Royal Mail Steamer Titanic

Class and type:
Olympic-class ocean liner
Ordered:
1907
Builder:
Harland and Wolff shipyard, Belfast
Laid down:
31 March 1909
Launched:
31 May 1911
Christened:
Not christened, as per White Star Line practice
Status:
Sunk struck iceberg at 23:40 (ship's time) on 14 April 1912 sank the next day at 2:20. After seventy-three years, the wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, 12,500 feet (3,800 m) beneath the North Atlantic at 41 degrees 43' 32"N, 49 degrees 56' 49"W.
Homeport:
Liverpool

General characteristics

Displacement:
52,310 L/T
Length:
882 feet 9 inches (269 m)
Beam:
92 feet 6 inches (28 m)
Draught:
34 feet 7 inches (10.5 m)
Propulsion:
25 double-ended and 4 single-ended Scotch boilers at 215 psi.Two four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating engines each producing 15,000 hp (12 MW) at a speed of 75 rpm for outer two propellers.One low-pressure (about 7 psi absolute) steam turbine producing 16,000 hp (13.5 MW) for the centre propeller at 165 rpm.Total 46,000 hp at 75 rpm; 59,000 hp at 83 rpm (37 MW).[1] Two bronze triple-blade side propellers.One bronze quadruple-blade central propeller
Speed:
– service speed: 21 knots (40.6 km/h) (24.5 mph)– top speed: 23 knots (42.6 km/h) (26.5 mph)
Capacity:
3,547
Complement:
2,208 (maiden voyage) First-class: 324 Second-class: 285 Third-class: 708 Crew: 891 Survivors: 712 (estimate)

The RMS Titanic was a British Olympic-class ocean liner, owned by the White Star Line [1], that struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank on the morning of April 15, 1912 during her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to New York. Estimates vary, but approximately 1,520 people perished in the sinking which ranks as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history.[2] The resulting media frenzy, the discovery of the wreck in 1985, and the box office successes of three major films and one broadway musical have perpetuated the fame. The great loss of life resulted in improved safety standards at sea, and affected many aspects of maritime law.
Contents[hide]
1 Building and design
2 Fixtures and fittings
2.1 Comparisons with the Olympic
3 Passengers and crew
3.1 Crew
3.2 Passengers
4 Disaster
5 Contributing factors
5.1 Speed
5.2 Lifeboats
5.3 Actions taken on bridge
5.4 Faults in construction or substandard materials
6 Long-term implications
6.1 International Ice Patrol
6.2 Ship design changes
7 Alternative theories and myths
7.1 Use of SOS
7.2 Novel's foreshadowing
7.3 Other myths
8 Rediscovery
8.1 Condition of the wreck
9 Ownership and litigation
10 Popular culture
10.1 Last living survivor
10.2 Recent survivors' deaths
11 100th anniversary
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
//

Building and design

In the early part of the 20th century, White Star Line was competing with rival Cunard Line, which dominated the luxury niche for Atlantic transit with the large and opulent vessels Lusitania and Mauretania, the largest and fastest liners afloat.
White Star ordered three ships to provide a weekly express service, with the goal of dominating the transatlantic travel business. The Olympic and Titanic at 882 feet long were larger, but not as fast as the Cunard liners. The third ship, to be named Gigantic, was just over 900 feet long; however, the name was changed to Britannic before completion. These larger ships offered greater amenities than the Cunard sister ships.
Built at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland,[3] Titanic was designed by Harland and Wolff Chairman William Pirrie, head the design department Thomas Andrews, and General Manager Alexander Carlisle, with the plans regularly sent to the White Star Line's Managing Director J. Bruce Ismay for suggestions and approval. Construction of the Titanic, funded by the American J. P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co. began on 31 March 1909. Titanic No. 401 was launched two years and two months later on 31 May 1911. Titanic's outfitting was completed on 31 March the following year.

Size comparison with a human, car, bus, and an Airbus A380.

