Our local mas designer Wayne Berkeley turned back the competition in 1992 with his presentation Titanic. He no doubt was captivated by the mysterious and magical story of the ill-fated ship which, thought unsinkable, sank.A comedian once said brutally: "When I think about the Titanic, I get this sinking feeling!" Bad joke!
However, April 14 marked the 99th anniversary of this Titanic maritime disaster.The story of this majestic ship which ushered in a new era of sea travel is legend and just won't go away.Today, the events surrounding the ship itself and its unsinkable mystique are as fresh as they were some 99 years ago. Often described as a Greek tragedy, the Titanic story is a testimonial of human error and frailties, heroism and almost every word in the dictionary that involves the human condition.When the ship departed South Hampton of New York city amidst the cheers from the quay, there were no fears from the owners of the White Star Line.
The majestic 46,328-ton Titanic on its maiden voyage moved beautifully like oil on water, with Captain Edward Smith at the helm. But no one knew what fate awaited the ship in the North Atlantic.The story goes that warnings came fast and furious that the danger of icebergs loomed. But they were too late.On April 14, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg, devouring the ship's plates. While it was felt above the water that the unsinkable Titanic had escaped, the merriment soon turned to fear and panic as the Titanic descended slowly to its watery grave.Of some 2,300 passengers, 1,513 lives were lost in this sea drama. The Titanic slipped beneath the surface of the Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The rest is history, as they say. But it's a history that's alive as novels, plays and movies have been written about the Titanic, the biggest and most luxurious liner ever built. Good grief! There's even a musical about the Titanic and a Web site where you can purchase a block of coal from...you guessed it...the Titanic.One of the findings of a British inquiry was that the Titanic carried too few lifeboats for its passenger load. The Titanic carried 16 lifeboats. What an oversight!
Another finding revealed later that the rivets used in bolting the plates were a cheap variety. Another oversight! However, it took treasure hunter George Tulloch, founder of the RMS Titanic Inc, who owns exclusive rights to the wreck, to bring from the depths (some two and a half miles down) of the ocean floor, artifacts of the Titanic. There's a touring exhibition of artifacts of the Titanic.I was fortunate to catch the event, Titanic the Artifacts at Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas, USA, three years ago. It was riveting. There were pots, pans, a purser's purse, music sheets, metal objects and the gloves worn by captain Smith on the fateful night of April 14, 1912.Giant photographs highlighted significant events in the Titanic's brief sailing life, plus re-creations of the cabins in the lower decks.The exhibition Titanic, the artifacts is a sight to behold!
