Titanic Essay example -- essays research papers fc

One of the greatest news headlines of all times was actually never supposed to happen. The shocking news of the sunken ocean liner the Titanic shocked millions. The sinking itself probably wouldn’t have even mattered except that the builders themselves said that the ship simply could not sink. The news not only hit the United States, but countries everywhere were saddened to hear the news of â€Å"The Unsinkable† and its grave end. In 1907 a man named J. Bruce Ismay, who was the manager of White Star Lines went to a dinner party at the mansion of the wealthy William James Pierre. Pierre was a chairman to one of the largest shipbuilding companies in Belfast, Harland and Wolff. At dinner the two discussed luxury ships like the Lusitania and the Mauretania. These two liners were more luxurious and faster than any other liner ever made and that was bad news for Ismay and Pierre. It was a problem because Cunard Lines, the maker of these two luxury ships, was White Star Lines’ only competition. By the time dinner was over they had made up a plan to build three ‘Olympic’ class ships. These ships would be fifteen hundred gross tons larger and about one hundred feet longer than the Lusitania and the Mauretania. The building of the Titanic and the Olympic were to start immediately, with the Britannic to follow in the coming years. On July 29, 1908 White Star owners approved the design plan for the thr ee ships. The final price cost of each ship was approximately seven million five hundred dollars. In order to build the ships, new special made slips had to be made to be able to carry their weight. On March 31, 1909 the construction on the Titanic began. The ships would all feature compartments that would seal off sections of the ship that may have taken on water in case of a collision. These compartments were a part of the brand new idea of a watertight compartment system. The Titanic was to be the most lavish of the three luxury vessels. It was to have ankle-deep beautiful carpet, wonderfully detailed ornamental carvings on the floor and ceiling. The Titanic was finished on February 3, 1912. (Domont, www.geocites†¦; Acheson, www.museum.gov)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Titanic set out on its fateful voyage on May 31st, 1911 from Southampton to New York. On the way she stopped in Cherbourg and Queenstown. On the Titanic’s voyage numerous iceberg warnings were received... ...ning of April 14th, 1912 the world lost over one thousand souls due to one of the most discussed disasters of all time. Weather or not it could have been prevented is still a mystery. Those who lost their lives in this tragic event will always be remembered through books, movies, research and most of all, by their loved ones and families. The Titanic’s legacy as the largest ship on earth ended just as large as it began, as the unsinkable ship that sunk. To think, one white star even said, â€Å"God himself could not sink this ship.† (Acheson, www.museum.gov..) Works Cited Acheson, P., & Conlin, D. (2000, March 29). Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Retrieved October 27, 2004, from http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index Butler, D. A. (1998). ’Unsinkable’ The Full Story. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books. Domont, E. (1997, April 6). Titanic Homeport. Retrieved October 27, 2004, from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/8921/ Heyer, P. (1995). Titanic Legacy: Disaster as Media Event and Myth. Westport: Praeger Publishers. Spignesi, S. J. (1998). The Complete Titanic. Ontario, Canada: Carol Publishing Group. Spignesi, S. J. (1998). The Complete Titanic. Secacucels: Carol Publishing Group.