A Lot Of People Are Only Just Finding Out Where The Titanic Actually Sank

Becoming one of the most iconic movies of the 1990s, if not all time, the Titanic was a historical tragedy that nearly everyone has heard of. However, many misconceptions regarding the topic include where it sank.

Titanic the Movie

In 1997, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio evoked raw and pure emotion on the big screen, co-starring in Titanic. They play Rose and Jack, resembling a sort of modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet. The movie won 11 of the 13 Academy Awards for which it was nominated and certainly captured audiences. Furthermore, it’s well known that the Titanic movie is based on a real event. The event took place in the early 1900s.

Titanic’s Real Story

The “Olympic” class of liners was designed to be the most spacious and luxurious yet. The Titanic was the second liner to be built, in a series of 3. Work commenced in March 1909 in Belfast, Ireland. After two years of non-stop work, the Titanic was scheduled to set sail for a test run. The test was to head into the River Lagan. There more than 100,000 people attended the flawless launch on May 31, 1911.

The Titanic was, at the time, a revolutionary vessel. Setting sail on April 10th, 1912, it was the result of two competitor British shipping lines, the White Star Line and Cunard. Both rated the highest in luxury and sophistication, particularly in the early 1900s. To keep up with Cunard’s recent success, the Lusitania White Star Line announced its plans for a voyage across the sea. The voyage was set to begin in Southampton, England, and end in New York City, New York. Interestingly, three years after the Titanic sank, so too did the Lusitania. On May 7, 1915, a German-fired torpedo hit it, killing more than half its passengers. This set off a chain of events that lead to America entering WWI.

Misconceptions Regarding Location

Since watching the Hollywood version, many people have understandably faced some confusion regarding the truth of certain details—one of those being where the Titanic sank. In the early morning hours of April 15th, a mere five days after the colossal ship set sail, the ship hit an iceberg and sank. The Titanic was the world’s largest ocean liner and was deemed an “unsinkable ship.” Sadly, that wasn’t true, and more than 1,500 passengers lost their lives in those freezing waters. The Titanic went down in Atlantic waters and was much closer to the US maritime boundary than originally believed.

The Titanics Journey

The journey began across the English Channel, then through to Cherbourg, France, before reaching a port in Ireland. Later, the Titanic set sail straight across the Atlantic, en route directly to New York City. The iceberg was a mere 400 miles off the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland. The misconception came about because people believed “the deadly freeze and giant pieces” meant the ship was much further North, noting the below-freezing, 28-degree F waters.

Subsequently, the topic is currently trending as there was a recent attempt to go to the site via a submersible known as Titan. Differing from a submarine, the submersible is designed to be underwater for only a short period of time, days to weeks. In contrast, submarines are designed to be underwater for months.

Once in a Lifetime Voyage

“Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.” British Billionaire Hamish Harding posted to his Facebook page. Unfortunately, the vessel lost contact with officials, causing quite a stir in the media and general public. Ocean Gate’s Titan Submersible went missing on June 18th, 2023.

Professor Sam Drake at Flinders University explained this of the missing submersible, “If Titan is sending out any signals, we can try can detect them and locate the emitters and hence the vessel. This is called passive localization. If Titan is making noise, either by a propeller or people talking it may be possible to pick up the sound and locate the vessel in the same way that sonar works without the need to send out a signal.”

“This is a needle in a haystack situation but by combing, visual observations, radar, sonar, and passive techniques hopefully Titan will be found soon.” he concluded.

Recovering the Titan

Finally, on June 22nd, 2023, the US Coast Guard announced finding debris amidst the shipwreck about 1,600 feet from the Titanic, confirming the material matched that of the Titan. Thus, a “catastrophic implosion,” took place, according to John W. Mauger. “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” he told reporters. According to reports, the families were notified immediately. Mauger commented, “I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only account of people having a questionable journey via the Titan. Previous reports of passengers have included phrases like a “clumsy launch”, “a very difficult communication system“, and “a car you drunkenly drove into the ocean.” Learn more about the events that unfolded and the timeline in which they occurred, to better understand what happened to the vessel that attempted to find the Titanic, infamous shipwreck.

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