Strange things on board the Titanic. Treasure remained on board the Titanic. What artifacts were recovered from the Titanic?

In continuation of the post by blogger LadyWinter, I would like to continue the theme of the Titanic, in particular, talk about the artifacts found

Since the legendary Titanic plunged into the darkness of the Atlantic Ocean, it has forever attracted the attention of historians, archaeologists and collectors. And in connection with the upcoming 100th anniversary of the tragic disaster, interest in the ship has only increased. Presents an overview of the most expensive artifacts from the sunken liner, offered at auctions around the world.

The history of this diamond jewelry is shrouded in mystery. The bracelet has a pendant with the owner's name - Amy. Presumably, it belonged to one of the Titanic passengers, Miss Amanda. The starting price of the product is $200 thousand. It looks surprisingly modern.

During the investigation into the causes of the crash, drawings of the ship were studied, which were sold at auction for $362 thousand in 2011. The 10 m wide plan was made with colored chalk and depicts the moment the ship collided with an iceberg.

Manuscripts from the Titanic have been repeatedly sold at various auctions around the world. A letter written by Adolf Saafeld to his wife, dated April 10, 1912, was sold in 2010 for $90,000. In it, the passenger shares with his wife his impressions of the luxury ship, in particular describing the interior, the elaborate menu and talks about a “wonderful journey.” It is unlikely that Saafeld could have guessed how it would end in just five days.

The legendary ship was distinguished by exceptional luxury, expensive decoration, as well as an exquisite menu in restaurants. Therefore, the auction will include a lunch menu for first class passengers. The excitement around the auction is created by the fact that lunch was the last for most of the ship's passengers. The menu was printed on April 14, 1912, and the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 2,208 people, occurred on the night of April 15.

The menu did not end up at the bottom of the ocean thanks to Dr. Washington Dodge, a banker from San Francisco who went on a voyage on the Titanic with his wife Ruth and son Washington Jr. Ruth took the menu as a souvenir, placing it in her purse. Since then, it has been kept in their family as a kind of heirloom. The last meal of the ship's passengers consisted of eggs, chicken, beef, grilled lamb cutlets, various desserts and eight types of cheese. The auction organizers expect to earn about $158 thousand for this.

The life jacket, valued at $119,000, was intended to be used in case of a maritime emergency, but judging by its appearance, it was unlikely to be suitable for harsh weather conditions.

The love for cigars of the captain of the fatal ship, John Smith, reached the point that he asked his family to be silent while he smoked them. It is not surprising that the British shipping company White Star Lines gave him a cigar box. It is made of walnut wood and is valued at $40 thousand.

An extremely rare artifact - a passenger ticket for the Titanic.

Other artifacts

The clock stopped time for the ship's passengers...

Necklace. It was stolen from an exhibition in London.

Dishes with branded markings

Handbag

A ring found at the bottom of the ocean unwittingly reminds one of the “Heart of the Ocean” diamond from the James Cameron film.

Cherub that once adorned the main staircase of the Titanic

Porcelain cup for first class passengers

Pair of children's shoes

First class dishes

105 years ago, the Titanic's only voyage began. We offer interesting real stories of the passengers of the liner.

On April 10, 1912, the British liner Titanic left the port of Southampton on its first and last voyage. Four days later, after colliding with an iceberg, the now legendary liner crashed. There were 2,208 people on board the ship, and only 712 passengers and crew members managed to escape. 3rd class passengers buried alive at the bottom of the ocean, and millionaires choosing the best seats in half-empty lifeboats, an orchestra playing until the last moment and heroes saving their loved ones at the cost of their own lives... All this is not only footage from a Hollywood film, but also real stories of passengers from the Titanic.

The real cream of society gathered on the passenger deck of the Titanic: millionaires, actors and writers. Not everyone could afford to buy a first class ticket - the price was $60,000 at current prices.

