History Professor Dives Deep Into "Titanic" (Part 2/2) / Reel History

[@scottclark3139]

The mum telling the kids a bedtime story gets me every time

[@lawrencedockery9032]

Takes on an even deeper significance because if I'm not mistaken the land of Tier Na Nog is an underwater city of Celtic mythology

[@grannyannie2948]

I'm not sure if that actually happened. However witnesses saw a little girl and a woman not even try to make it to a life boat, but instead the mother? was playing the third class piano to calm the little girl by her side.

[@scottclark3139]

@@lawrencedockery9032 did not know that. Even sadder

[@LarryHobbs-x6g]

It hit home for me to even though I don't have kids it pulls my heart know there was kids in the Titanic

[@paulbaker5256]

I've heard it once remarked that Titanic can almost be viewed as a metaphor for the time into which she was born. A demonstration of the cutting edge of engineering and industry, unparalleled in size and luxury, she symbolised the power of the late Victorian age and optimism for a new century. Just as Titanic met a tragic end, so the old order that built her could not last and would come crashing down just over two years later.

[@lewisbreland]

Yes indeed. I actually see it as a metaphor for our species as a whole. Especially now with climate change and the rich making their own "lifeboats" to get off this sinking ship.

[@connergraham1522]

I also see it as a microcosm of the Edwardian society as a whole

[@NebMunb]

Is this irony posting?

[@grannyannie2948]

​@@connergraham1522And yet it is actually after the Edwardian Age.

[@lawrencedockery9032]

Surprised at the beginning of the video when discussing Officer Lightholler that there was no mention of how many years later in 1940 he personally sailed his own boat across the English Channel to rescue English troops at Dunkirk (the basis for Mark Rylance's character in Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk)

[@Concetta20]

I didn’t know that until Reel History’s commentary on “Dunkirk”! That’s amazing.

[@MrEd8846]

Yeah and there was some controversy with him in WW1 when they sunk UB-110 and he told the men to shoot the Germans surrendering.

[@devilsadvocate2656]

... and when one of the soldiers discovered the boats skipper was the 1st officer on the Titanic he leapt back into the ocean figuring he had a better chance of survival.

[@Jermster_91]

26:15 Another thing that James Cameron has mentioned in Directors Commentary is that he views Murdoch as a hero on the night of the sinking. Most of his boats were loaded to near or at capacity. Also he is in Rose's dream at the end of the film as well.

[@AmberPearcy]

Always loved the story of the Baker survivor. Haha. It’s been fun going back through “Titanic” with you. Can’t wait for the next one!

[@lancelittleton9802]

Another great breakdown, really enjoyed the Titanic deep dive! (pun intended). I've got to say, your channel is becoming one of my favorite historical breakdown channels, right up there with History Buffs! Keep it up Jared!

[@ReelHistory]

I'm flattered!

[@mackmitchell94]

13:30 well the order from captain smith was “women and children first” but unfortunately some of the officers took it to mean “women and children only” . Murdoch, the first officer in charge of lowering the boats on the starboard side interpreted the order correctly and let men in the boat if there were no more women and children about and of course, if there was space .

[@Templar0311]

Glad someone else caught this, I was going to mention the same thing till I came across your comment!

[@litorres4125]

@@Templar0311 imagine how many died unnecessarily bc of lighthollers misunderstanding

[@rockstarJDP]

Little late to the party but I came here to say the same!

[@owlbusdumbledork9966]

If the analysis videos for the movie can be 2/3rds of the movie's total runtime, and still be good enough to sit through, you know they're good. You have a real talent for these historical cinema breakdowns. Thanks!

[@ReelHistory]

Our Gettysburg breakdown is longer than the movie lol. Thanks!

[@owlbusdumbledork9966]

@@ReelHistory wow, and that's saying saying something considering the runtime of that movie. That'll be on my list too lol.

[@grannyannie2948]

​​@@ReelHistoryAndrews was seen by a surviving Steward in the smoking room, but this was Before he was seen making rafts out of deckchairs and helping women and children onto boats.So not the Last time he was seen.

[@runner354]

Love the channel. I would suggest covering the HBO series “The Pacific” sometime. Keep up the good work.

[@ctwells40]

I second this!

[@NoelG702]

He obviously knows about the Pacific series. I'm sure it'll happen sometime

[@cleverusername9369]

Lo and behold, your prayers have been answered

[@mackmitchell94]

6:30 you should have mentioned that this scene of the stokers running through the watertight doors is an inaccuracy because of the ladders you mentioned . The stokers wouldn’t ever run through the doors because unlike the movie, in real life they closed at a set speed and when about 4 feet from the ground, would drop completely . In real life climbed up the ladders, Cameron wanted it to be more dramatic so he ignored the ladders in this scene .

[@neilholmes8200]

Would love to see you do When Trumpets Fade, great movie about the fighting in the Hurtgenwald that doesn't shy away from the horrific fighting there

[@ReelHistory]

Oh that's happening....it will be a special one

[@neilholmes8200]

@@ReelHistory that's great, I'm a big fan of the movie as its not a well known film and doesn't deal with a famous battle of ww2 (compared to say d-day or Battle of the Bulge). Looking forward to the video 👍

[@brucewallace3860]

Excellent two-part series on this film/historic event. My grandfather, as a 16-year old short-order cook, was one of thousands who gathered at Chelsea Piers to see the survivors disembark the Carpathia. “I was just another rubber-necker,” he told me and anyone else who would listen years later.

