In Search of a Wreck

 

 

 

 

This is my entry for The Titanic in Pop Culture Blogathon hosted by Taking Up Room

 

Once again, dear friends, we delve back into that classic TV series that always asked questions but never really gave us straight answers. Of course, I am talking about one of my favorite shows from the late '70s and early '80s, In Search Of, which delved into mysteries ranging from cryptids like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster to pseudoscience like communicating with plants. But always, the most intriguing dealt with mysteries of history like "Who was Jack the Ripper?" (and. as usual, they never really made a concrete estimation as to the identity, just told us of the possible choices based on conjecture).

In Search Of...The Titanic  (Episode 13; Season 6: Original Air Date: Nov. 30, 1981)

In 1981, the series delved into some of the mysteries surrounding the wreck of the Titanic. Now, when this episode originally aired in 181, the exact location of the Titanic was still a mystery, so it is prudent to take that into consideration when watching this episode. After all, host Leonard Nimoy's first line after the credits roll is "The precise point in the northern Atlantic where the Titanic went down has never been satisfactorily located."

Here in 2025, we know that is no longer true. A lot of research had gone into the mystery of the Titanic's fate, and the circumstances surrounding various questions raised, and some of those questions have had more light shed on them since that episode.  It doesn't take away from the fascinating look that the series episode provides, however. I won't delve to much into the post-In Search Of episode history.  If you are of a mind, you can read this wikipedia article Wreck of the Titanic which gives you some updates. Instead, I will just give an overview of the episode.

There was a wealth of treasure on board, some of which was not even listed in the ship's manifest. It made it a treasure hunter's dream to find.  A man named Jack Grimm, as recently as the same year as the episode had made a search for it his priority, but even with the high tech gadgetry he could use, he still had no success.

The first class parts of the ship were some of the best, but only a few of the items that had been on board survived. Many of the men on board chose to stay on board and die like gentlemen while letting ladies and children take the lifeboats.  The captain, knowing of the existence of icebergs ahead had changed course to sail further south to avoid them, but we know he was not successful.

An interview with an expert explains what probably happened as the ship tried to avoid the iceberg.  He says that had the Titanic hit the iceberg head on, it would have taken some damage, but he beleved it would not have sunk. There is also an interview with a woman who had been a child when the event happened and tells about how her mother and father reacted to it.

 In the aftermath there was a huge investigation into the circumstances. People wondered why there were so few survivors.  And may searched for, as they often do, to find someone to blame.  The captain of the ship became the first casualty of this witch hunt. Also brought into question was the fact that there were fewer lifeboats than should have been on the ship. This is excused by the fact that the water tight compartments should have kept the Titanic from taking on as much damage as it did.

One of the more intriguing things discussed was that several warnings had been sent to the Titanic, via telegraph, but the telegraph operator may have been too preoccupied with sending messages from those on board and was unable to receive such warnings. In fact, as interviews with modern experts attest, all precautions had been taken, except for stopping the ship altogether, which was viewed as being a last ditch operation, due to the desire and need to get passengers to their destination.

Another attempt at scapegoating was cast on the captain of the Californian, the nearest vessel to the Titanic, for not coming to the rescue in time. It was suggested at the time that the captain COULD have seen the distress signals and failed to react, and in that the captain did receive censure.  But it is proposed in this episode that he may not have been as close to the Titanic as had been believed at the time, and may not have been close enough to see the signals.

 The Titanic has become an icon in the realm of hubris, the belief that nothing bad can come because it is impossible.  One of the most egregious results of the aftermath is the use of the Titanic as an example for some other events. I personally am offended by the fact that political cartoonists often use the Titanic as an illustration to get a political point across. Whether it be a Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Labour or what have you, it may be an easy way to get across a point, but it is profoundly disturbing to me to do so.  This despite the fact that I do not think I had any relatives on that ill-fated voyage.

Well, that's it for this time. No usual jokey sign off this time.  Just stay safe.

Quiggy