Last weekend my family and I went along to visit the Titanic Exhibition in town.
I found many aspects of the exhibition to be fascinating, but at the same time deeply disturbing. Touching the actual bell that was rang out to signal the sate of emergency on board was surreal. So too was viewing fragments of the hull. I could go on.
But what disturbed me most was........ well let me tell you the story.....
The message read: "Captain, titanic – Westbound steamers report icebergs and field ice in 42 degrees North from 49 degrees to 51 degrees West, April 12. Compliments, Barr."
The message was delivered to Captain Smith on the RMS Titanic. The area referred to in the message was just a few miles north of Titanic’s intended course.
At 1:42pm on Sunday April 14th, the Titanic received another ice warning, this time from the ship ‘The Baltic’. The massage read: "Captain Smith, Titanic – Greek steamer Athinai reports passing icebergs and large quantities of field ice today in latitude 41052’W."
At that time the Titanic was at 42035’N, 45050’W, which was dangerously close to the ice field. The message was take to the bridge, but instead of showing it to his officers, Captain Smith took it with him when he went to lunch. On the promenade deck he bumped into Joseph Bruce Ismay (Chairman of White Star Lines) where he handed him the fateful message. Ismay put the telegram in his pocket, where it remained for the next five-and-a-half hours before it was finally posted on the bridge.
A short while later Chief Wireless Operator Jack Phillips received a message from the westbound SS Mesaba:
"From Mesaba to Titanic and all eastbound ships. Ice report in latitude 420N to 41025’N, longitude 490W to 50030’W. Saw much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs. Also field ice. Weather good, clear."
The Mesaba’s message was the sixth ice warning received by the titanic that day. The Titanic was heading straight for a vast belt of ice, stretching some 78 miles across her path.
In the wireless room, Jack Phillips was busy dealing with the Cape Race traffic when, at 11:00pm, he was suddenly interrupted by a signal from the nearby California, announcing, "We are stopped and surrounded by ice." Angry at the intrusion, Phillips retorted, "Shut up, shut up. You’re jamming my signal. I’m busy. I’m working Cape Race."
Before the California could give her position, some 20 miles north of the Titanic, she was unceremoniously cut off.
In the eerie darkness of Sunday April 14th 11.40pm the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic struck an iceberg.
As the news filtered throughout the ship, the passengers began to assemble in the forward first-class entrance. A short while later, Captain Smith walked onto the main deck and instructed the crew to evacuate the ship – women and children first.
The initial reaction of many of the passengers was to dismiss any notion that the ship was sinking, and refused to board the lifeboats. As a result many of the boats left half full. To add to the calamity, many passengers, not recognising the significance of the situation they faced, went back inside to avoid the cold night air.
At 2:15am on April 15th 1912, with 1,500 doomed souls clutching desperately to the ships rails, the Titanic slipped beneath the surface of the freezing North Sea to make it’s 4Km journey to it’s icy grave.
Why do people ignore warning signs? It's not just confined to the occasional accident/disaster either. Think about all the warnings that existed prior to the 2008/2009 meltdown in Global property and banking sectors. Think too of the people who, for example, fail to consult a doctor when they discover lumps where lumps shouldn't exist.Think too of the sales people who lose accounts from under their nose. The warning signs are always present, we just don't notice them.
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