Reports are suggesting that the Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912 because of a basic steering error, and only sank as fast as it did because an official persuaded the captain to continue sailing, an author has reported.
Louise Patten, a writer and granddaughter of Titanic second officer Charles Lightoller, said the truth about what happened nearly 100 years ago had been hidden for fear of tarnishing the reputation of her grandfather, who later became a war hero.
Lightoller, the most senior officer to have survived the disaster, covered up the error in two inquiries on both sides of the Atlantic because he was worried it would bankrupt the ill-fated liner's owners and put his colleagues out of a job.
Instead of steering Titanic safely round to the left of the iceberg, once it had been spotted dead ahead, the steersman, Robert Hitchins, had panicked and turned it the wrong way.
I know that there are alot of people who are still interested in all the theories of how and why this magnificent vessell sank, but maybe nobody will ever really know the truth and as it was so long ago it cannot now change anything. We all feel for the families of those that lost their lives back in 1912 but wherever the blame is placed nothing can alter the past and bring them back. Thankfully many lessons were learnt from this terrible tragedy which affect us today and together with changes in working practice and advanced technology our voyages around the globe can be alot safer.
