Every Titanic enthusiast has heard of the tragic circumstances on the night of April 14th 1912, and what may have been if the SS Californian has reacted sooner to the crisis. But that was not to be and the rest is history. This book digs deeper into the night of horror and the key individual’s minds and actions that either saved or drowned the passengers of the unsinkable mega-liner.
This is an exciting different take on the already detailed foundering of the RMS Titanic. It is a welcome study of the two ships, SS Californian and RMS Carpathia that were in the near vicinity of the sinking ship. From the first signs of distress via the fairly new Marconi radio messages to the sightings of white distress rockets, the historical facts are outlined in clear detail. Also, key Individuals and their heroic or weak responses to the disaster are also explained in a well written manner. The book dwells deep into the psyche of both captains and crew of the responding ships as they react to the situation in two opposing ways.
If there is a negative to the book, I found the strong opinionated conclusions somewhat questionable. Rightly, Captain Jack Lord of the Californian was lampooned during the various inquiries and yet was never charged for dereliction of duty. In this book, he is literally ‘thrown under the bus’. On the other hand, Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia is adored and to an extent ‘worshipped’ in the book’s chapters. The author also opinionate on the high loss of 3rd class/steerage passengers. He states that it may have been due to their socioeconomic class upbringing which drove them in vain to identify a leader for their rescue. I found that very troubling.
Still, this book is recommended.