Towards the end of the quota movement, a phrase that went viral on Facebook was 'Titanic sunk by bragging about it'. Was really proud?
On March 31, 1909, Titanic's foundation stone was laid next to the Olympic ship under construction at the Harland & Wolff Shipbuilding Company's Yard No. 401 in Belfast, Ireland. After three years of construction and testing, on April 10, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic begins her maiden voyage. Four days later it collided with an iceberg and sank about 700 kilometers east of the coast of Cape Reyes, Newfoundland, Canada.
But the question is how true is the saying that 'Titanic can never sink'? Many of us say that they were punished because of this bragging. The answer to this question is that this saying is a myth. No such claim was made by shipbuilder Harland & Wolff and owner White Star Line. So where did it come from? Come to that history.
At the beginning of the 20th century, shipbuilding companies were engaged in a kind of competition over who could build the largest, most luxurious and fastest ships. The two ships of Karnad Line, Moretainia and Lusitania, were the most luxurious, largest and fastest ships in the world at that time. White Star Line came into the race to overtake Karnad. The construction of the Olympic ship began. In 1911, when the Olympic and Titanic were under construction simultaneously, the White Star Line published a promotional report in the Shipbuilder magazine aimed at the public. The word 'unsinkable' is used to attract the crowd there. Much like election candidates make big promises during their campaigns.
After the construction of the Titanic and its important additions and alterations, many reports were printed about the ship before the voyage. The construction style especially the protection system of the ship is discussed. The ship's 16 watertight compartments are discussed. Several reports conclude that it is 'practically unsinkable' or 'theoretically unsinkable'. Several prominent figures in the media have used the term in their interviews when talking about the Titanic. In all these publicity campaigns including mass media, Titanic became unsinkable to the public.
Survivors said many passengers remained calm after the shock because they believed in their hearts that the Titanic would never sink. Franklin, the vice president of the White Star Line, said after the sinking of the Titanic on the morning of April 15, 'We have lost contact with the Titanic, but we are confident that the ship is unsinkable. Radio signal may not be available due to bad weather or something like that. I got information that the ship went under water several feet forward. This happened due to water filling in the front part. But the waterproof boxes are able to stay afloat even if they sink a few feet.' It is understandable that he also believed in this superstition. This hyperbole became more intense after the accident.
The matter of the creator being brought up with this incident that 'not even the creator can drown him' is also not true. This is a little dialogue used in James Cameron's famous movie Titanic. So it is true that people really believed that the Titanic was unsinkable but there was no institutional recognition of this.
