Did the band really play till the end?

Lots of people say Titanic's band played till the end, but did they really? First, imagine yourself being one of the musicians. Now, imagine yourself trying to play a Cello, at a angle of 23 degrees, and listing 9 or so degrees to port. I certainly could not play a instrument like that! So, the band probably played as long as they could. Therefore, we should say "They played as long as they could."

Titanic's Musicians

Titanic had 8 musicians aboard, who all boarded at Southampton and were all 2nd class passengers. Here is a list of all 8 musicians, their age, what they played, and their hometown.

• Wallace Henry Hartley, Age 33, Bandmaster and Violinist. Hometown: Colne, Lancashire, England. 
• John Frederick Preston Clarke, Age 30, Bassist. Hometown: Liverpool, Lancashire, England. 
• Roger Marie Bricoux, Age 20, Cellist. Hometown: Cosne-sur-Loire, France. 
• Theodore Ronald Brailey, Age 24, Pianist. Hometown: London, England. 
• John Law Hume, Age 21, Violinist. Hometown: Dumfries, Scotland. 
• Georges Alexandre Krins, Age 23, Violinist. Hometown: London, England. 
• Percy Cornelius Taylor, Age 32, Cellist. Hometown: London, England. 
• John Wesley Woodward, Age 32, Cellist. Hometown: Oxford, England.

On the night of the sinking, the band got together and played music to calm the passengers. They played as long as they could, and all went down with the ship. Out of 8 musicians, only 3 bodies were recovered.

What was the last song played?

Everyone asks the question "What was the last song played on Titanic?" Well, we know for sure it is either Nearer my God to Thee or Autumn. A lot of survivors said it was Nearer my God to Thee, and only 1 person said it was Autumn. Wallace Hartley reportedly told a friend that if he were on a sinking ship, he would play Nearer my God to Thee. All evidence we have points to Nearer my God to Thee. But what version? There is the Horbury version, which is British. Then we have Propior Deo, also British. Last but not least, we have the Bethany version, which is American. Now, Wallace Hartley was British and probably wouldn't play the Bethany version. So it's either the Horbury version or Propior Deo. His parents are certain he would play Propior Deo, and therefore I say it was Propior Deo. However, there is even more evidence to back up the idea that he played the Propior Deo version. Wallace Hartley was a Methodist, and Propior Deo is the Methodist version. Therefore, again, that's why I think the Propior Deo version was played. However, you can believe either version or song because there is no definite answer to this question.

Titanic Exhibit Review (2)

I visited the Titanic exhibit in Branson Missouri and boy was it cool! First of all, the museum itself is a half replica of the ship. Right next to the ship is a iceberg, and a pool of water. Then you get a boarding pass and wait in line. After you get through the line, you enter the lobby. The lobby itself is awesome. On the roof is a replica of the center propeller, and on the wall is chart which shows you just how big Titanic really is! After you get through the line in the lobby you get your ticket. After you get your ticket, your free to go! In the exhibit you get to learn a little about the dogs on Titanic, send your own SOS, see a first class cabin, walk the grand staircase, see a actual sized third class cabin, steer the ship, and more! Oh, and when you first enter the exhibit you see a huge Titanic model! The whole exhibit is amazing. You really get to feel what it was like on the ship, and learn a lot about the ship. Overall, this exhibit is well worth coming to and is very fun and interesting.

Titanic Short Films

Some of you might be looking at the title and going "I've seen everything from A Night To Remember to James Cameron's Titanic movie, what's next?" Well, some really awesome guy named Tom Lynskey made 2 short films of Titanic. Here, take a look at them.

• "Belfast Air" This short film is a short story about Thomas Andrews, and is very well done.
• "The Last Signals" This film is the story of the sinking of the Titanic from the point of view of the Marconi Telegraph Operators. Harold Bride, the Junior Operator, is the focus of the film. John Phillips is the Chief Operator.

Interested? Here, have the link: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZetj_NBrP_MNCEuS6GqVg9IZiCCLgIPX.

Titanic Honor and Glory Website!

Remember when I told you guys about Titanic Honor And Glory? Well, they have a website now! I am guessing you want the link, so here: http://www.titanichg.com/.

Full astern or Stop?

A lot of you (Maybe even you) believe that when they spotted the iceberg, the order full astern was given to the engines. However, this is probably not true. First of all, at the time of impact Titanic was at "Full Ahead" If they were to suddenly reverse the engines (Called a crash stop) it would cause a shudder no one could miss. No survivors reported such a violent shudder. Also, about 3-4 people in the engine/boiler room says the order was Stop. Also, reversing the engines doesn't make sense. What if the stern hits an iceberg? Another theory is the order was stop, then reverse. Why bother reversing when you just stopped the engines? Also, wouldn't reversing the engines complicate the order hard a starboard? With this evidence, I can now say this: Murdoch ordered "Hard a starboard" and the engines stopped. Why? He was attempting to steer away from the iceberg and stop the ship, so they don't hit anymore icebergs. What does this mean? No full astern order was given. But hey, this is still a debatable question. But I, and hopefully you, now believe the order Stop was given.

