The Sinking of the Titanic: Who Was at Fault

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April 14th, 1912, will go down in history as a day when disaster struck. It was the day the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg that after a mere four hours, caused it to sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking 1,500 people with it. But it wasn’t just one thing that caused this tragedy, and although there were many individuals and events that led to the sinking of the Titanic, the person most responsible for the sinking of this ship is Bruce Ismay. He chose not to put enough lifeboats on the Titanic, urged the captain to make the ship maintain speed while passing through ice fields, and allowed the use of cheap material and watertight compartments that didn’t reach high enough. At the time, there was lots of competition to see who could sail across the Atlantic Ocean the fastest. Bruce Ismay, President of White Star Line, wanted to prove that his company could sail across the Atlantic in six days, so he pressured Captain E.J. Smith to not slow down as they passed through an ice field. A book about the Titanic was released in 2008, called What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries, and mentioned the competition White Star Line had with other companies, specifically Cunard Line. On page ten, it said that Cunard’s transformation of twentieth-century liners won support and popularity, and stripped White Star Line of its fame. It then said that “under pressure from the success of Cunard's masterpiece and speculation over the lucrative future of German ventures, Lord Pirrie, head of Harland and Wolff, and Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, came to the table to devise a counterattack, whose sheer size and magnificence would guarantee headlines." Ismay was willing to do whatever it took to get back in the spotligh... ... middle of paper ... ...ahnp_k12&p_nbid=U65L59YTMTMwNTY4MTg4My43MDQ1MTQ6MTo4OlRFWEFTMjQz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=3&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=3&p_docnum=7&p_docref=v2:11210D409F608820>. primary source McCarty, Jennifer Hooper, and Tim Foecke. What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries. New York: Citadel, 2008. Print. secondary source Philadelphia Inquirer. “Probe into Death of 1595 is Now on in New York. Managing Director of White Star Line Admits He Knew Titanic Was in Vicinity of Ice.” Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] 20 Apr. 1912: 1 & 3. InfoWeb.Newbank.com. Web. 17 May 2011. . primary source

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