The story of the Titanic and the iceberg has grown into a legend of the sea. It took her discovery in 1985 to begin to find the truth behind the myth. One of the things that makes the Titanic so fascinating is that she represented the best of technology when she set sail on her ill-fated voyage in 1912, and it took the best of technology in the form of sonar, satellite tracking, and deep-dive technology to locate her grave 73 years later.
On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. At that time, she was the largest and most luxurious ship ever built. At 11:40 PM on April 14, 1912, she struck an iceberg about 400 miles off Newfoundland, Canada. Although her crew had been warned about icebergs several times that evening by other ships navigating through that region, she was traveling at near top speed of about 20.5 knots when one grazed her side.
Less than three hours later, the Titanic plunged to the bottom of the sea, taking more than 1500 people with her. Only a fraction of her passengers were saved. The world was stunned to learn of the fate of the unsinkable Titanic. It carried some of the richest, most powerful industrialists of her day. Together, their personal fortunes were worth $600 million in 1912! In addition to wealthy and the middle class passengers, she carried poor emigrants from Europe and the Middle East seeking economic and social freedom in the New World.
Interview with witness
R: Good morning Miss Young, can I have some question about the Tragedy of Titanic?
W: Yes, of course.
R: So, Why you were on Titanic?
W: I wanted to see all world and most what I wanted to see was New York and America
R: How did you feel on ship? Were you O.K. or have you some problems?
W: First I felt really bad because I was so nervous and I was scary from Titanic, but later I was O.K. I found new friends and there was too many good people. So I felt good then.
R: Did you think that Titanic was the largest and the most luxurious ship?
W: So, I think that because it was fact. I saw Titanic, I was on Titanic and it was really large and luxurious ship on our Earth. Titanic was brilliant, he had everything. Nice.
R: Wasn’t you very scared from the ship, from the sailing?
W: Yes I was, but just from the beginning. Then was everything right, I wasn’t scare from the ship. And about sailing. I love sailing on the sea , on the ocean. That journey was fine without fear. But later ....
R: Did you think that another people on the ship were O.K as you?
W: I don’t think so, because too much people were scared from everything’s. They were afraid from sea, from the ship , from another people what were there.
R: What did you think when Titanic crash into the iceberg?
W: I didn’t know about the iceberg because they didn’t tell us what happened. Just later we saw on board a bit of ice so we thought that that crash was iceberg.
R: What did you do when the ship started sink?
W: I went to the board and asked to another women what to do. She sad me that we have to go to the lifeboats. So we started push to the side.
R: How did you survive?
W: I have luck, because there were too many people, children, men, women and they wanted to go to the lifeboat. So I had to fight for my place in lifeboat. They screamed, they jumped to the cold water they did stupid things because they thought that they will survive. But they died. I was in second lifeboat so we were so far as was possible from Titanic. We saw all what happened then. I have just luck because that man who gave people to boats know me, so he helped me. He died there.
R: Did you have on Titanic somebody from your family or really near friends?
W: Yes, I had there a husband and my very good friends. And I knew many people there, from my house or just from the ship.
R: Did they survive?
W: No, they died there. And sorry I have enough. I can't answer on the next question. This are too sad memories. So sorry. Maybe later.
R: It's ok and excuse me. Thanks for interview.
