Speculation, exaggeration, propaganda and lies! Titanic has inspired many tall tales – but what is really true and what’s not?
10. Bruce Ismay, owner of White Star Line, urged Captain Smith to go faster even through an ice field. If this was true, why weren’t all the boilers lit? FALSE
9. The band continued playing until the very last moment – FALSE - who could play a cello while at a 45 degree angle.
8. The SS California stood by and did nothing and watched the Titanic sink. UNCONFIRMED
7. Rich and poor men all went down side by side. FALSE. Nearly 2/3 of first class men survived and only ¼ of 3rd class men survived.
6. Men escaped in lifeboats by dressing as women. TRUE
5. A Belfast ship worker was accidently sealed into Titanic’s hull during construction. FASLE
4. Captain Smith was a hero because he went down with his ship. Why would a hero allow lifeboats to leave half full?
3. Titanic’s hull number spelled NO POPE – FALSE
2. There was an enormous hoard of gold onboard and it’s yet to be recovered. FALSE – no evidence for this but the legend will be proved in 2012 when the Bank of England unseal the bank records.
1. A man survived the cold of the Atlantic because he was drunk – TRUE! He paddled in the water for over an hour and a half before being pulled onto a lifeboat.
