden og medvirken. Det er utænkeligt, at en svindelsag af disse dimensioner kan have fundet sted, uden at kernepersoner i regeringen havde viden og gav deres godkendelse. Om denne godkendelse så har været frivillig og helhjertet er nok et spørgsmål. Den britiske regering havde ikke råd til, at et kæmpe værft i Belfast kunne blive nødt til at lukke og sende 20.000 arbejdsløse på gaden. Oppositionen ville få vind i sejlende, og den siddende regering ville tabe næste valg. Premierminister Lord Asquith var - eller blev gjort pinlig opmærksom på situationen og kraftigt mindet om, at J.P. Morgan havde indvilliget i, at man måtte bruge hans handelsflåde i krigstid - hvis det skulle blive nødvendigt. Husk årstallet 1912! Hvis rederiet The White Starline gik fallit, ville det være J.P. Morgan, der stod som hovedkreditor. England ville miste rådighedsretten over alle denne betydelige handelsflåde.
Premierministeren traf med al sandsynlighed sin beslutning med største ulyst og foragt for, at grådige og kyniske bankmænd som J.P. Morgan - og her taler vi om alle tiders mest magtfulde og mest kyniske slyngel i branchen - kunne diktere regeringer, hvad de skulle gøre. Man besluttede sig til at bringe en Lord Mercy på banen til at stå for undersøgelsen og afhøringerne. Denne var en dreven person med en særlig erfaring for den type cover-ups, der var brug for til at lægge låg på hændelser som disse og sørge for, at høringen blev obstueret og historieskrivningen forfalskedes i samme stil som det allerede udførte falskneri.
Høringerne afholdtes i et lokale med en umulig akustik, så tilhørerne havde problemer med at høre, hvad der blev sagt. Den person, der repræsenterede værftet, lavede hele tiden fortalelser, hvor han sagde The Olympic i stedet for The Titanic. Lord Mercy undlod at spørge om alle relevante emner, der kunne have afsløret svindlen, og pressen var mere interesseret i skandalen med en søofficer, Bruce Ismay, der burde være blevet om bord på skibet men var stukket af på en af de første redningsbåde. Erfarne søfolk kunne berette om, at selv på en måneløs nat ville der ikke være problemer med at spotte et isbjerg på 5-6 kilometers afstand, men det blev ikke ført til protokols eller dannede baggrund for konklusioner.
Hele høringen var en iscenesat hvidvask. Kaptajn Smith var ikke længere i live og kunne ikke fortælle om den beskidte deal, der var indgået endsige forsvare sig selv. Officererne blev ikke gjort ansvarlige, skibets konstruktion blev ikke gjort ansvarlig. Ingen havde et ansvar! Undtagen kaptajn Lord, som stod alene. Lord Mercy manipulerede hans udsagn og beskyldte ham for ikke at komme The Titanic til undsætning. Kaptajn Lord undlod at forsvare sig selv, da han trods alt havde været en del af svindelnummeret. Med den opmærksomhed, kaptajn Lord herved fik, trak han opmærksomheden væk fra alle de sensible emner.
Herefter forsikringssvindlen. Det rigtige The Titanic kunne forsikres for det fulde beløb på daværende 10 millioner dollars. The Olympic ville ikke kunne forsikres for nær det samme beløb pga. dets omfattende skader. Alene her var der et motiv for ombytningen. I dagene før forliset blev forsikringspræmien for The Titanic oven i købet hævet betydeligt, og Lloyds i London udbetalte efterfølgende 12.5 millioner dollars.
Hvad så med vraget, der har ligget 3/4 århundrede på bunden af Altlanten (kulegravningen fandt sted allerede i 80'erne)? Den sorte maling er faldet af på det meste af skibet, men det er stadig muligt at se områder med den originale grå grundmaling. Det var i øvrigt kun på The Olympic, at der blev brugt grå grundmaling. Billeder af skruen viser nummeret ..01 stemplet ind. Den oprindelige skrue på The Titanic havde nummer 401, men husk, at skruen blev udskiftet i Belfast, så dette er den originale skrue fra The Titanic, der burde have siddet på The Olympic. Fjernstyrede ubåde viser også konstruktioner i skroget, der ikke er originale. Det svarer nøje til de reparationer og forstærkninger, der blev indsat efter de to forlis.
Og så er der navnet. I 1986 undersøgte det franske oceanografiske institut og dr. Robert Ballard skroget, hvor de originale bogstaver i støbejern var indkapslet og overmalet. Stedet er gennemtæret af rust, og bogstaverne er faldet ud efterladende et hul svarende til formen. Det er bogstaverne M og P.
- Titanic er det første skib i mands minde, der er sunket ved kollision med et isbjerg.
- Kaptajn Lord forsøgte før sin død i 1962 flere gange at genåbne sagen for at rense sit navn, men uden held.
- Lord Mercy blev tilsagt til at lede undersøgelsen om Lusitanias forlis - et andet britisk svindelnummer og cover-up.
- Styrmanden, der først fik øje på isbjerget, begik selvmord i 1965.
- Bruce Ismay forlod rederiet 12 måneder efter forliset. Alle omkring ham fik strengt forbud mod nogensinde at nævne The Titanics forlis
- Det originale The Titanic sejlede videre i 25 år under navnet The Olympic. Det blev brugt af den britiske regering til troppetransport i 2. verdenskrig.
_____________________
Det kan anbefales at se den fremragende engelske dokumentarfilm, der bygger på ovenfor refererede kulegravning af forholdet omkring det stykke mytologi fra det forrige århundrede, som de fleste kun kender fra en romantisk film med en ung Leonardo di Caprio og Kate Winslet samt en klam popballade sunget af Celine Dion.
http://vimeo.com/40021362
Og utidig spøg tilside, for selvfølgelig har vi alle hørt om Titanics forlis. Historien er blevet ikonisk. Det er blevet flittig brugt som udtryk for hybris/overmod. Det er blevet symbolsk for undergangen, som vi intetanende sejler imod, mens vi danser rundt på parketgulvet og drikker champagne. Det er historien om det usynkelige skib og moralen om videnskabens hovmod. Tro hellere på Gud. Det er forvarslet om de store katastrofer, der skulle komme - de to krige. Og det passer som fod i hose hos apokalyptikerne og eskatologerne, hvis man er til den slags. Vi er alle i samme båd, og dommedag er nær.
Der kan være en vis sandhed i mytologier. Men bag myterne gemmer sig ofte en virkelig historie, der kan være endnu mere lærerig.