[@TCR_710-Cap]

I highly appreciate that you consider Cameron's Titanic a film, and not just a movie. In my opinion, films are to educate, movies to entertain. I was 24 when the film came across German theatres Jan. '98), and I was blown away and shocked. Blown away, because it was so stunning to see everything in colour that I knew from b/w photos only, something that a broader audience will never appreciate. And shocked, by the horror shown. With regard to the human side, I strongly believe that there is still much to discover, esp. when it comes to what survivors did say or did not say. For instance, the whole sequence of events from Fleet ringing the bell until the ship came to a halt, needs a few further closer looks, and what Cameron did show, is the consensus of what the majority believes did happen, no matter, if it happened this way or not. It is unbelievable how the surviving witnesses present on or near the bridge during the collision, contradict each other and in some cases themselves, if you read through the US inquiry and the British inquiry, esp. the statements from Lightoller, Boxhall, Hitchens, Olliver and Fleet, you will know what I mean. The same applies to the chief baker Joughin, in one of his versions he rode the ship down like depicted by Cameron, in another of his statements there was a list (to port?), and people where thrown off their feet after the break-up (well, of course during the breaking as well), and he himself climbed over a bulkhead, maybe of the aft welldeck, onto the side of the ship. What's to believe?

[@davidyearwood4842]

Perfect timing on this short series on the titanic. I read an article today saying that the wreck is starting to deteriorate rapidly and could be lost to erosion.

[@thepowerfulwolfspirit.2581]

That’s sad.😞

[@danam2584]

I'm not crying. Your crying! I love the videos Jared. Keep up the great work.

[@neilholmes8200]

13:21 That's often known as the Birkenhead Drill, after the sinking of HMS Birkenhead off South Africa. She was a troopship carrying soldiers and their families, so the men paraded in deck, whilst some manned the pumps and lifeboats. The women and children were evacuated first, then the men fared for themselves. I'm from Birkenhead and there's a pub with a large mural depicting the sinking on its outer walls.

[@nooneofconsequence1251]

Honestly Will Murdoch's death scene is one of the more powerful moments in this film and I'm glad it's in there. If he was my ancestor, I wouldn't have been pained to see it, either. I would have seen a man trying desperately to do his job and his duty in a frantic situation and under impossible circumstances, being pushed to cross a line (as depicted in the film almost totally by accident) that he or his sense of honor would not allow him to cross, and in his final moments choosing to keep his honor rather than try futilely like so many others to save his own life. The scene plays as tragic, for sure, but, also, in a way heroic. His crewmate shouting out "no, Will!" also hits much harder than if he had simply been some nameless composite.

[@misamone]

You are a great teacher, your pupils are lucky to have you as an educator!! Always learning from your videos!! Keep it up!!! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@mackmitchell94]

18:42 you fail to mention the whole reason Titanic was sending up rockets in the first place was because of the sight of a ship of the port bow which seemed to be no more than 5-10 miles away . They fired 8 rockets to try and rouse this mystery ship but never got a response. The ship was the SS Californian, and the her crewmen saw the titanics rockets and informed their captain but he did nothing about it and spent the rest of his life trying to explain .

[@andreraymond6860]

When first seing the Cameron film I was baffled by the complete absence of the Californian in the movie. Walter Lord devotes many pages on the telegraph operators of Titanic and the California shutting down its telegraph for the night.

[@historyarmyproductions]

Well he didn't exactly do nothing. They tried to rouse a response from Titanic, with a morse lamp, but got no response (or they didn't understand the response).

[@mackmitchell94]

@@historyarmyproductions he could’ve roused his wireless operator and had him see what was going on, but he didn’t bother to .

[@historyarmyproductions]

@@mackmitchell94 Exactly, that's why I didn't say he did. He didn't, but he also didn't do nothing either.

[@stephenk24]

Amazing. Thank you so much for this video. What a channel this is becoming,

[@jacobbelow4136]

In fact, I think you could even make a historical reaction video to the deleted scenes alone. They involve such details as Ida Strauss actively insisting she stay with Isador, Molly Brown having more confrontation with Hitchens while rowing away, and even an extended sequence of the survivors boarding the Carpathia. Of course, there are some deleted scenes that were rightfully left out of the movie, and NOT just the alternate ending. One such scene involved the horrific demise of Cora (the little girl frequently seen holding the little doll in the first half of the movie) and her family. Cameron said that it was removed because preview screening it’s thought it was too traumatic, even after the deaths of all the other characters they got to know, others said they wished it remained in the movie to drive home how tragic the sinking was and all the children who were lost with it. I personally think it was an acceptable cut, given how there are other scenes involving the deaths of children that hit home pretty well. Also, I think it’s better left to personal contemplation, after Jack and Rose barely get out of the lower decks with their lives at one point, to be reminded that there were others who were not so lucky. Also, that autographed photo is amazing!

