With prayers, a hymn and a moment of silence broken by a ship's deep whistle, passengers and crew on a memorial trip marked 100 years to the moment since the Titanic sent more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.
People gather, April 14, 2012 at Halifax remember Titanic sinking with funeral procession, song and performance Night of the Bells event in the Grand Parade square to mark the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The anniversary had taken on an international character, with artists, scientists and museums engaged in months-long preparations for commemorating events in Britain, Canada, Ireland and the United States, with an emphasis on dignity. AFP PHOTO
People gather in the Grand Parade for performances commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 14, 2012. REUTERS
A cruise ship lies over the Titanic disaster site 100 years after it hit an iceberg in the western Atlantic Ocean April 14, 2012. The ill-fated Titanic liner hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. REUTERS
A note on a wreath is seen in memory of those who died from the Titanic during the 100th anniversary commemorations and memorial dedication of the Titanic disaster in Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 15, 2012
Passengers enjoy the sunshine on the stern deck while en route to Halifax on the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the western Atlantic Ocean April 15, 2012. The cruise retraced the voyage from Southampton of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago. REUTERS
Alex Aarouaon, aged 6 from Chicago, whose great, great, great grandfather died on the Titanic, touches the plaque of 1,512 names of those who died from the Titanic after its unveiling during the 100th anniversary commemorations and memorial dedication of the Titanic disaster in Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO
Dalhousie University Costume Design student Mandy Dawe presents a period dress on April 13, 2012, during a fashion show marking the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Dawe studied and created a dress worn by Daisy Spedden, who along with her husband Frederick, seven-year-old son, Douglas and his stuffed polar bear survived the disaster, and wrote the now famous children’s book “Polar the Titanic Bear” in 1913. AFP PHOTO
Flowers rest on top of Titanic grave markers following the 100th anniversary commemorative service in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 15, 2012. REUTERS
Canadian Sea Cadets stand next to grave of victims of the Titanic disaster after placing flowers on them during the100th anniversary memorial service at he Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax. REUTERS
Canadian Leading Air Cadet Sharon Spears-Mandeville holds a flower before placing it on a grave of a victim of the Titanic disaster during the 100th anniversary memorial service. REUTERS
Children walk past the grave of an unknown child from the Titanic sinking, after the 100th anniversary memorial service at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 15, 2012.
Retracing history
On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage, traveling from Southampton, England, to New York.
It was nicknamed the “Millionaire's Special”.
The ship was fittingly captained by Edward J. Smith, who was known as the “Millionaire's Captain” because of his popularity with wealthy passengers.
Onboard were a number of prominent people, including American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, British journalist William Thomas Stead, and Macy's department store co-owner Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida.
Here is a look at the disaster and its aftermath:
THE DISASTER:
-- The liner struck an iceberg late on April 14 and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912. The ship's starboard side scraped along the iceberg. At least five of its supposedly watertight compartments toward the bow were ruptured.
-- After assessing the damage, as the ship's forward compartments filled with water, its bow would drop deeper into the ocean, causing water from the ruptured compartments to spill over into each succeeding compartment, thereby sealing the ship's fate.
-- Of the 2,223 passengers and crew aboard the ship, dubbed “unsinkable” before departure, 1,517 died. Third class suffered the greatest loss - of approximately 710 on board, only some 174 survived. Seventy-six percent of the crew died.
100 YEARS ON:
-- U.S. and British investigations proposed various safety recommendations just after the sinking, and in 1913 the first International Conference for Safety of Life at Sea was called in London. The conference drew up rules requiring that every ship have lifeboat space for each person embarked; that lifeboat drills be held for each voyage.
-- In September 1985, the first underwater images of the Titanic were recorded as its giant boilers were discovered.
Later video showed the ship lying upright in two pieces.
-- In addition to being the subject of numerous books, the ship inspired various movies, notably “A Night to Remember” (1958) and James Cameron's blockbuster “Titanic” (1997).
-- Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking died in June 2009. She was 97. Dean was just nine weeks old when her family sold a pub they owned in London to travel on the maiden voyage of the passenger liner and begin a new life in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States, where her father Bertram hoped to open a tobacconist shop.
-- Researchers assembled in March 2012 a field map of the wreck. The mapping team snapped 130,000 photos throughout 2010 using two underwater robots and using solar imaging to create the most in-depth picture yet of the 3-mile by 5-mile swath of wreckage.
(Reuters)
.jpg)
0 Comments