Titanic Exhibit Review (1)

First off, welcome to the new series. In this series, I go to different exhibits then write my experience on this blog. Today, I will be reviewing the exhibit in Buena Park. This exhibit is really interactive and fun. Before you enter, you get a boarding pass. The boarding pass gives information about an actual passenger aboard Titanic. When you enter, they show you a quick video. Then, you walk into "Harland and Wolff Shipyards" Here, they show you some facts about the construction of Titanic. Then, you walk into a room that takes place on sailing day. In the middle of this room is a huge Titanic model which is very accurate. The next rooms allow you to see a first class room, along with some facts. Then the other room allows you to see a third class room, which is way different than a first class room! The next room shows you how big a boiler would've been, and trust me, it's massive! Then, you get to touch an iceberg and sit in an actual sized lifeboat and watch Titanic sink. Then, you get to go to the memorial room. Here, you check your boarding pass and see if your passenger survived. Then, you go to the "wreck room" where you get to see pictures from the wreck in 3D! Finally, you get to go to the gift shop! What makes this exhibit really awesome is the actors. In some rooms there are actors, and you get to ask them questions about the ship. The actors really know a lot about Titanic, and they are very helpful. Overall, this exhibit is really educational and awesome.

Fine Art Models Titanic Model

You've seen Titanic models, but the one I am about to show you is very special. Here, let me tell you what is so special about this model.

• It is over 18 feet long
• It was built from original plans
• The decking is real wood, as is the deck furniture. 
• The telegraph in the bridge is internally lit
• Its lighting is so complex that it required the installation of more than 8 miles of fiber optic cable
• The model weighs 1,500 pounds.
• Harland and Wolff approved.
• All exterior windowed rooms are to scale, including the furniture and decor inside each room.
• Probably the most accurate Titanic model there is.
• Very awesome

What's that I here? You want the model? Then fork over 2,500,000 dollars! That's right, if you want this model you have to pay 2,500,000 dollars. Now I see why nobody has bought this model. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.fineartmodels.com/RMS_Titanic/RMS_Titanic.html.

Raise the Titanic?

Ever since the ship sank in 1912, lots of people have tried to raise Titanic. They failed mostly because of money reasons, of course. Here is a list of ideas:

• Fill the ship with ping pong balls and let it float up to the surface. Why doesn't it work? Because, think of this. How do we get them INSIDE the wreck? We can't open a door in a submersible that far down, we'll drown to death and die from water pressure. And we can't drop them from a ship, because they will just float away. Even if we somehow do fill it up with ping pong balls, the pressure will crush them. Plus, the ship is in 2 pieces. The ping ping balls will just float out of the ship. 
• Someone came up with a idea to pump the ship full of molten wax and wait for it to harden, then let the ship float to the surface. Now, wax freezes at 45 degrees Fahrenheit and we know the Atlantic ocean is WAY colder than that. So the wax hardening part is correct. But think of this. First, how are we supposed to pump wax into the Titanic anyway? Second, the Titanic is in two pieces. The wax will just float out into the ocean. 
•  Now, back in the day when they thought the ship sank in one piece someone had the idea of turning the Titanic into an iceberg. How? Well, it was a bit complicated. First, they would wrap the whole ship in a strong wire mesh, creating a gigantic basket of sorts to hold her. Liquid Nitrogen would then be pumped throughout the entire ship, which would presumably cause her to freeze solid. Titanic would then float up to the surface. Of course, this theory can never happen. Why? Because the temperature of the water at the Titanic's wreck site is believed to be 28 degrees. Liquid nitrogen freezes at -346 degrees Fahrenheit. The moment they pumped the liquid nitrogen into the ship, it would just dissolve. Plus, the ship is in two pieces.

All these theories are crazy. Of course, there is a lot more. Just look it up. But why try to raise it when you have a virtual map of the wreck site? Here, have the link: http://www.rmstitanic.net/expedition/.    

Titanic: Honor and Glory

So, some really awesome guys are making a game called Titanic: Honor and Glory. They also have really important people on their team, including Ken Marschall. The game is going to have 2 modes. The first mode, story mode, is quite is interesting. In story mode, your character is accused of stealing jewels by Scotland Yard, and you know the actual person who did it is on Titanic. You board the Titanic, and try to find the person who did it. Of course, she hits the iceberg and sinks in real time. The 2nd mode, is purely for exploring the ship. Time is not a factor, and she never strikes the iceberg. You can go anywhere you want, including the boilers! The whole ship is accurate, including the color of the wood, the rooms, the cabins, EVERYTHING. Characters will be placed in the ship for you to interact with. For example, you can visit the boilers and see firemen shoveling coal into the furnaces. Want to check it out? Click this link: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/titanic-honor-and-glory-phase-2.

White Star Songbook

The White Star Line Songbook is full of really calming music. The music is really pretty, and is perfect after a long day at work. Just turn on the music, and calm yourself. The music in this songbook would be played by the band on White Star Line ships, and all of it is original. Want it? Here's the link: http://rms-titanic.wix.com/titanic#!__il-disastro. Enjoy the music!

Couldn't it break AFTER it sank?

We all can't stop from asking: Couldn't Titanic break UNDER the water? Pretty much everyone believes it broke at the surface, but some people say it broke underwater. They say the people who saw the ship sink intact were right, and the people who saw it break in two were "seeing things." Now, here's this question: Who in the world can miss a giant ship, sticking up in the air, and splitting in two? Nobody really knows, all survivors are dead. But, just imagine being in the icy water and panicking. That might have been a problem for them. Anyway, the theory goes like this: The ship sinks intact, under the water it's moving around a lot, ripping things off, then SNAP. The hull breaks in two, in front of 3rd funnel, and hits the bottom of the ocean. But wouldn't all of this cause even more damage to the bow and stern? Probably so. Anyway, another theory says it broke when it hit the sea floor. Again, wouldn't this cause more damage to the bow and stern? These 2 theories are a maybe, but are probably not true. In fact, I say it's a 1 percent maybe and a 99 percent no. Why don't I say 100 percent no? Because, some survivors do say she sank intact. But, I bet you THEY were seeing things and missing some details, and the ship did actually break at the surface.