[@historyarmyproductions]

Some corrections and such I want to make here: 4:05 They didn't have binoculars for several reasons, 1: Wind, it was very likely that their eyes would've been watering, which made it a bit hard to see as it was. 2: At night, binoculars are essentially useless. 3: Its very likely based on the historical accounts from both the Look outs and the Quartermaster on duty that the bridge crew and the lookouts acctually saw the berg' at the same time, likely the bridge crew a few seconds before the lookouts. The lookouts stated in the enquires that when they called the bridge, the ship was already turning, that couldn't of have happened unless the bridge crew saw it first or if at the very least, they saw it at the same time. Some notes on the film earlier: J. Bruce Ismay didn't urge the Captain to speed through, to increase the speed. To be frank, thats a myth perpetuated entirely by this film. I'd also like to note that the detection of Captain Smith is off in terms of the way he behaves during the sinking. He wasn't in shock, in fact, he worked quite well and kept a cool head as far as we know. He had over 40 years experience on the sea, and it suited him well in this case. There are just no accounts of this more dramatic depiction.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

As far as the gates in third-class, there were no gates that blocked any of the passageways. There were only gates that blocked galleys. Scotland Road was the main third-class/crew hallway that traveled from bow to stern. The first-class entrance door was on Scotland Road, but it was an unmarked door that looked like every other crew door. There were some passengers that did find the entrance and escape up the first-class stairwell from E-deck to boat deck. The irony was that many of the third-class women did not want to leave their areas, however, the men wanted to evacuate, but would have trouble getting on a boat. Many just waited in the third-class general rooms until they were given instruction. Others congregated at the stern, with some climbing the railings. Some were able to get to the B-deck landing of the aft grand staircase, get to the A-deck promenade and manage to get up to the boat deck. There was a man who led an evacuation of a group of third-class passengers and brought them to the boat deck. A mob of third-class passengers made it to the boat deck, with only one boat left on deck, it overwhelmed Lightholler.

[@grannyannie2948]

I have also read that third class passengers were often carrying all their belongings with them, and were hesitant to leave everything behind. When the 1950s book and movie A Night To Remember, was being produced there were still a rather large number of survivors who were interviewed and worked on the movie. I was surprised how many third class passengers were among them, especially the men.

[@gman7774]

Have you ever watched any of the videos by History Buffs or Oversimplified? You’ve been added to that group to me. Great job!

[@ReelHistory]

Seen 'em all. I'm flattered!

[@OpTiC_DaD]

The book you recommended at the end is my favorite of my collection and keep it on my desk, been obsessed with Titanic since 1993

[@jimw966]

A fantastic part 2 of this movie. Ioan Gruffud, who played Officer Lowe would soon spend a lot of time on the water as Horatio Hornblower on the A&E miniseries/movies. I would really enjoy a similar review of A Night To Remember to compare the two films. Thank you for all the the hard work on these.

[@brintsmith2329]

You could have mentioned something about Captain Rostron of the Carpathia

[@DrumDTLTE2]

The version of Nearer Thy God to Thee played on Titanic was the British Methodist version. The Cameron film uses the American version. Wallace Hartley was a devout Methodist and was quoted as saying that if he were ever on a sinking ship, he would play Nearer Thy God to Thee.

[@tamiramos5873]

I saw this movie 22 times in the theater. I was able to meet George Tulloch - a Titanic explorer/salvager who was responsible for bringing up "The Big Piece" - before he died as well as a few different noted authors. I was able to see the big piece at Atlantic City on vacation one year. They had it in a tent in a pool of some type of liquid and there was a constant stream of that liquid on the piece to keep its integrity. I also tried to visit as many Titanic related locations - especially in NYC - but I haven't gotten to Nova Scotia yet. You can still see "Cunard" and "White Star Line" super imposed over each other at the pier in NYC where the Carpathia eventually docked after the sinking in NYC. Downtown, there is a Radio Shack where you can still see the designation of "First Class" further up on the building. This movie brought a new interest in history overall for me. It was a treat to go to the exhibit that was set up in Washington DC on the 100th anniversary. It would have been really cool to mention the ironic tale, "The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility" by Morgan Robertson written in 1898. Incidentally, the moment Robert sets his site on the boiler that is first seen when looking for the Titanic back in 1985 - is priceless.

[@anetetamm243]

Loved the video!! As a maritime student myself you really did a good job with all of the technical parts and with explaining the layout of the ship professionally!

[@mackmitchell94]

20:18 this is completely wrong and one of the major inaccuracies of the film. There were only a two of these gates in 3rd class accommodation not like how the movie portrays dozens of these gates across every hall way down there . The first was on a forward staircase that would have flooded soon enough after the impact. The other set was near the potato storage area, aft near the stern . Was there discrimination against third class ? There’s some isolated cases from testimony but how accurate it is is another question. Most of the third class passengers couldn’t get to the top deck simply because of the way the ship was laid out . It was like a maze and if you didn’t know where you were going, it’d be difficult for one to reach the boat deck .

[@BillBaronas]

Very true. Many of the barriers separating the classes were simply plain looking unlocked doors marked “First class only,” or not marked at all. The door between the E Deck landing of the Grand Staircase and Scotland Road was just a plain old door. It’s sad to know many people probably passed very easy routes up top because they didn’t know they were there.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

@@BillBaronas I actually just made this same comment. It's nice to see validation.

