When the 1953 Twentieth-Century Fox movie Titanic debuted in theatres worldwide, Liverpudlians likely were dismayed to see “Southampton” on the movie model’s stern. Cities like Belfast, where the liner was built, and Southampton, from which she sailed, seem firmly in history’s spotlight, with Liverpool seemingly in the shadows when people consider Titanic’s story.
But indeed, Liverpool has many Titanic connections, from the ship’s port of registry to the headquarters of the company that owned her, to the hometowns of 115 of her crew and 16 passengers.
In this book Dr. Alan Scarth, curator of ship models at Liverpool’s Merseyside Maritime Museum, has explored a unique new “angle” to Titanic’s story; indeed it is the first book-length examination of Liverpool’s Titanic connections.
After setting Titanic into the context of its time and its owner’s fortunes, Scarth provides fascinating details and anecdotes about Titanic’s Liverpool-area passengers and crew.
The book is copiously illustrated with historic photographs, and images of crew members, memorials, and many of the Titanic-related artifacts and documents in the collections of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, among them color views of the gold medal given to Capt. Arthur Rostron with ‘the thanks of the Congress of the United States,’ the loving cup presented to him by the “Unsinkable Molly Brown,’ Laura Francatelli’s maid’s uniform, the ship’s customs register page and even correspondence from the company that provided Titanic’s flags.
For many years, the builders’ model of Titanic has resided in Liverpool, and beautiful full-color, full-page close-ups of many details of the model are provided as each chapter’s divider pages. And the pages are large, allowing full display of many images.
Scarth’s writing style is clean and lean and a pleasure to read; one can learn so much from this book’s well-researched contents.
At the current price of just $8.38 plus shipping at Amazon.com, Titanic and Liverpool is a true bargain that sheds light on Liverpool’s little-known but important connections to history’s most famous ship. The book is highly recommended.
RMS Titanic Owners’ Workshop Manual by David F. Hutchings and Richard de Kerbrech. Published by Haynes Publishing (UK) and Zenith Press (USA). ISBN 978-0-7603-4079-0. 149 pp. + appendices, bibliography and index. Approx. 160 black-and-white and 45 color photos and diagrams. © 2011. Available for $18.48 + shipping from Amazon.com.
Haynes Publishing Group in the UK has a long history of publishing detailed owners’ manuals for automobiles, and they’ve proven very popular. Now the company is applying that successful format to non-automotive topics, bringing out volumes on the Space Shuttle, theApollo 11 spacecraft, the Concorde, the Starship Enterprise, and this volume on the Olympic class.
Titanic Internation Society member David Hutchings and Richard deKerbrech examine almost every facet of the ships’ technical side, from framing and plating to expansion joints; from lifeboats to generators; from steering gear to wireless equipment. A very interesting section, “Engineer’s View,” tells how the ship’s equipment was operated, in very practical terms, from the viewpoint of one of her engineers. What’s the correct way to raise steam in the ships’ boilers? You’ll find the answer here. How does one get rid of the ashes in the boilers? The book covers that, too. What was it like to clean a boiler? Want to see how Titanic lifeboats were built? A 17-photo color spread shows a modern boat builder at work. Did you know coal from different locations produced different amounts of heat? Check out the chart on page 88. One appendix helpfully lists sites where Titanic-related artifacts may be seen.
The authors are particularly skilled in translating ‘technicalese’ into plain English, making this volume ideal for the nautical neophyte as well as the more experienced maritime reader. The book’s layout is fresh and lively, with large photos, tables and diagrams in profusion, though the sans-serif typeface chosen for the text can be somewhat tiring to read.
Deck plans are provided, though they are those of Olympic, not Titanic as labeled. Inexplicably a few glitches occur in several photo captions. But the diagrams explaining the features and operation of various equipment aboard are well done and very helpful.
This volume will prove a very helpful resource to readers wishing to know more about the operation of these three important vessels. Likely it will be the sort of book one picks up and samples, rather than read from cover-to-cover. Beautifully produced on good quality glossy stock, it covers all sorts of topics that one probably has never thought about, and, in doing so, brings a new appreciation of the mechanical marvels that were Olympic, Titanic and Britannic. Unlike most of the parade of Titanic books coming out for the centennial — most recycling what’s already out there — this volume’s fresh approach to an underdeveloped topic merits serious consideration for purchase.
Illustrations and Photos from Wikipedia:
(1) Cutaway diagram of Titanic's midship section from White Star publicity material
(2) RMS Titanic's Captain, Edward Smith, 1911
(3) The route of Titanic's maiden voyage, with the coordinates of her sinking.
©2012 John P. Eaton. *(Editor's Note: Mr. Eaton is co-author, with Charles Haas of 1999's Titanic: A Journey Through Time)
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