It Was Sad When the Great Ship Went Down

[Lee Gilliland]

I've been doing a bit of research on why the Titanic is so interesting to people, and one of the reasons that keeps cropping up, especially here in the states, was that a fair amount of us first hears of the ship through a song we learned in scout camp. Curious, I called the Girl Scout Council here in Washington, and got their historian. She said that song was deliberately put in the Scout songbook so the Titanic would never be forgotten. There's also apparently a connection with this decision and the Woman's Titanic Memorial here in Washington, but I haven't been able to chase that one down yet.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

It may have to do with the founder, Juliette Gordon Low. After her husband died in 1905, she was at loose ends until she met the founder of Boy Scouts, Sir Robert Baden-Powell in England in 1911. She returned to Georgia and held the first Girl Scout meeting in March of 1912. No doubt her strong ties in England and the timing of the disaster a month after strongly impressed itself on her mind. Perhaps there is also a connection with Sir Robert and Titanic. It is an interesting topic for pursuit- keep me posted! (A former Girl Scout)

 

[Tracy Smith]

Also a former Girl Scout. I don't remember singing that song at camp though. We were stuck with KumBaYah until we were ready to run off into the woods screaming from having to sing it so much.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I remember that song, but that's not what started it for me. A Night To Remember did that.

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Michael,It is A Night to Remember the movie or A Night to Remember the book. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Michael, I mean is it A Night to Remember the movie or A Night to Remember the book.Sorry for misplacing the words. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

ESP must be at work Michael- I was just posting some old photos of Walter. This song was sung at his memorial in June and was his favorite. There was not one dry eye I can tell you. He would refer to Titanic tenderly as "The Old Gal".

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The book Jerry, and in the 2cnd grade. I was the and still am a voracious reader. I was aware of the movie as well as the Titanic 1953 production with Barbera Stanwyk and Clifton Webb, but it was years befor I saw either in their entirity.

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Michael, Thank you for the reply.I don't know if you listen to Matt Drudge's Sunday night radio show but he has been reporting that terrorists want to hijack planes to crash into navy nuclear subs and warships at Pearl Harbor,Hawaii.This is just report that he is saying on the radio.This report being released on the same night that a made for tv movie being broadcast on cable channel TBS about terrorists taking over the QE2 when the U.S. President is onboard that ship with other world leaders.And I will be aboard the QE2 near the end of April.Kind of gives me the chills. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The possibilities for terrorism always give people the chills. That's how these people make changes happen...by making sure their targets are always reacting to them.

I don't think hijacking an aircraft is going to work though. With survival no longer a given with co-operation, passengers and crew have tended to turn on the hijackers first and ask questions later. (That's what I would do.) As far as I know, there hasn't been even a single successful hijacking since 9-11.

As closely as air traffic is monitored now, I'm quite confident that any plane acting in a suspicious manner will be met by armed interceptors with orders to shoot if need be.

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Michael, I would like to know why did the Cunard Line let the film makers use exterior images of the QE2 in this flick about terrorists on the ship.I thought that cruise lines didn't like their ships being used in films like this.The interior shots of the QE2 such as the Britannia Restaurant and QE2 corridors were shot in a studio. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Iain Stuart Yardley]

I saw that QE2 film too and I also wondered why they had given their permission. This is the one with the terrorists being Taiwanese holding the Chinese and US presidents hostage and the Taiwanese baddie being despatched with a ju-jitsu kick off the deck?

Cheers,

Boz

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Yes Iain,that is the movie I'm refering to and it is called Counterstrike.Well at least the movie has a happy ending with the QE2 saved from the terrorists who are all killed off. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Jerry, you'll have to ask Cunard that question. I don't even pretend to speak for them.

 

[Lee Gilliland]

Michael, Jerry, I am going to quote my husband here, as he has spent YEARS studying the terrorists and their actions. Every single time we have had a problem with these people has been a sucker punch. Without exception. Now that we are aware and armed (not to mention pissed off) the chances are negligible that his will happen again, so forget the planes. Unfortunately, they';re probably plotting a different strategy as we speak, but airplanes are out. Besides which, running a plane into a nuke will usually NOT detonate the nuke. It requires a bit more than that to make it explode.