[@pinksheep406]

The locking of third class passengers below deck is complete BS, all gates were ordered open and there was no discrimination at the lifeboats. Though some gates were never opened and third class passengers simply got lost below deck due to unmarked exits and hallways, hence the high death count.

[@falcon664]

Thank you for the comment. I would add that there were no directional signs to the boat deck and remind that many third class passengers did not speak English. many would have simply remained in their space unless directed to do otherwise.

[@grannyannie2948]

If you look at the way third class is situated some cabins are in second class levels, and the third class smoking room is above second class, this was also the only area alcohol was available for purchase. Third class passengers had been onboard ship for four days, they would have been constantly moving to the dining room, the toilets, the lounge/piano room, they smoking room, and the third class promenade deck. They should have known the layout of the ship quite well. I have read of two other reasons third class were slow to move to the lifeboats. It would mean leaving everything they owned in the world behind. I know one account of a young woman going to the boatdeck from third class, realising she'd left her new hat behind, going back to retrieve it, and miraculously surviving. Another was a sadder reason. Boys over 13 were considered men. Families simply did not want to break up.

[@serpent645]

A compare/contrast with Titanic and A Night to Remember would be great. Please do it! Thanks

[@johanf9279]

Very informative video but also entertaning thru your storytelling skills and rich vocabulary. As a swede I appreciate you articulate very good.

[@garandguy101]

Another a great episode!!! Can’t wait for the next one!!

[@falcon3268]

the one part of the second ending that irritated me was the fact that one of the researchers got all upset when Rose dropped the diamond into the ocean. The man looks at her and says 'That really sucks!'. Man I wish someone would've just said go ahead and jump in if you want the damn thing so much.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

The alternate ending felt like the ending to ET. I thought she was going to be beamed up into a spaceship.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

The Heart of Ocean necklace was based on the Love of the Seas necklace that was worn by Kate Florence Phillips, a second-class passenger.

[@davemac1197]

Really good breakdown, like Part 1, learned a lot. Not one of my favourite films, but I've always been fascinated by film and TV production, so really appreciated some of the details on that aspect as well as the real history. Thank you for getting through Part 2 without a single "Bernarrrrd". When I saw Bernard Hill as Captain Smith, I was hiding behind the sofa, fearing the worst...

[@yurf9]

Making us wait 1 week for part two made me feel like jack waiting for that key 😂

[@SarahB1863]

43:49 Ioan Gruffudd, in addition to being one of the Fantastic Four, was also Horatio Hornblower in the acclaimed 1999 A&E series. In fact Gruffudd was shooting Hornblower at the same time as Titanic and the story goes that he performed his Titanic scenes with his curly hair extensions (to create Horatio's 18th-century queue) stuffed under his hat.

[@stonewall01]

Some survivors claimed that the Titanic sank in one piece and others claimed it broke in two. Historians for a long time felt that the people that saw it break were confused and didn't see what they thought they did. Like you said it wasn't until Ballard found Titanic that it was confirmed that she split. So historians were trying to figure out why did one group of survivors say it went down in one piece and others say it split. I remember reading about a group of historians that looked at the survivors accounts and figured out which lifeboats the survivors were in and then tried to figure out approximately where the lifeboats would have been during the final plunge. They also added in more recent information that has been found, and some of that information was that the Titanic was listing to port. So what they ultimately determined was that they think is that the confusion on the split was dependent on 1. Which side of the ship did the lifeboat leave and 2. How far away from the ship the lifeboats were. So basically if your lifeboat left earlier then it would have been a little farther away and if your vantage point was from the starboard bow then you may have not even realized that the ship split. If that's true, then that also adds more weight to the argument that the split occurred when the ship was at a shallower angle than what is shown in the movie.

[@crownironman]

I really like these videos that you do, can you do "we were soldiers" some day

[@chahtanerf9676]

Cinderella Man will be another good one to make a video for.

[@maxmaker76]

Love this channel! Great work again.

[@pvuccino]

47:33: Actually due to a mistake of communication, all newspapers the next day were published with a front page article that said that the Titanic did hit an iceberg, but didn't sink and was towed to Halifax. It took several days for the public to know the true extent of the tragedy.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

Andrews was actually seen toward the bridge just before the final plunge. This is mentioned by people such as Bill Wormstedt and J. Kent Leyton, the authors of "On A Sea of Glass".

[@samlusby4576]

I really enjoy your channel and I am glad I found it. I hope your subscriber count continues to grow you deserve it. I just finished your book Hang Tough as well and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@PHXDOG]

Nice Job. Was looking for a little more about the Ship and Era and less about the movie.

[@tessekfan]

Great job once again! Just a few things which is updated info that came up over the years: While the family members of the band were billed for loss of uniform, it wasn't White Star that did that. The band was outsourced through an agency hence why they are listed as 2nd Class passengers instead of crew. Thomas Andrews was actually last seen on the bridge wing with Captain Smith observing the rate of flooding. The emergency lights remained on after the breakup and a few minutes following the final plunge. *thank you for describing the lounge panel, I can't count how many times I've heard it being called a door! Lol

[@77mpickett]

I cant imagine the terror when those lights went out. It was a moonless night. So when the lights went out it was total pitch darkness. Being in that water nothing but sheer darkness and terrified screams

[@ReelHistory]

Indeed!