R.M.S. Titanic off the Isle of Wight on 1912 April 10.
Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269 m) long and 92 feet 6 inches (28 m) at the beam.[4] She had a Gross Register Tonnage of 46,328 tons, and a height from the water line to the boat deck of 60 feet (18 m).[5] Her three propellers were driven by two four-cylinder, triple-expansion, inverted reciprocating steam engines and one low-pressure Parsons turbine.[6] Steam was provided by 25 double-ended and 4 single-ended Scotch-type boilers fired by 159 coal burning furnaces that made possible a top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h).[7] Only three of the four 63 foot (19 m) tall funnels were functional; the fourth, which served only as a vent, was added to make the ship look more impressive.[8] Titanic could carry a total of 3,547 passengers and crew and, because she carried mail, her name was given the prefix RMS, (Royal Mail Steamer).
Contemporaries considered the Titanic the pinnacle of naval architecture[citation needed] and technological achievement, and she was thought by The Shipbuilder magazine to be "practically unsinkable."[9] Titanic had a double-bottom hull, containing 44 tanks for boiler water and ballast to keep the ship safely trimmed and balanced at sea.[10] (Later ships also had a double-walled hull). Titanic exceeded the lifeboat standard, with twenty lifeboats, though not enough for all passengers. Titanic was divided into sixteen compartments. Dividing doors were held up in the open position by electro-magnetic latches that could be closed by a switch on the ship's bridge and by a float system installed on the door itself.[11]

Fixtures and fittings

The Grand Staircase of the Olympic: identical to the Titanic's first class section.
In her time, Titanic surpassed all rivals in luxury and opulence. She offered an onboard swimming pool, a gymnasium, a Turkish bath, libraries in both the first and second-class, and a squash court.[12] First-class common rooms were adorned with elaborate wood panelling, expensive furniture and other decorations.[13] In addition, the Café Parisien offered superb cuisine for the first-class passengers, with a sunlit veranda fitted with trellis decorations.[14]
The ship incorporated technologically advanced features for the period. She had an extensive electrical subsystem with steam-powered generators and ship-wide electrical wiring feeding electric lights. She also boasted two wireless Marconi sets, including a powerful 1,500-watt radio manned by operators who worked in shifts, allowing constant contact and the transmission of many passenger messages.[15]

Comparisons with the Olympic

The Titanic closely resembled her older sister Olympic but there were a few differences. Two of the most noticeable were that half of the Titanic's forward promenade A-Deck (below the boat deck) was enclosed against outside weather, and her B-Deck configuration was completely different from the Olympic. The Titanic had a specialty restaurant called Café Parisien, a feature that the Olympic did not have until 1913. Some of the flaws found on the Olympic, such as the creaking of the aft expansion joint, were corrected on the Titanic. The skid lights that provided natural illumination on A-deck were round; while on Olympic they were oval. The Titanic's wheelhouse was made narrower and longer than the Olympic's.[16] These, and other modifications, made the Titanic 1,004 gross tons larger than the Olympic.

Crew

The Titanic was commanded by Commodore Edward John Smith, the White Star Line's most senior captain. The chief officer was to be William Murdoch, but he was demoted to first officer after Smith brought with him his chief officer from the Olympic, Henry T. Wilde.
The rest of the ship's officers were Second Officer Charles Lightoller, Third Officer Herbert Pitman, Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe and Sixth Officer James Moody.

Passengers

The first-class passengers for Titanic's maiden voyage included some of the richest and most prominent people in the world. They included millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and his pregnant wife Madeleine;[17] industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim;[18] Macy's department store owner Isidor Straus [19] and his wife Ida;[20] Denver millionaire Margaret "Molly" Brown;[21] Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, couturière Lady Duff-Gordon;[22] streetcar magnate George Dunton Widener;[23] Pennsylvania Railroad executive John Borland Thayer and 17-year-old son Jack Thayer;[24] journalist William Thomas Stead;[25] Charles Hays, president of Canada's Grand Trunk Railway;[26] the Countess of Rothes;[27] United States presidential aide Major Archibald Butt;[28] author and socialite Helen Churchill Candee;[29] author Jacques Futrelle, writer and painter Francis Davis Millet;[30] American silent film actress Dorothy Gibson,[31] White Star Line's Managing Director J. Bruce Ismay [32] and from Harland & Wolff builder Thomas Andrews.[33]
Second-class passengers included journalist Lawrence Beesley,[34] Father Thomas R.D. Byles, a Catholic priest on his way to the United States to officiate at his younger brother's wedding[35] and Michel Navratil, a Frenchman who had kidnapped his two sons, Michel Jr. and Edmond.[36] Both J. P. Morgan and Milton S. Hershey [37] had plans to travel on the Titanic but cancelled their reservations before the voyage.
In 2007, scientists using DNA analysis identified the body of an unknown child recovered after the incident as Sidney Leslie Goodwin, a 19-month-old boy from England. Goodwin, along with his parents and five siblings, boarded in Southampton, England as third-class passengers.[38]

