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Titanic: 100 Years Later

RMS Titanic still rests on the seafloor One hundred years after it sank on April 15, the RMS Titanic still rests on the seafloor, vulnerable to damage and salvage. An international agreement was signed by the US, U.K., Canada and France that recognizes the wreck site as a memorial and one of great archaeological, historical, and cultural importance.Learn more about NOAA and Titanic at http://www.noaa.gov/titanic

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Legislation to Help Protect Historic Site of R.M.S. Titanic

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation re R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation recently that would amend the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 to protect the wreck site of the Titanic from salvage and intrusive research."We're closing in on one hundred years this month since the tragic sinking of the Titanic that has captured the interest and imagination of people worldwide. I think it's important to remember that this site on the floor of the Atlantic is a place where so many went to their deaths. It's hallowed ground, not just some underwater area to be poked at or damaged for commercial reasons," said Sen. Kerry. "This bill provides the authority necessary to help ensure the site of the Titanic is kept intact."One hundred years ago this April 15th, the R.M.S. Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. Shortly after the Titanic was discovered in 1985, Congress enacted the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986. The 1986 Act specifically directed the Secretary of State to negotiate an international agreement to designate the Titanic an international maritime memorial and for research, exploration, and salvage of the Titanic to be consistent with relevant ...

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Top 10 facts about the International Ice Patrol

Are icebergs really still a danger? 1. When was the International Ice Patrol formed?Shipping areas in the North Atlantic have always been hazardous to navigate. The hazards of the North Atlantic captured global attention in April 1912 when the RMS Titanic sank after it struck an iceberg. The incident prompted maritime nations with ships transiting the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, Canada, to establish an iceberg patrol in the area. Since 1913, the U.S. Coast Guard has been tasked with the management and operation of the patrol. Except for the years of World Wars I and II, the ice patrol has been active each ice season since its inception.2. What are the specific duties of the ice patrol?Their mission is to monitor the iceberg danger near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provide the iceberg limit to the maritime community, including ice and current conditions.3. Who makes up the ice patrol?The ice patrol is a U.S. Coast Guard unit however the Canadian Ice Service, ice patrol and U.S. National Ice Center collaborate under the North American Ice Service. The ice patrol produces North American Ice service reports from February through July when icebergs may be present on the Grand Banks and ...

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Safety and Shipping 1912-2012: From Titanic to Costa Concordia

Industry needs to address new risks proactively Maritime safety has improved greatly since the days of the Titanic, though every subsequent shipping disaster is another call for further safety improvements. Advancements in new technology and regulation have helped the cause tremendously, but as the industry continues to grow, new risks continue to emerge. Future challenges now include factors such as increased ship sizes, 'human element' themes such training, crewing and risk management, and the trend toward arctic shipping with its associated navigational and environmental complications.Commenting on findings such as these in the report, Dr. Sven Gerhard, AGCS's Global Product Leader Hull & Marine Liabilities, says, "While the seas are safer than ever today, the industry needs to address these new risks proactively. For example, ultra-large ships pose challenges for insurers due to their sheer size and value, while others raise concerns on structural integrity and failure. While scale alone does not make these ships riskier, the increased sizes introduce specific risks that need to be addressed, such as salvage and recovery considerations and emergency handling."Modern cruise ship safety features (click image to enlarge)While technologies such as RADAR or Global Positioning Systems have driven improved safety, it has often been major ...

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Titanic survivor ‘s grandson hails Southampton’ s sea museum

SeaCity Museum opens fully to the public in April The grandson of a Titanic survivor was among the first visitors to Southampton's new 15m SeaCity Museum.The museum opens on 10 April, exactly a century after the Titanic set sail from the city on its doomed maiden voyage.Philip Littlejohn, whose grandfather Alexander James Littlejohn was a Titanic first class steward, said it will "keep the story alive for years".It will celebrate Southampton's maritime heritage and those who have travelled in and out of the city.Work began on the museum in October on the site of the former law courts.Set to form the centrepiece of Southampton's cultural quarter, the Havelock Road building has been part funded by a 4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Southampton City Council has raised the remainder of the money.Before the official opening, Friends of Southampton Museums and descendants of the Titanic's survivors were shown around the building this week in a series of special previews.'Good quality attraction'Museum consultant Sarah Davis, who has been involved with the exhibition since its creation, is looking forward to welcoming an estimated 160,000 visitors during the first year.She said: "Southampton has been crying out for a good quality visitor attraction like ...

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Titanic threat: Do ships still hit icebergs?

