After taking a look at the idea of a New World Order (as well as the possibility that the Illuminati still exists) in last week's conspiracy feature, we go in a completely different direction this time round! Here, we delve into a number of theories surrounding the tragedy of the Titanic, focusing on one that suggests the ship never actually sank.
A brief history of the Titanic
For those of you who may need a refresher, the RMS Titanic was a British ship that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, following a collision with an iceberg during the vessel's maiden voyage.
Though there were safety features that were extremely progressive for their time - such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors - the ship only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people, which was around half of the number of travellers on board. Following the "women and children first" model for those who were allowed to board the lifeboats - many of which were only partially loaded - a disproportionate amount of men were left aboard the doomed ship.
Just under three hours following the collision with the iceberg, the Titanic broke apart with over one thousand people still aboard. Around two hours later, the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia arrived and brought on board an estimated 705 survivors.
The Titanic's wreck wasn't found until over 70 years after the tragedy, during a US military mission in 1985. To this day, it remains on the seabed, though artefacts have been recovered and can be found on display in museums across the globe.
Did the Titanic really sink?
So, it's pretty simple, right? The Titanic was doomed, thousands died, and the tragedy led to improvements in maritime safety regulations. Not according to some conspiracy theorists...
In September 1911, a separate ship called the Olympic was damaged during a journey from Southampton, England to New York, the United States of America. It had to then return to Belfast for repairs, before sailing to New York and back again. Further repairs would then take place in 1912, just a few weeks before the Titanic would set sail.
This specific conspiracy theory suggests that at some point, a person or a group of people decided to switch the Olympic with the Titanic, as the former was now too severely damaged to ever turn a profit. But why would they put so many lives at risk just to get rid of a ship? Surely they could do that without such a huge loss to life?
Well, it's all about money! In doing this, they could rid themselves of the Olympic whilst claiming insurance money when the vessel did end up falling apart in the middle of the ocean.
On the face of it, it could make sense. When you dig a little deeper however, you discover that the Titanic's insurance wouldn't have even been enough to cover the loss of the Olympic. So, other than cutting their losses, this would be a pretty reductive ploy. We're not sold!
Other Titanic conspiracies
- The Mummy's curse: One stupid theory that refuses to go away is that the Titanic was cursed from the moment it set sail, because a historian sailing on the ship was carrying the remains of an Egyptian mummy. Supposedly, the remains caused the ship to sink just a few days into its journey. Ridiculous, right?
- J.P. Morgan planned the disaster: Millionaire banker J.P. Morgan was originally set to sail on the Titanic, but decided against jumping on board shortly before the journey began. According to this theory, that was a calculated decision because he planned the disaster, knowing his rivals Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus and Benjamin Guggenheim were all on board. Exactly how he would ensure the ship collide with an iceberg, and that those three men would be part of those who perished however, is anybody's guess.
- The German submarine: Several Titanic survivors claim to have heard explosions right after the ship began to sink. From this, some jumped to the conclusion that an outside force - and specifically a torpedo from a German submarine - was to blame for the tragedy. Want evidence? You're not likely to get any...
- The writer who foresaw his fate: This has got to be one of the eeriest theories we've ever read. Whether you believe in psychic ablities or not, this will send a shiver down your spine! In 1886, British writer William T. Stead released his short story How the Atlantic Mail Steamer Went Down. The plot was incredibly similar to the Titanic disaster, but in his story, a mail steamer in the Atlantic would collide with another ship before a lack of lifeboats on board caused a major loss of life. As if that wasn't weird enough, Stead himself was on board the Titanic and died in the wreck. Creepy!
- A Norwegian ship refused to help: Some Titanic survivors claim to have seen searchlights in the distance before a rescue ship ever arrived. This led to some believing that the Norwegian seal hunting ship Samson saw that there were people in distress and in need of aid, but that they ignored the calls for help because Samson was hunting in territorial waters. Records however suggest that the Samson was really at a port in Iceland.
NOTE: Conspiracies are theories often created with a lack of evidence. Each of our conspiracy reports are based on online research, but should never be taken as 100% fact.
NEXT WEEK: Was the Moon landing faked by NASA?
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