12 of 12

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 3

at either the British or American inquiries. Prior to the sinking of the Titanic he repeatedly rejected suggestions that ships arrive ahead of schedule, as this was unpleasant for passengers who made plans based off the expected arrival date. Thus it would be very out of character for him to urge Captain Smith to increase the speed. Also, the White Star Line also placed a higher importance on luxury than speed, and the Titanic was not designed to break any records. Likewise, the allegation that he forced the ship to carry a smaller complement of lifeboats was refuted by Harold Sanderson, the then vice-president of the International Mercantile Marine (At the time Ismay was the president of IMM). In the end, Ismay had no effect on either the sinking or the loss of life that occurred after it.

The British and American inquires into the event concluded that the Titanic was a victim of outdated standards and poor visibility. Several laws were enacted after the tragedy in an effort to improve safety, most notably lifeboat requirements based off of number of passengers rather than tonnage, and the Radio Act of 1912 which required a ships wireless to be manned at all times. It is hard to say that the accident was entirely unavoidable, but given the limited understanding of the time, it was decidedly not due solely to carelessness.

Learn more about this author, Robert Alverson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3

Add your voice

Know something about The sinking of the Titanic: Unavoidable tragedy or careless accident??
We want to hear your view. Write now!