A Night to Remember

On that fateful night of April 14, 1912 there were 2,235 souls crowded aboard

the R.M.S. Titanic.  There was no wind to speak of.  The frigid, dark sea was calm,

like a plate glass mirror beneath the star-spangled heavens. 

It was an hour before midnight on a starry, moonless night. While the band played on beneath the decks in the first class lounge, and while the night watch paced the Bridge

high above,

the greatest maritime tragedy in the history of sailing, stealthily, silently awaited them in the ice-

strewn midnight waters of the North Atlantic.

Survivors recalled a gentle shudder that briefly shook the

900 foot long vessel.  It came and went so quickly that nobody gave

it much of a second thought. 

Except for the occupants of the Bridge–who in the split seconds before that collision, saw the towering iceberg ahead, floating in their unlighted

pathway. 

The helmsman swerved to miss the iceberg–but they would have been

better off to have struck it head on.  In narrowly avoiding a head-on collision,

they suffered an even worse fate!

Three-fourths of the iceberg lay unseen beneath the calm ocean

surface. 

When  the Titanic swerved, it brushed the iceberg's underside on

the starboard side of the bow, slitting a quarter of an inch wide opening more than 300 feet down

the side of the vessel. 

Like a gigantic can opener, the iceberg knifed open the side of

the iron hull. 

The damage was just enough to cause the metal plates

to buckle so that six watertight compartments began taking in sea water.

So scientifically had this great sailing ship been constructed,

with 16 watertight compartments in a 1/6 mile long hull, that the captain had made a pre-voyage boast, "Not even God himself

could sink her". 

The builders had calculated that even if four of the compartments should burst, the ship would still

float! 

But on that starry night, six of them exploded and began to suck

in the frigid water of the North Atlantic!  Mathematically, the

"unsinkable ship" was mortally wounded. 

And, in two hours she was gone.  Commander Lightoller, one of the few crew members who survived the tragedy, described later the

moment she sink.

At 2:20 a.m., the Titanic slowly sank, without a single wave, without a single

swirl, two hours and forty minutes after the collision, killing at the same time more than

one thousand people. The others died of exposure in the lifeboats or in the water. In the end, 1695 people died, among them the Commander, who faithfully remained at his post, and the wireless man who sent the first S.O.S. (Save Our Souls) in history.

Of the 2235 occupants, 1522 met their death in those dark waters including most of the men, most of the third class,

most of the crew, and all of the band.  Only 713 people were

rescued.

It was always thought the Titanic sank because its crew was sailing too fast and failed

to see the iceberg before it was too late.

But now it has been revealed they spotted it well in advance but still steamed straight into it

because of a basic steering blunder.

According to a new book, the ship had plenty of time to miss the iceberg but the helmsman

panicked and turned the wrong way.

By the time the catastrophic error was corrected it was too late and the side of the ship

was fatally holed by the iceberg.

Even then the passengers and crew could have been saved if it

had stayed put instead of steaming off again and causing water to pour into the broken

hull.

The revelation, which comes out almost 100 years after the disaster,

was kept secret until now by the family of the most senior officer to

survive the disaster.

Ismay insisted on keeping going, no doubt fearful of losing his

investment and damaging his company’s reputation.

"The nearest ship was four hours away. Had she remained at ‘Stop’, it’s probable that the Titanic would have floated until help arrived."

The truth of what happened on that historic night was deliberately

buried.

By his code of honor, he felt it was his duty to protect his employer – White

Star Line – and its employees.

Lightoller, the only survivor who knew precisely what had happened, and who would later go on to be a twice-decorated war hero, decided to hide what he knew from the world, including

two official inquiries into the sinking.

The Titanic was called the ship of

dreams. And it truly was.

Inside the First Class Passenger Room

Some Interesting Facts:

There were 13 couples on board the Titanic celebrating their

honeymoon.

The Titanic had 4 elevators (3 in First class

and 1 in Second class).

Two dogs were among the Titanic survivors. There

were no cats.

The Titanic was about as long as the Empire State

Building is tall.

The time interval from the fi rst sighting of the iceberg to impact was

a little over 30 seconds.

The Titanic sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after hitting the iceberg.

"The Titanic was the last word in luxury, the last word in

craftsmanship." She was considered to be a "floating

palace." 

APRIL 14, 1912A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

 

•   FROM THE TITANIC DISASTER, WE CAN

LEARN TO PUT OUR TRUST IN GOD. 

      When some people boarded the Titanic, their faith and trust were in the Titanic, Captain Smith,

and their riches. The Titanic was considered "unsinkable."

Captain Smith, the most highly paid captain in the White Star Line, was almost worshipped by the crew and passengers. He had never seen or been in a shipwreck. He himself said his forty

years of service had been "uneventful." With all his wisdom and experience, the people trusted in Captain Smith to take care of the problem,

even after they hit the iceberg. 

     Many people trusted in their riches. It was an era in which wealth was virtually worshipped. There was nothing their money could not buy--

until that night. 

      Instead of trusting in the Titanic, Captain Smith, or money they should have trusted in

God. 

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Prov. 16:18Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God…..And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. Deuteronomy 8: 16 & 19