Disaster

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic departed from Southampton, England and travelled to Cherbourg, France where many first-class passengers boarded. On April 11, 1912, the Titanic left Cherbourg en route to Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland where the Titanic picked up the majority of its third-class passengers. On April 12, 1912, the Titanic sailed on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and was due to arrive at Pier 59 in New York City on Wednesday April 17, 1912.
On the night of April 14, at 11:40 p.m., The Titanic struck an iceberg; just under three hours later, at 2:20 AM, on April 15, 1912 the ship sank.[39] The United States Senate investigation reported that 1,517[40] people perished in the accident, while the British investigation has the number at 1,490.[41] Regardless, the disaster ranks as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history, and is by far the best known. The media frenzy about the Titanic's famous victims, the legends about what happened on board the ship, the resulting changes to maritime law, Walter Lord's 1955 non-fiction account A Night to Remember, the discovery of the wreck in 1985 by a team led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel, and the box office success of the 1997 film Titanic (the highest-grossing film in history as of 2007) have sustained the Titanic's fame.

Contributing factors

Speed

The conclusion of the British Inquiry into the sinking was “that the loss of the said ship was due to collision with an iceberg, brought about by the excessive speed at which the ship was being navigated."[42] At the time of the collision, it is thought that the Titanic was at her normal cruising speed of about 22 knots,[43] which was less than her top speed of around 24 knots. It was then common (but not universal) practice to maintain normal speed in areas where icebergs were expected.[44] It was assumed that any iceberg large enough to damage the ship would be seen in sufficient time to be avoided. After the sinking, the British Board of Trade introduced regulations instructing vessels to moderate their speed if they were expecting to encounter icebergs. It is often alleged that J. Bruce Ismay instructed or encouraged Captain Edward Smith to increase speed in order to make an early landfall, and is a common feature in popular representations of the disaster. As there is no evidence for this having happened, many disputed the claim.[45]

Lifeboats

There were not enough lifeboats for all of the people on board. The most recent law required a minimum of sixteen lifeboats with capacity for 962 occupants for ships weighing 10,000 tons or larger. This law was enacted in 1894 when the largest emigrant steamer was the 12,952-ton Lucania; eighteen years later, the 52,000-ton Titanic had room for 3,547 passengers. Titanic had four extra collapsible lifeboats, bringing total lifeboat capacity to 1,178.[46]
In the busy North Atlantic sea-lanes, it was expected that the emergency response from other vessels would be rapid and the lifeboats would only be used to ferry people between vessels, with boats from the rescuing vessels available as well. Full provisioning of lifeboats was not considered necessary. In anticipation of stricter standards from the British Board of Trade, davits capable of handling up to four boats per pair of davits were designed by Alexander Carlisle and installed to give a total potential capacity of 64 boats.[47]; however, the additional boats were never fitted. It has been alleged that J. Bruce Ismay, the president of White Star, vetoed the installation of the additional boats to maximise the passenger promenade area on the boat deck. Harold Sanderson, Vice President of International Mercantile Marine denied this allegation during the British Inquiry.[48]
Swifter action might have saved lives. After the collision, one hour was spent evaluating damage and making decisions before lowering the first lifeboat. Two teams, one on each side of the ship efficiently launched all sixteen lifeboats in eighty minutes. However, some boats were launched with far less than capacity, the most notable being Lifeboat #1, with a capacity of forty, launched with only twelve people aboard. Included in the first launched were lifeboats 6, 7, and 8, each of which were equipped to hold sixty-five but were launched with only twenty-eight on board each boat.[49] It is speculated that fear of small boats and over confidence in the ship's ability to remain afloat led to delays in boarding the lifeboats.