Next month marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic Next month marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. The disaster spurred maritime nations to start monitoring icebergs, so why are ships still hitting them?Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank less than three hours later. The tragedy galvanised world leaders to hold the first Safety of Life at Sea convention to address the iceberg threat.With only visual sightings and a shipboard radio to guide the Titanic safely through iceberg-infested waters, the liner was ill-equipped to detect its nemesis.The conference after the sinking resulted in the International Ice Patrol (IIP), which was assigned to monitor "Iceberg Alley", the infamous stretch of ocean around Newfoundland. The IIP has been monitoring the area ever since, using aerial patrols and radar to determine the limits of iceberg danger, which they broadcast in a daily bulletin.In the southern hemisphere captains rely on programmes like the European Space Agency's Polar View for real-time iceberg detection via satellite imagery.The International Ice Patrol at work circa 1950 With dedicated monitoring teams issuing daily reports, satellites beaming back images and ship radars offering detailed information, the risk of ...

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What sank the Titanic? Scientists point to the moon

A century after the Titanic disaster, scientists have found an unexpected culprit for the sinking A century after the Titanic disaster, scientists have found an unexpected culprit for the sinking: the moon.Anyone who knows history or has seen the blockbuster movies knows that the cause of the transatlantic liner's accident 100 years ago next month was that it hit an iceberg."But the lunar connection may explain how an unusually large number of icebergs got into the path of the Titanic," said Donald Olson, a Texas State University physicist whose team of forensic astronomers examined the moon's role.Ever since the Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, killing 1,517 people, researchers have puzzled over Captain Edward Smith's seeming disregard of warnings that icebergs were in the area where the ship was sailing.Smith was the most experienced captain in the White Star Line and had sailed the North Atlantic sea lanes on numerous occasions. He had been assigned to the maiden voyage of the Titanic because he was a knowledgeable and careful seaman.Greenland icebergs of the type that the Titanic struck generally become stuck in the shallow waters off Labrador and Newfoundland, and cannot resume moving southward until they ...

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Canada’s own Titanic disaster

Empress of Ireland sunk in 1914 On its 100th anniversary, the sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate people around the world. But another shipwreck, almost equal in human tragedy, has slipped from popular memory, even though the vessel helped build modern Canada.The Empress of Ireland sank in 1914 in the St. Lawrence River after colliding with the Storstad, a Norwegian coal ship. A total of 1,012 passengers and crew died (compared to the Titanic's 1,514). The loss of the Empress of Ireland remains the largest maritime accident in Canadian history.Unlike the Titanic, which went down on its maiden voyage, the Empress of Ireland regularly plied the Atlantic Ocean. Between 1906 and her sinking, the Empress completed 95 round trips, mostly between Liverpool, England, and Halifax or Quebec City. It was one of two Canadian Pacific ships - its sister ship was the Empress of Britain - plying the Atlantic between the United Kingdom and Canada, bringing thousands of immigrants, mostly drawn by the prospect of free land on the Prairies.For years, the remains of the Empress lay on the river bottom off Rimouski, Que., where it was picked over by souvenir-hunting divers. It was designated a national historic site ...

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IMO issues circular re TITANIC wreckage protection

IMO MEPC.1/Circ 779 At the request of the US Coast Guard, the IMO issued a circular requesting that, in advance of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS TITANIC, international shipping voluntarily refrain from certain activities that have the potential to pollute, disturb, or otherwise disrespect this international maritime memorial.For more information, click here.Source: IMO

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Royal Mint releases Titanic 100th anniversary coin

A special 5 coin to mark the 100th anniversary The Royal Mint has released a special 5 coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's tragic maiden voyage.The voyage on the passenger liner began on 10 April 1912, when the ship set sail from Southampton to New York.Four days later it sank after hitting an iceberg, claiming the lives of 1,500 of the 2,223 people on board.The coin has been issued under the authority of the Channel Island of Alderney and is legal tender, but will not be issued into circulation.'Purpose and pride'Dr Kevin Clancy, director of The Royal Mint Museum, said: "The Titanic has long captured imaginations."The passing of 100 years has not lessened the interest in the tragic outcome of her maiden voyage, the personal stories of those on board or the achievement of the iconic ship as a feat of British engineering."The Royal Mint's coin will mark this occasion and, we hope, will be passed on to future generations to honour the lives that were lost, underlining the significance of RMS Titanic in British history."The coin depicts the profile of RMS Titanic with the goddess Thane looking down on the ship as it sails through the ...

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