Why does Titanic keep drawing people to its tragic tale? A Fall River museum has answers.
FALL RIVER — The tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic has fascinated the public since the 1912 disaster in which more than 1,500 people died in the Atlantic Ocean’s frigid waters. The story has captivated scientists, filmmakers, historians, students — and, in a recent devastating high-profile incident, eco-tourists.
An international search-and-rescue mission was launched for the OceanGate Inc. submersible Titan, a private experimental vessel which lost contact with the surface shortly after a dive to view the Titanic wreckage about 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod in the Atlantic Ocean. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five passengers aboard: four tourists and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
OceanGate had been selling tickets to view the Titanic wreckage, with published reports indicating each cost $250,000.
Fall River has its own connection to Titanic, and for decades has played a part in educating people about the science and the human toll of the story.
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What was the sinking of the Titanic?
The ship, operated by the White Star Line and bound from England to New York, left Southampton on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. At the time it was the world’s largest and most opulent ocean liner, and considered unsinkable. Late in the evening of April 14, the ship struck an iceberg, causing the hull to buckle and fill with water. Two and a half hours later, early in the morning of April 15, Titanic, broken in two pieces, sank beneath the water. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew, about 700 survived. The rest died in the icy-cold Atlantic.
What does the Maritime Museum have in its Titanic exhibit?
Fall River’s Maritime Museum at Battleship Cove has long held one of the world’s largest collections devoted to Titanic and nautical history, helping thousands of visitors understand the scope of the Titanic tragedy.
The museum’s collection is dominated by a 28-foot replica of the ship used for special effects in the 1953 film “Titanic,” a romantic drama starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb.
The exhibit, "The Birth and Death of a Titan: The Story of the Titanic,"also contains a detailed timeline of the iceberg collision that caused the ship to sink, and how Titanic broke apart to wind up on the floor of the Atlantic.
It also features information about Titanic’s 1985 discovery by Dr. Robert Ballard and the scientific vessels that have been used to research the vast underwater field of wreckage, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Alvin submersible.
The museum encourages visitors to imagine themselves on the deck of the ship, learn about life aboard the ship, and know more about its passengers. Among them was Marjorie Newell Robb, who had been aboard Titanic along with her father, Arthur, and sister, Madeline. Arthur put Marjorie and Madeline on lifeboats, and both survived; their father perished in the sinking ship. Marjorie lived in Westport Point for many years until she was 99 years old. Her final years were spent at the Adams House on Highland Avenue in Fall River until she died on June 11, 1992, at age 103. Robb, who gave talks about Titanic in her later years, recorded an audio account of the ordeal, which is available at the Maritime Museum.
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Why does the Titanic's sinking still fascinate people?
One of the Maritime Museum’s most notable backers was the late Rev. Robert P. Lawrence, pastor emeritus of Fall River’s First Congregational Church. Lawrence was an expert in Titanic history and lore; he was invited on April 14, 2012, to conduct a memorial service aboard the cruise ship Amazara Journey at the site of Titanic’s sinking to commemorate the tragedy’s centennial.
“This is just a moment in history that people seem to want to relive,” Lawrence said at the time.
The Titanic tragedy was a favorite metaphor for Lawrence, who for years wrote an occasional column for The Herald News on faith. In a 2014 column, he noted how Titanic survivors struggled with grief since they'd been unable to bury their loved ones who died on the ship.
“To see beyond what we don't know, with no body to verify the fact of death, leaves us with no other reasoning than in knowing that God works in a mysterious way," Lawrence wrote. “In coming to terms with this fact, the pain we experience in death with no body, is our best hope in living with wonderful memories that provide comfort.”
Dan Medeiros can be reached at [email protected]. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Titanic exhibit at Fall River museum brings story to light