Actions taken on bridge

The memorial to the Titanic's engineers in Southampton.
There is speculation that if Titanic had not altered its course but reversed its engines and had run head-on into the iceberg, the damage would only have affected the first or first two compartments. The ship had three propellers; reciprocating steam engines drove the outboard propellers, and a steam turbine drove the centre propeller. The reciprocating engines were reversible, but the turbine was not; however, reversing the rotation was not instantaneous and may not have been possible in the short time between sighting and impact.[50]
The liner SS Arizona had such a head-on collision with an iceberg in 1879 and, although badly damaged, managed to make it to St John's, Newfoundland for repairs. Some dispute that Titanic would have survived such a collision, however, since Titanic's speed was higher than Arizona's, her hull much larger and mass much greater, and the violence of the collision might still have compromised her structural integrity.[citation needed]

Faults in construction or substandard materials

Women's Titanic Memorial in Washington, D.C..

Hull breaching with failed rivets

Soon after the discovery of the wreck site, scientists, naval architects, and marine engineers began questioning how faulty design features and poorly manufactured materials may have played a role in her sinking. Numerous ideas have been suggested, including poorly designed safety doors, brittle steel and the variable quality of rivets that held the hull plating together.[51] However, it is more likely that a combination of these issues and other circumstances were major contributing factors to the sinking. It is possible that if the watertight bulkheads had completely sealed the ship's compartments, the ship would have stayed afloat (these only went 3 m above the waterline).[citation needed]
Titanic's hull plates were held together by rivets, metal pins which clamp structural components together. In 1912, welding technology was still in its infancy; shipbuilders continued to use riveting almost exclusively for the next 20 years. Modern day forensic metallurgists suggest that the rivets of the Titanic were of substandard quality, resulting in weak points that led to structural failure during the collision.[52][53][54] These weaknesses were not detectable with the inspection techniques of the early 20th century.

Long-term implications

The sinking of the RMS Titanic was a factor that influenced later maritime practices, ship design, and the seafaring culture. Changes included the establishment of the International Ice Patrol, a requirement for twenty-four-hour radio watch keeping on foreign-going passenger ships, and new regulations related to lifeboats.[citation needed]

International Ice Patrol

Main article: International Ice Patrol
The Titanic disaster led to the convening of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in London, on 12 November 1913. On 30 January 1914, a treaty was signed by the conference that resulted in the formation and international funding of the International Ice Patrol, an agency of the United States Coast Guard that to the present day monitors and reports on the location of North Atlantic Ocean icebergs that could pose a threat to transatlantic sea lane traffic. It was also agreed in the new regulations that all passenger vessels would have sufficient lifeboats for everyone on board, that appropriate safety drills would be conducted, and that radio communications on passenger ships would be operated all day along with a secondary power supply, so as not to miss distress calls. In addition, it was agreed that the firing of red rockets from a ship must be interpreted as a distress signal (red rockets launched from the Titanic prior to sinking were mistaken by nearby vessels as celebratory fireworks, delaying rescue). This treaty was scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 1915 but was upstaged by World War I.

Ship design changes

The sinking of Titanic changed the way passenger ships were designed. Many existing ships, such as the Olympic, were refitted for increased safety. Besides increasing the number of lifeboats on board, improvements included reinforcing the hull and increasing the height of the watertight bulkheads. The bulkheads on Titanic extended 10 feet (3 m) above the waterline; after Titanic sank, the bulkheads on other ships were extended higher to make compartments fully watertight. While Titanic had a double bottom, she did not have a double hull; after her sinking, new ships were designed with double hulls; also, the double bottoms of other ships, including the Olympic,[55] were extended up the sides of their hulls, above their waterlines, to give them double hulls.

Alternative theories and myths

As with many famous events, many alternative theories about the sinking of Titanic have appeared over the years. Theories that it was not an iceberg that sank the ship or that a curse caused the disaster have been popular reading in newspapers and books. Titanic experts, claiming that the evidence on which these theories were based was inaccurate or incomplete, have debunked most of these theories.

Use of SOS

The sinking of the Titanic was not the first time the internationally recognised Morse code distress signal "SOS" was used. The SOS signal was first proposed at the International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea in Berlin in 1906. It was ratified by the international community in 1908 and had been in widespread use since then. The SOS signal was, however, rarely used by British wireless operators, who preferred the older CQD code. First Wireless Operator Jack Phillips began transmitting CQD until Second Wireless Operator Harold Bride suggested, half-jokingly, "Send SOS; it's the new call, and this may be your last chance to send it". Phillips, who was to perish in the disaster, then began to intersperse SOS with the traditional CQD call.