[@williamberven-ph5ig]

The darkness also left the disparity in survivor testimony regarding whether the ship split in two.

[@joefera8947]

A couple of things: 1- Cameron possibly found the car in one of the documentaries, although it was never definitely proven. 2- binoculars would have been useless at night.

[@grannyannie2948]

Yes about the binoculars, it was discussed in hearings about the sinking. Another youtuber has identified the owner of the car. His behaviour on the the ship was the last straw for his wife, and led to their divorce.

[@joefera8947]

@@grannyannie2948 Nope.

[@joefera8947]

@@grannyannie2948 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKCvaKaVprtjatksi=YVRRIMtqXD9f0IX6

[@grannyannie2948]

@@joefera8947 Nope to what?

[@joshbiddinger1744]

Can't stress enough how dark a ship is without lights. In the first week onboard a US Naval Vessel you're required to do the "blindfold test" where your shop blind folds you and you have to get from your workcenter and berthing to topside without sight. Also not mentioned but when I shop goes silent and the ventilation units and engines turn off its a different level of creepy. I knew guys that couldn't sleep because of the dead silence.

[@ReelHistory]

Creepy indeed!

[@DrumDTLTE2]

"Come Josephine" was a popular tune at the time.

[@nate1066pollock]

There's a musical that premiered a couple years before this movie. If you ever get a chance to see a production, do it. It gives more focus to the historical figures mentioned in these videos. Fred Barrett, Harold Bride, and William Murdoch each get really excellent scenes and songs.

[@meganrabish5691]

I think it's cool that not only did Robert Ballard find the Titanic, but he also found the Bismarck and JFK's PT-109

[@DrumDTLTE2]

The master of arms office was actually in the interior of the ship, but for the movie, the porthole window was important for a storytelling standpoint.

[@andrewwillard5625]

Such a great deep dive into the sad story of the titanic and so much information I’m glad I learned from this

[@ohlawdy6855]

Something to clarify; The White Star Line were not the ones that billed the band members' relatives, as the band was hired from another company. I think some of them were actually with the Mauretania not long before.

[@falcon664]

It is true that Margaret Brown was not known as "Unsinkable" during her lifetime, but she was also not ever known as Molly either. Her friends called her Maggie.

[@hornetgags]

YES!! Thank you for referencing Neil DeGrasse-Tyson...his recounting of his conversations with James Cameron are hilarious. I'm surprised you didn't reference Charles Lightoller being the inspiration for Mark Rylance's character and pleasure boat in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.

[@geoffreypereira8024]

@4:51..."HARD to starboard!!" Is that not port?

[@joefera8947]

That was a correct command at that time. It’s a holdover from tiller steering.

[@geoffreypereira8024]

Tiller steering? Sorry, NOT a nautical person...@@joefera8947

[@RedIron914]

Love the channel. Would love to see Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid.

[@aryehtoren_thorne4679]

Thank you for your insights... In many ways the world has not changed... It is sad and disappointing, but that is the truth... Also, when you mentioned about the overall treatment of third class passengers on sea voyages ingeneral, I could not think about all my ancestors who migrated to the United States of America, as East European Jews in these years. (1880s-1919)

[@DrumDTLTE2]

The painting of the Carpathia was painted by the maritime artist, Ken Marschall. He was also James Cameron's visual consultant. Many of Cameron's shots replicated the compositions of Ken's paintings.

[@ronbunn1349]

Book recommendation: “The Odyssey of C.H. Lightoller” by Patrick Stenson. Lights was shipwrecked twice in the age of sail, then steam, respectively, before Titanic. Then he was torpedoed in WW1, and rescued soldiers from Dunkirk in his personal yacht. Would make an epic Hanks/Speilberg series!

[@duckydewer]

This quote is supposed to be from Guggenheim: "Tell my wife I played the game straight out and to the end. No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim is a coward. We've dressed up in our best and prepared to go down like gentlemen."

[@crypticmirror]

The baker surviving because he was pissed soaked drunk reminds me of the fishing boat Equinox that sunk off the Ayrshire coast of Scotland in '96. There was only one survivor, and she managed to swim about four miles through freezing water to shore, because she was not only absolutely drunk to the gills, but also high as a kite on cannabis too. Everyone else died, and their bodies were recovered (save one) later. Getting blackout drunk and stoned is not an all purpose survival mechanism though, she drove home from her work a year later in that same state, ran her car off the road, and shattered her jaw bones needing years of reconstructive surgery.

[@nigelbrayshaw2709]

The band leader, Wallace Hartley is a relative of mine - He died on the Titanic, his body was recovered and he is buried in Colne, Lancashire and has a pub named after him in the town.

