Hi Glenn, SOS existed prior to Titanic. The lifeboat requirement was changed from being based on tonnage to all aboard.
Hi there Emily, ice warnings that were headed with MSG I think would have been given to the captain I believe, otherwise they were treated less than paid messages and were pinned up for later when there was more time. Also, if you do a search on binoculars, there have been all sort of discussions on this board about the pros and cons of binoculars. All I can say is, try bouncing on a tramopline in your back yard on a totally moonless dark night holding a pair of binoculars and try holding ythem up to spot anything, even your neighbors front door window and see if you can identify it. Some say here that the lookouts never had binoculars. It was not a requirement.
The Coast Guard would do their very best not to have something like that happen again, but the sea can be cruel and things happen very quickly at times. Saying that anyone concerned with safety at sea would never let the Titanic tragedy happen again, means that if it happened that the people in charge were not concerned with safety. That may not be true. Their heart may very well be to keep all safe. But life deals us blows at times that none of us expects.
Maureen.