Novel's foreshadowing

In 1898, Morgan Robertson published a book called Futility in which a ship called Titan sinks after colliding with an iceberg[56]. There are striking similarities between the 'Titan' and the Titanic' disaster such as both ships sank in the North Atlantic Ocean during the month of April, both ships did not have enough lifeboats and were allegedly travelling at an excessive speed, and both were considered the largest ship of their time.[57] However, there are also major differences between the story and reality which suggest no real foreshadowing (for example, the Titan has auxiliary sails and also sank a ship beforehand).

Other myths

A similar legend states that the Titanic was given hull number 390904 (which, when seen in a mirror or written using mirror writing, looks like "NO POPE"). This is a myth.[58] Titanic's yard number was 401; Olympic's was 400. Another myth states that Titanic was carrying a cursed Egyptian mummy, often named Princess of Amen-Ra. The mummy, nicknamed Shipwrecker after changing hands several times and causing many terrible things to happen to each of its owners, exacts its final revenge by sinking the famous ship.[59] Another myth says that the bottle of champagne used in christening Titanic did not break on the first try, which in sea lore is said to be bad luck for a ship. In fact, Titanic was not christened on launching, as it was White Star Line's custom not to do so.[60]

Rediscovery

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For seventy years after the disaster, it was widely believed that the Titanic had sunk intact. Although there were several passengers who insisted that the ship had broken in two as it sank (including Jack Thayer, who even had another passenger draw a set of sketches depicting the sinking for him[61]), the inquiries believed the statements of the ship's officers and first-class passengers that it had sunk in one piece.
In 1985, when the wreck was discovered by Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER, Robert Ballard and his crew, they found that the ship broke in two as it sank. It was theorised that as the Titanic sank, the stern rose out of the water. It supposedly rose so high that the unsupported weight caused the ship to break into two pieces, the split starting at the upper deck. This became the commonly accepted theory.
In 2005, new evidence suggested that in addition to the expected side damage, the ship also had sustained damage to the bottom of the hull (keel). This new evidence seemed to support a less popular theory that the crack that split the Titanic in two started at the keel plates. Jack Thayer’s sketches support this proposition.

Titanic's bow as seen from the Russian MIR I submersible.
The idea of finding the wreck of Titanic and even raising the ship from the ocean floor had been perpetuated since shortly after the ship sank. No attempts even to locate the ship were successful until 1 September 1985, when a joint French-American expedition,[62] led by Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER and Dr Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, sailing on the Research Vessel Knorr, discovered the wreck using the video camera sled Argo. It was found at a depth of 12,536 feet (3,821 m), south-east of Newfoundland at 41°43′32″N, 49°56′49″W,[63] 13 nautical miles (24 km) from where Titanic was originally thought to rest.
The most notable discovery the team made was that the ship had broken in two, the stern section lying 1,970 feet (600 m) from the bow section and both facing in opposite directions. There had been conflicting witness accounts of whether the ship broke apart on the surface or not, and both the American and British inquiries found that the ship sank intact. Up until the discovery of the wreck, it was generally assumed the ship did not break apart. In 2005, a theory was presented that a portion of Titanic's bottom broke off right before the ship broke in two.[64] The theory was conceived after an expedition sponsored by The History Channel examined the three hull pieces.[65]
The bow section had embedded itself more than 60 feet (18 m) into the silt on the ocean floor. Although parts of the hull had buckled, the bow was mostly intact, as the water inside had equalised with the increasing water pressure. The stern section was in much worse condition. As the stern section sank, water pushed out the air inside tearing apart the hull and decks. The speed at which the stern hit the ocean floor caused even more damage. Surrounding the wreck is a large debris field, with pieces of the ship (including a large amount of coal), furniture, dinnerware and personal items scattered over one square mile (2.6 km²). Softer materials, like wood and carpet, were devoured by undersea organisms, as were human remains.
Later exploration of the vessel's lower decks, as chronicled in the book Ghosts of the Titanic by Charles Pellegrino, showed that much of the wood from Titanic's staterooms was still intact. A new theory has been put forth that much of the wood from the upper decks was not devoured by undersea organisms but rather broke free of its fixings and floated away. This is supported by some eyewitness testimony from the survivors.
In April 1996, RMS Titanic Inc., which holds salvage rights to the Titanic organized a cruise from Boston, Massachusetts to the site of Titanic's sinking. The company intended to bring to the ocean's surface a small section of Titanic's hull among other relics. Among those on board the cruise ship was 99-year old Titanic survivor Edith Eileen Haisman. Ms. Haisman was fifteen years old when the ship sank and had vivid memories from that night.[66]