[@GD-tt6hl]

Excellent video, I really enjoyed it! Request: Gangs of New York

[@ukmediawarrior]

Sending out the SOS was in a lot of ways desperation. Captain Smith would have known that smaller ships did not keep an operator on 24 hours, they slept at night and only the bigger liners and ships such as Titanic had one at the job all day and night. This is why a lot of smaller vessels simply didn't know of Titanic's problems till the next day even though they were close by. One odd little quirk is that the Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, was steaming south of her and picked up her SOS but was to far away to help.

[@jennl3404]

I read "A Night to Remember," but have never seen the movie. Will have to search that out based on your recommendation. Another awesome episode, thank you!

[@martinsvoboda8267]

"Women and children first" was, in fact, not some old-school chivalry rule, it was on the contrary quite new concept which was used only few times from second half of the 19th century on. In general, women and childrem were the group with highest casuality numbers, sometimes even close to 100 % in situations like these (because women had to care for children, wore restrictive clothes etc. while man could care for themselves - which they statistically usually did), and White Star had some bad experiences with that - that is probably the reason why the crew so painstakingly forced the rule on the Titanic. Today it leads to the idea that this was some norm and that women and children got their place in the boat first as default in situations like this - but it was really an exception to the rule.

[@crypticmirror]

Birkenhead drill, innit.

[@martinsvoboda8267]

@@crypticmirror Yes, that was 1845 and it was the originator of the concept. Decisive fact probably was that men of Birkenhead were professional soldiers, so it was more natural for them to sacrifice for civillians - they saw it as their duty either way. Usually women and children were not that lucky and men filled boats and left the ship before they even got to the deck (we must remember that Titanic sunk in unusually "calm" manner - it took quite a long time, the ship miraculously did not capsize, so most people didn't really think the ship is going down until last 15 minutes or even less, which makes orderly evacuation easier). Which I don't hold against them - they were victims of a disaster, survivor instinct is a logical reaction. It's just a reality that women were in disadvantage for many reasons (physicality is the least of them - it was mostly that they had to care for children and were expected to stay in cabin until told otherwise) and statistics are really bad here. And I think it is important to know it, because the notion of some chivalry and "women have it better in the time of crisis" is used even today, while it is really just an anecdotal myth.

[@grannyannie2948]

I recently learnt of the sinking of a much smaller ocean liner in 1873. None of the women or children survived except one 12 year old boy. As for restrictive clothing I have read that when the Lusitania sank many women sensibly realised how heavy their skirts would become and stripped down to their underwear and many others took off their skirts in the water in order to survive.

[@bradmyers5354]

Please, please, please…do HBO’s John Adams. I feel as though they did such a great job on that series, from the wardrobe department to sticking to historical accuracy. But my knowledge of that era likely isn’t that of yours, and would love a deep dive into it like you did Band of Brothers.

[@Nebulasecura]

YES!!! I love that show!!

[@Concetta20]

I never get tired of the tale of the baker. What a story. They say alcohol can’t save you from hypothermia, but I wonder …

[@blackfeet23]

As a titanic enthusiast they were never gated off . The reason the survival rate for 3rd was low is they were low in the ship getting threw a crowded ship isn’t easy

[@firstelderd]

The missing binoculars are frequently considered a factor in the sinking, but if the lookouts had them it would have unlikely made a difference. That night was bizarre by all accounts: The ocean was flat, there was no moon, and likely a cold water mirage was occurring which hid the iceberg. Lightoller himself later said he didn't consider it important for lookouts to have binoculars because is was their job to spot things, not to identify them or make decisions, which was the officer's job. At the inquiry Fleet claimed the ship was already turning while he called the bridge, so it's likely Murdoch spotted the iceberg at the same time, since he would have been keeping his own watch. I always thought the actor portraying Phillips looked more like Bride, so I wonder if there was some kind of mix up there. The wireless conversations happening that night is an interesting drama in it's own right. As Officer of the Watch Murdoch would have been on the bridge when Andrews told Smith the ship would sink in an hour or two. So he's likely one of the few to know for certain it would sink. I think this is why Murdoch allowed anyone on a lifeboat after women and children got on. Lightoller, on the other hand, did not realize until much later the ship would sink. None of the officers were told about the lifeboat capabilities, so as shown Lightoller was cautious. Titanic actually had more lifeboats than regulations at the time required. If anyone shot themself Murdoch seems the most likely to me. He probably felt responsible and enormous guilt for the entire situation. The sailor Molly Brown argues with is Quartermaster Hitchens who was at the helm when Titanic struck the iceberg. None of the engineers and none of the Guarantee Group, which included Thomas Andrews, survived the sinking. Thanks for these videos, from a fellow Titanic buff

[@jackiekreutzer166]

You know your stuff! And you make a good point about Lightoller. People like to make him into a villain but he did his best. I mean, as the Captain, wouldn't you let ALL your officers know the full seriousness of the situation so that they could act accordingly?

[@firstelderd]

@@jackiekreutzer166 Thank you! I've never read Lightoller being considered a villain before, but I could see how people might think that. I never have, and always thought he did the best with the information he had. Lightoller was one of the few on board that had been in a shipwreck before, Captain Smith never had. I think Smith was worried about causing a panic and overwhelmed by this situation he'd never experienced before.

[@jackiekreutzer166]

@@firstelderd Yes, I've seen comments about him saying he was playing god or even that he was a murderer for not allowing men into the boats 🙄 They obviously don't understand that it was a different time and that Lightoller and all the officers were put in an impossible situation.

