The Titanic disaster is easily the most famous maritime disaster in history, but that has led to a number of myths, misconceptions and conspiracies along with it. From claims of poor steel quality, to elaborate (but extremely flawed) theories like the Switch Theory, or even some outright bizarre myths of an Egyptian mummy's curse, it seems the amount of misinformation out there on Titanic is endless.
Like many ocean liner enthusiasts, I have had an obsession with Titanic for most of my life, which has led me into more online debates around the subject than I'd like to admit! So this post is just something a little bit lighter, where I will go through six of the most famous Titanic myths and misconceptions, and why they're simply just not true.
Olympic (left) Titanic (right). Titanic was still under construction here and final alterations were yet to be made
No.1: The Infamous Switch Theory
Anyone who has watched the documentary, 'Titanic: The Shocking Truth', or who has spent time in Titanic spaces will have heard of the Switch Theory.
According to the theory, after RMS Olympic's collision with HMS Hawke, the damage to the hull was simply too costly to repair, if not totally irepperable. White Star Line, eager to not lose money or have their reputation tarnished with the idea that Olympic was made from bad steel, the company decided to patch up Olympic and send her out in 1912 posing as the Titanic. The Captain would deliberately run the ship into an iceberg and sink it, making it appear a deeply unfortunate accident. White Star collected the insurance money and the real Titanic now took the place of Olympic.
If you have watched the documentary I mentioned above, it's easy to think that this may be a compelling theory, but it easily falls apart when you look at the evidence (or lack thereof) for a switch.
Evidence is used, such as the fact that much of Titanic's construction was done behind closed doors, or that Titanic gained two extra portholes on the portside of her forecastle between 1911 and 1912, but all of this evidence is circumstantial.
Footage from the wreck of Titanic reveals the propellor blade with the yard number '401', Titanic's yard number, not Olympic's. Secondly, the insurance money received by White Star was far short of the cost to construct the ship in the first place. Not to mention the lack of evidence to suggest that Olympic sustained anything more than repairable damage following its 1911 collision.
Not only this, but the Switch Theory is also deeply illogical. It says that because the two ships were virtually identical, that any alterations to make the switch could have taken place over merely a couple of weeks, or even just a weekend. Yet anything more than a surface look at the two ships will reveal that there are pretty major differences; Titanic contained suites on B-Deck that did not exist on Olympic, Titanic contained a Cafe Parisien which Olympic did not, and there were structural differences to the bridge of each ship. These are differences that would have taken an awful lot of time and manpower to rectify. Speaking of manpower, doesn't it seem odd that no worker on either ship ever referenced anything to do with a switch?
All in all, it is a compelling theory on the surface, but it's lack of evidence and deep logical flaws give this theory no weight.
If you're interested in learning more about the differences between Olympic and Titanic, then head on over to Titanic Vs Olympic: 8 Key Differences (cruisemummy.co.uk)
No.2: A Coal Fire in the Boiler Room Doomed the Ship
This theory emerged in 2017, after journalist Senan Molony discovered a black mark on some old photos of Titanic before her maiden voyage. He suspected that this black mark was the result of a coal fire in the boiler rooms which had caused the metal to warp, thus weakening it to the perils of the iceberg.
It is certainly true that there was a coal fire onboard Titanic, but we know that this fire was under control by the time Titanic had set sail. Secondly, steel would have to be subject to a temperature of over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit (650 degrees Celsius) in order to warp, a temperature significantly higher than the coal fire would have been.
Finally, the black mark that gave birth to the theory? Well, that black mark was located near passenger accommodations, not the boiler room, meaning the black mark would have had nothing to do with the coal fire.
Although a compelling theory, it really stretches the evidence beyond what is true.
(Image from CBS News)
No.3: Titanic Had Cheap Steel
This is another incredibly common misconception that I've spent far too long debating with people about online. This suggests that White Star Line, in an attempt to cut costs, ordered shipbuilders Harland and Wolff to use cheap iron and steel to construct Titanic.
This one is also not true. White Star Line did not give Harland and Wolff a specific budget to work in, rather, it was the opposite. White Star ships were built with no expense spared, as the company was eager to create the biggest and grandest ships afloat. Cutting costs on the hull of such a ship would have been an unworthy risk.
The wrought iron steel used to build Titanic was effectively the best available at the time, but unfortunately, even the best steel available would not have withstood colliding with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of densely packed ice.
Olympic, Titanic's sister, was also built using the same materials and her long career gave her the nickname 'The Old Reliable'. It's hard to believe that Olympic could have survived over 25 years with sub-par materials.
No.4: Bruce Ismay Pressured Captain Smith to Speed Titanic Up
If you have watched James Cameron's 'Titanic' you will remember the scene in which Bruce Ismay urges Captain Smith to speed Titanic up. It's a story that has become prevalent in the popular culture around Titanic, and often confirms people's idea of J. Bruce Ismay as the villain (but that's one for another post).
This supposed conversation was reported by a single eyewitness following the disaster, but beyond that, there is very little evidence for this conversation having took place.
In fact, Titanic was not designed for speed, and she certainly wasn't about to break any speed records. A key feature of Bruce Ismay's White Star Line was building ships for size, not speed. Furthermore, Ismay officially had no power over Captain Smith; any decisions made regarding speed were solely the responsibility of Captain Smith.
No.5: Titanic Was Deemed 'Unsinkable'
Much of the mythology around Titanic has included the idea that many people, including its builders, believed that Titanic was unsinkable, a curse which reflected hubris that eventually led to her downfall.
However, Titanic was never officially advertised as unsinkable, but it was reported to be 'practically unsinkable'. Much like predecessors, Olympic, Mauretania and Lusitania, Titanic was designed in a way to ensure she could remain afloat in nearly any circumstance (except for the one she unfortunately encountered). These ships were also deemed to be 'practically unsinkable'.
The word 'unsinkable' is believed to have been used in casual conversations about the Titanic; the phrase "God himself could not sink this ship", is believed to have been uttered by a White Star crew member shortly before Titanic's maiden voyage.
No.6: The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy
It seems only right to end on one of the most bonkers conspiracy theories out there, the theory that Titanic was cursed by an Egyptian mummy onboard.
Around 3,000 years ago lived a priestess known as Amen-Ra, who was laid to rest in a wooden coffin on the banks of the Nile. Supposedly, in the late 19th century, four young Englishmen were looking to purchase the mummy, and all four suffered terrible interventions of fate; the first went missing, the second was shot, the third lost his savings and the fourth wound up on the streets after a terrible illness. It seems almost every subsequent possessor of this mummy suffered incidences of terrible misfortune.
The story goes that the mummy was purchased by an American collector in April 1912, who arranged to have it shipped over from England onboard the Titanic. Yet, although it makes for a thrilling ghost story, there is no record of a mummy ever being part of Titanic's cargo, and it still remains in the British Museum to this very day.
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