Condition of the wreck

Many scientists, including Robert Ballard, are concerned that visits by tourists in submersibles and the recovery of items from the wreck are hastening its decay. Underwater microbes have been eating away at Titanic's iron since the ship sank, but because of the extra damage visitors have caused, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that "the hull and structure of the ship may collapse to the ocean floor within the next 50 years." Several scientists and conservationists have also complained about the removal of the crow's nest on the mast by a French expedition.
Ballard's book, Return to Titanic, published by the National Geographic Society, includes photographs showing the deterioration of the promenade deck and damage caused by submersibles landing on the ship. The mast has almost completely deteriorated, and repeated accusations were made that it had been stripped of its bell and brass light by salvagers. Ballard's own original discovery images however, clearly show that the bell was never actually on the mast - it was recovered from the sea floor. The French submersible Nautile allegedly is responsible for crashing into the crow's nest and causing it to fall from the mast. Even the memorial plaque left by Ballard on his second trip to the wreck was alleged to have been removed; Ballard replaced the plaque in 2004. Recent expeditions, notably by James Cameron, have been diving on the wreck to learn more about the site and explore previously unexplored parts of the ship before Titanic decays completely.

Ownership and litigation

Titanic Memorial, grounds of Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland.
Titanic's rediscovery in 1985 launched a debate over ownership of the wreck and the valuable items inside it. On 7 June 1994, RMS Titanic Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions Inc., was awarded ownership and salvaging rights by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.[67] (See Admiralty law)[68] Since 1987, RMS Titanic Inc. and its predecessors have conducted seven expeditions and salvaged over 5,500 historic objects. The biggest single recovered object was a 17-ton section of the hull, recovered in 1998.[69] Many of these items are part of travelling museum exhibitions.
In 1993, a French administrator in the Office of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Equipment, Transportation, and Tourism awarded RMS Titanic Inc's predecessor title to the relics recovered in 1987.
In a motion filed on 12 February 2004 RMS Titanic Inc. requested that the District Court enter an order awarding it "title to all the artifacts (including portions of the hull) which are the subject of this action pursuant to the Law of Finds" or, in the alternative, a salvage award in the amount of $225 million. RMS Titanic Inc. excluded from its motion any claim for an award of title to the objects recovered in 1987, but it did request that the district court declare that, based on the French administrative action, "the artifacts raised during the 1987 expedition are independently owned by RMST." Following a hearing, the district court entered an order dated 2 July 2004, in which it refused to grant comity and recognize the 1993 decision of the French administrator, and rejected RMS Titanic Inc's claim that it should be awarded title to the items recovered since 1993 under the Maritime Law of Finds.
RMS Titanic Inc. appealed to the United States Court of Appeals. In its decision of 31 January 2006 [70] the court recognized "explicitly the appropriateness of applying maritime salvage law to historic wrecks such as that of Titanic" and denied the application of the Maritime Law of Finds. The court also ruled that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the "1987 artifacts", and therefore vacated that part of the court's 2 July 2004 order. In other words, according to this decision, RMS Titanic Inc. has ownership title to the objects awarded in the French decision (valued $16.5 million earlier) and continues to be salvor-in-possession of Titanic wreck. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the District Court to determine the salvage award ($225 million requested by RMS Titanic Inc.).[71]

Popular culture

In Nacht und Eis (1912). Image from the 1912 German film that dramatised the tragedy.
Main article: RMS Titanic in popular culture
The sinking of Titanic has been the basis for many books, games, and award-winning movies. In the summer of 1912, the first book, "The Sinking of the Titanic" and the first movie, In Nacht und Eis were introduced. In 1953 the film Titanic was released starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck. In 1958, A Night to Remember, an adaptation from Walter Lord's novel of the same name, was released and remained the most popular Titanic movie until the 1997 release of Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That film won eleven Academy Awards and holds the record for the highest box office gross of all time. Broadway musicals like Titanic, which opened in New York in 1998 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, were successful as well.

Last living survivor

Millvina Dean, who was only two months old at the time of the sinking, is the only living survivor of the Titanic. Currently ninety-six years old, Ms. Dean has remained active in Titanic-related events and resides in Southampton, England.

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