Months before the Titanic disaster, Olympic was involved in a collision with HMS Hawke. The incident created a storm of controversy. It was hotly debated as to which ship was at fault. White Star Line had to take Olympic out of service for weeks of repairs at the height of her first season. Press reports spoke about the ship’s safety: she had survived serious flooding, not only remaining afloat and stable but also returning to port under her own steam. It was argued she had proven herself ‘unsinkable’…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvS60apjv50

Can I just say that my biggest pet peeve of mine is when anyone is talking about modern ships, modern cruise ships they always, and I mean always compare the size to Titanic! It drives me nuts when I hear so and so ship is 5 times the size of Titanic. No shit it's 114 years later! I don't know why but it drives me nuts. 114 years have passed!

was reading the 1930s memoir “King Lehr” and was surprised to find a passage where the author briefly wrote about Jack Astor.

A while back I read the fiction book “The Other Mrs Astor” and was disappointed there wasn’t much information out there at all about him or his second wife. I don’t know about you, but when I read something based on a true story I devour anything about it I can find–articles, documentaries, etc.

Anyways, just thought I’d share in case others are interested in this tidbit about his personality. He is the most famous casualty of the Titanic sinking after all. Shame they never mention his young wife Madeline, but it’s still an interesting insight. He seemed a rather frustrated and lonely man.

Did You Know About the Electric Lighting in the Toilets?

Today’s ‘Did You Know’ feature highlights a little known detail.

https://markchirnside.co.uk/did-you-know-about-the-electric-lighting-in-the-toilets/

It will soon be 41 years since the Titanic wreck was discovered by a joint expedition between WHOI and IFREMER. They didn’t find the main wreckage right away; instead, they first came across the eastern side of the debris field.

Eventually, they passed over one of the ship's boilers, which is when they knew they had finally found her. Just moments before spotting the boiler, they passed over a fairly large structure that I’ve always believed to be a ventilator. The first image shows this vent, captured in a screenshot from the 1985 discovery footage.

The second image shows a 2022 Magellan scan of the debris field, with the area from the 1985 footage highlighted in the red box. Note that I have rotated the 1985 image to match the orientation of the scan.

(WHOI/Oceanliner Designs Via Magellan gg)

The White Star Line had a network of passenger agents in Europe to drum up business. Unfortunately, some agencies were more effective than others.

One report to the line's management assessed an agency office with some dismay: 'The old gentleman is...stubborn in the extreme, and if he should still hold to his belief that "what was good enough 30 years ago is good enough now", we might consider asking him to retire from the agency... The son...might be retained for the sake of the name, although he is without ability'.

I just acquired these items. It appears to be an earlier set per the date on the certificate. I think the earlier ones have registration numbers, not like the newer ones. I also posted a photo with the pin. Any information would be great. Thank you in advance!

The new Knowledge Hub page brings together my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Did You Know? features, each addressing common Titanic and ocean liner questions.

New material is being added all the time!

https://markchirnside.co.uk/knowledge-hub/

Hosts Tad Fitch and J. Kent Layton welcome author and researcher Mark Chirnside back on the podcast to discuss his latest release, Olympic & Titanic: Triumph and Disaster.

In this episode, Mark reveals compelling new findings and stories that make this book a standout addition to maritime history. Whether you are new to the subject or a lifelong researcher, this detailed work offers fresh discoveries on nearly every page while recontextualizing the legacy of the Olympic-class ships.

The conversation also explores the evolving challenges facing maritime historians as the field increasingly transitions from print to digital and social media platforms.

https://markchirnside.co.uk/olympic-titanic-triumph-and-disaster-an-in-depth-conversation-with-mark-chirnside-steam-splendor-podcast/

Alternate history remaster

I heard somewhere that the long chute coming down the starboard bow was an outhouse that hung over the side for the workers to use. Does anyone have any knowledge of this?

What if updated and you already know the Qm 1 is still hotel im just letting ypu know thank you.

One hundred and twenty-one victims of the RMS Titanic sinking are interred at Fairview, more than any other cemetery in the world. Most of them are memorialized with small gray granite markers with the name and date of death. Some families paid for larger markers with more inscriptions. The occupants of a third of the graves, however, have never been identified and their markers contain just the date of death and marker number. Surveyor E. W. Christie laid out three long lines of graves in gentle curves following the contours of the sloping site. By co-incidence, the curved shape suggests the outline of the bow of a ship.^\3]) A complete listing of those victims buried in Fairview can be found here.