[@randomlyweirdjeff4638]

One inaccuracy is the death of the Captain, Cecil Fitzpatrick was a Steward on Titanic, he heard Smith and Andrews on the bridge talking, Smith said "Well that's it she's going. We can't stay any longer." Both jumped from the bridge as the ship took the final plunge. It's believed that Smith swap to collapsible B but was denied entry because there were too many aboard and then he went under." Passengers on collapsible said they saw him and recognized his voice.

[@warrenwarburtonesq.6884]

As an addendum to the Titanic story, my paternal grandparents and their firstborn child, an infant named Clarice had booked passage on the RMS Titanic with the dream of coming to America, but in a twist of fate Clarice got very sick and they were not allowed to board. The RMS Titanic then steamed off into infamy without them. Four months after the sinking of the Titanic they successfully emigrated to Boston on the SS Cymric. However, in 1915 SS Cymric was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 which had also torpedoed and sank RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915. It's a small world

[@rockstarJDP]

As regards there not being enough lifeboats available, Titanic actually carried more boats than maritime law at the time required - at the time, a lifeboats function was more to ferry people from the strucken vessel over to a rescue vessel, drop off the passengers and then return to pick up more. The shipping lanes through the Atlantic at the time were thought to be so busy that should there be an emergency there would always be other ships close enough by to assist, which is why the California gets so much grief - she was close enough by to have averted such a loss of life but the wireless operator had gone to bed for the night and didn't hear the distress calls. You are also correct though that had there been more lifeboats, it's doubtful that they'd have all been released in time to do much good.

[@charlesgantz5865]

While I can't comment on why the ship broke in two, since I don't know, it was a known problem on early Liberty Ships where they would break in half a thousand miles from the enemy. The SS Schenectady even broke in half at port in Portland, Oregon. It wasn't until after WW2 that problems with brittle fracture were finally figured out.

[@Concetta20]

It would be interesting if there was a miniseries following event of the sinking but every episode will be from the perspective of a different section, concluding with the overlapping of them all in the final moments, kind of like “Dunkirk”, but broken up into separate episodes.

[@joefera8947]

There is. Came out many years ago.

[@SteveSzuiki]

Cameron did an interesting study whether to see if it mattered if the Titanic had more life boats based on how fast they could launch. Interestingly it was around the amount of lifeboats the Titanic had.

[@JordanJB97]

Hi Jared! Great video! 😁 In regards to the binoculars, I’ve heard that they really would not have made a difference since it was a moonless night, so there was barely any light. Binoculars, just like eyes, need light to work, and yet there was none. They also block out your peripheral vision, which would be dangerous if there was a hazard coming up from the side. (BTW I certainly don’t pretend to know everything about the Titanic because I don’t. I’m just quoting what I hear. I hope I don’t come across as arrogant or condescending) ☺️

[@duckydewer]

While I do have the one book you referenced at the end, I don't have the Ballard book. However, the book I've heard referenced the most is: "On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic," by Bill Wormstedt, J. Kent Layton and Tad Finch.

[@ChuckJansenII]

Excellent breakdown of Titanic. Glad you are thinking of doing a comparison of A Night To Remember and Titanic. Both are excellent in their own right. I have seen the movie and read the book A Night To Remember. I believe Millvena Dean was the Titanic survivor my father met when he was a pilot for Eastern Airlines. He never said her name, just that she was 2 months old at the time of the sinking. Dr. Robert Ballard's discovery of Titanic was ocean floor breaking. Diamond 'Heart of the Ocean' was a MacGuffin, a very well played MacGuffin. I definitely enjoy your commentaries.

[@ukmediawarrior]

It's pretty much agreed that if the Titanic had hit the iceberg dead on she would have survived and even been able to complete the voyage to New York with the damage she would have sustained. Several large ships of the time had done the exact same thing, had their bow's crushed in after hitting ice and yet stayed afloat.

[@MutsumiOtohime78]

I was rewatching an older episode and I'm really looking forward to a potential The Best Years Of Our Lives video!

[@ReelHistory]

So are we!

[@raymondpratt3055]

There’s a lot of deleted scenes that give the Marconi guys and more better screen time. Shame they don’t have a deleted scenes included version of the movie

[@jmarzee]

Who tryin to crash this guys class? So good!

[@altonbunnjr]

This movie gave rise to another funny occurrence. Among the Titanic graves in Halifax there’s one marked J. Dawson, I kid you not. He was a crewman and that’s how he signed on. So it gave rise to girls going to the grave and crying over him thinking he was Jack.

[@ashleyowen7664]

25:00 regarding the lifeboats - in the time from launching the first boat to last boat, the ship sank, as in the didnt have enough time to launch all 16 of the boats, i believe that the collapsables were actually floated off the ship itself as it sank from under them, if the ship HAD the correct number (64 i believe) there is NO WAY they could of launched them all, they barely manged 16 lets say it takes 15 mins to get a boat ready with a crew working each side (REMEMBER: in real life, the life boat drill was cancled, so crews would be slower than normal), with 16 boats, thats a total time of 120 mins per side (2 hr ), now lets say they have the correct number (64) again - 15 mins per boat, 32 each side, there is no way at all they could have launched all the boats properly, titanic sank in around three hours i think, to say they just about launched what they did is a feat in and of itself!!

