A century ago, the RMS Titanic left port in the British Isles, heading toward New York City. But, in one of the greatest peacetime maritime disasters to ever occur, the ship never completed its maiden voyage, and took the lives of 1,514 passengers with it. 100 years later, a great debate has arisen as to whether the artifacts sitting on the ocean floor should be recovered.
When it was built, the Titanic stood as a monument to the success and power of technology.
“You had this huge ship, which was inconceivable 100 years ago, and it allowed people to travel without even feeling like they were traveling, surrounded by luxury,” Ross Bassett, associate professor of history, said.
For its time, the Titanic was the biggest, latest and greatest luxury liner on the seas. With the release of James Cameron’s movie by the same name and the subsequent re-release just a few weeks ago, many people are familiar with the events that transpired: multiple ice warnings were sent to the ship and promptly ignored, the unsafe speed at which the ship was sailing, the treatment of passengers in lower classes and the inadequate number of lifeboats led to the poor reaction to the wreck.
In response, maritime safety laws have increased, including those concerning radios.
“One of the aspects of the Titanic was that it had wireless radios, but many of the radio operators had gone to bed that night,” Bassett said. “After the sinking, radios had to be manned 24 hours, and that helped advance technology and the further possibilities of radios.”
Bassett explains that one could look at the technological splendor of the Titanic and see it as foreshadowing the weapons created for World War I. He goes on to say some people looked at the sinking of the Titanic and saw it as a sign technology wasn’t advancing society.
One would assume with the re-release of James Cameron’s movie, the events surrounding the tragedy would become more publicized. However, it was revealed on Twitter a sizeable number of users weren’t even aware there had actually been a ship Titanic that sank. Many believed the plot was created specifically for the movie.
Some, like Derek Spicer, senior in history, are astounded by the general lack of knowledge surrounding the event.
“I posted a Facebook status about it, in which I called them idiots,” Spicer said. “I pulled no punches on that and I make no apologies for it. Next thing you’ll hear that people watching Saving Private Ryan didn’t know that D-Day actually happened.”
Kimberlin Torain, freshman in biochemistry, also expressed her distaste over the Twitter revelation.
“Twitter is a place for young adults with too much time. In a generation concerned with iPhones and Wiz Khalifh, I’m not surprised they hadn’t had time to educate themselves.”
With discussion of this century-old tragedy coming back into the public eye, so has the controversial issue over whether the artifacts sitting at the bottom of the sea should be recovered.
The skeletal remains of the ship sit in international waters with protection against salvagers. Many arguing for the recovery use this as their main platform, and also assert recovery is the best way to preserve history.
However, the opposing side argues the wreckage is the graveyard for those lost during the disaster, and disturbing it would be an insult to their memory.
“I think any and all remains should be left undisturbed,” Spicer said. “I would agree that would be grave robbing. I think historians should take the wishes of the family into account and be extremely careful with any recovery efforts.”
“These people are heroes to their families… historians should respect that,” Torain said. She adds how important it is to teach about the tragedy of the Titanic in school curriculums.
“I think teaching about any historical event is necessary,” Torain said. “We teach history so that we may understand and learn from it. Teaching the Titanic story is just as important as teaching slavery, or the event at Waco.”