[@neilholmes8200]

Yes that's a point often lost in the discussion about Titanic. I think its more of an outrage that the powers that be never intended there to be enough lifeboats in any circumstances (except one where ferrying people to a nearby shop was an option) or any length of sinking. That was somewhat callous and uncalled for. Sadly history teaches us time and again that we tend to need a really big disaster before we implement basic safety changes that should have been obvious before the disaster

[@DrumDTLTE2]

@@neilholmes8200 The ferry idea was quite successful and was used in several instances. It was just assumed that a nearby ship would be in range, but for Titanic, it proved them wrong.

[@joefera8947]

20 lifeboats.

[@profilenamehello]

​@neilholmes8200 They were correct though. There wasn't enough time to launch the lifeboats. The ship was supposed to be the lifeboat. The biggest issue was not doing drills with the crew and launching the ones they had half full.

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

Can you please review tombstone?

[@chauser400]

I know how you’ve been talking about watching a night to remember you’ll find that there are more than just the Thomas Andrews scene in this movie.

[@hi14993]

14:28 Honestly, I don't agree with that take away. While the information presented is very likely true, I think the line is more attuned to women than the rich. "Not the better half" could very easily mean that the men would be the first to die. That sort of phrasing (in reference to one's spouse) is common pre WWI and is still used in parts of the world today.

[@DrumDTLTE2]

I see the "women and children" rule was that women and children were thought to be more fragile, and in a sense, needed to be protected and rescued. The role of men was to provide a sense of safety and security. In fact, there were men on Titanic that would assign themselves to watch over a woman if she had no partner. It was protect them while they were alone. For men, it was "every man for himself". It was almost in the same way we view innocent civilians and people in the service. In their eyes, it was about nobility. Several men who had the chance to leave the ship declined to go before any person, even another man. While Murdoch were letting men on if there were no more women and children, Lightholler was having teenage boys exit the lifeboat because he felt they were no longer children. It seemed unfair, but at the time, it was perfectly acceptable.

[@stevepirie8130]

The day Titanic hit the iceberg was the day the Captain had planned the compulsory lifeboat drills. The weather had been poor and the Captain decided fatefully to delay it 24 hours so passengers didn’t get soaked. A lot of his crew didn’t know that the lifeboats were actually double seat benches which the drills would have shown. Passengers were meant to sit back to back on each bench. There were more than enough seats in lifeboats as required by law. The Captain was at fault for not running the drills and ensuring his command knew how to conduct all their duties. If he had survived his career was finished and likely faced legal ramifications. The drills would have highlighted the zero planning to save the lower classes and if he’d done nothing to change that he’d certainly have been vilified further in posterity.

[@melenatorr]

Thank you for this in-depth, thoughtful and compassionate discussion of the history and the fiction involved in this movie. My first Titanic book as "A Night to Remember", and it started an obsession; I have a mini library on the topic. I wish the following: That Cameron hadn't fallen back on the mythology involved with Bruce Ismay; he could have given the character a little more of the actual complexity and not lost anything to the main story. That we had been given just a little, at least, of the exchange that took place with the Strauss couple, and which could have added to that scene of them in the bed, and might also have been a nice illumination on Rose and Jack. That the case of the Californian might have, at least, been addressed. That, somewhere, somehow, somewhen, the entirety of the actions of the good ship Carpathia and its captain, Arthur Rostron, might be given their proper due.

[@nostrebornod]

37:45 I love how you have to insert legal advice scroll in terms of what to do if caught in a sinking ship in the ice cold water.

[@ReelHistory]

😉

[@David556677889]

Where's part 1? Can't find it.

[@ReelHistory]

It's fighting the copyright monster currently. It exists but is blocked in several countries currently. A VPN solves that for now but it should be available soon

[@David556677889]

@@ReelHistory Let's hope it wins it quickly! Recently discovered your channel trough your band of brothers videos. You guy's are doing a fantastic job! Keep it up!

[@ReelHistory]

Well thank you very much!

[@MillerSean]

I could be wrong, but in the scene immediately following the iceberg hit it seems like there's white steam coming out of the stacks alongside the black smoke. Could be a nice detail hinting at the water that had flooded into some of the boilers.

[@ReelHistory]

Good observation!

[@Dylanpainter-ge9pq]

I know this comment won’t have anything to do with this episode,but you guys should do a episode on the series The Pacific. The other miniseries produced by Tom Hanks. Keep up the good work I love this channel!!

[@j.a.armour2427]

I always thought that once the iceberg was sighted, the order given was 'hard to port' not 'hard to starboard.' In this movie, the officer giving the order says 'hard to starboard' which means to the right. This doesn't make sense to me because the Titanic scraped the iceberg on the starboard or right side and turning the Titanic to the starboard or right would have made the ship more prone to scraping the iceberg on the port or left side - not the right side. However, the helmsman in the movie turns the wheel of the ship to the port or left which contradicts the order but is what I've always understood to be what actually took place.