3rd class passengers bought tickets for only $35 ($650 today), so they were not allowed to go above the third deck. On the fateful night, the division into classes turned out to be more noticeable than ever...

One of the first to jump into the lifeboat was Bruce Ismay, the general director of the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic. The boat, designed for 40 people, set sail with only twelve.

After the disaster, Ismay was accused of boarding a rescue boat, bypassing women and children, and also of instructing the captain of the Titanic to increase speed, which led to the tragedy. The court acquitted him.

William Ernest Carter boarded the Titanic at Southampton with his wife Lucy and two children Lucy and William, as well as two dogs.

On the night of the disaster, he was at a party in the restaurant of a first-class ship, and after the collision, he and his comrades went out onto the deck, where the boats were already being prepared. William first put his daughter on boat No. 4, but when it was his son's turn, problems awaited them.

13-year-old John Rison boarded the boat directly in front of them, after which the officer in charge of boarding ordered that no teenage boys be taken on board. Lucy Carter resourcefully threw her hat on her 11-year-old son and sat down with him.

When the landing process was completed and the boat began to descend into the water, Carter himself quickly boarded it along with another passenger. It was he who turned out to be the already mentioned Bruce Ismay.

21-year-old Roberta Maoney worked as a maid to the Countess and sailed on the Titanic with her mistress in first class.

On board she met a brave young steward from the ship's crew, and soon the young people fell in love with each other. When the Titanic began to sink, the steward rushed to Roberta's cabin, took her to the boat deck and put her on the boat, giving her his life jacket.

He himself died, like many other crew members, and Roberta was picked up by the ship Carpathia, on which she sailed to New York. Only there, in her coat pocket, did she find a badge with a star, which at the moment of parting the steward put in her pocket as a souvenir of himself.

Emily Richards was sailing with her two young sons, mother, brother and sister to her husband. At the time of the disaster, the woman was sleeping in the cabin with her children. They were awakened by the screams of their mother, who ran into the cabin after the collision.

The Richards were miraculously able to climb into the descending lifeboat No. 4 through the window. When the Titanic completely sank, the passengers of her boat managed to pull seven more people out of the icy water, two of whom, unfortunately, soon died of frostbite.

The famous American businessman Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida traveled in first class. The Strauss had been married for 40 years and had never been separated.

When the ship's officer invited the family to board the boat, Isidore refused, deciding to give way to women and children, but Ida also followed him

Instead of themselves, the Strauss put their maid in the boat. Isidore's body was identified by a wedding ring; Ida's body was not found.

The Titanic featured two orchestras: a quintet led by 33-year-old British violinist Wallace Hartley and an additional trio of musicians hired to give Café Parisien a continental flair.

Usually, two members of the Titanic orchestra worked in different parts of the liner and at different times, but on the night of the ship's sinking, all of them united into one orchestra.

One of the rescued passengers of the Titanic would later write: “Many heroic deeds were performed that night, but none of them could compare with the feat of these few musicians, who played hour after hour, although the ship sank deeper and deeper and the sea got closer. to the place where they stood. The music they performed entitled them to be included in the list of heroes of eternal glory."

Hartley's body was found two weeks after the sinking of the Titanic and sent to England. A violin was tied to his chest - a gift from the bride. There were no survivors among the other orchestra members...

Four-year-old Michel and two-year-old Edmond traveled with their father, who died in the sinking, and were considered "orphans of the Titanic" until their mother was found in France.

Michel died in 2001, the last male survivor of the Titanic.

Winnie Coates was heading to New York with her two children. On the night of the disaster, she woke up from a strange noise, but decided to wait for orders from the crew. Her patience ran out, she rushed for a long time along the endless corridors of the ship, getting lost.

She was suddenly directed by a crew member towards the lifeboats. She ran into a broken closed gate, but it was at that moment that another officer appeared, who saved Winnie and her children by giving them his life jacket.

As a result, Vinny ended up on the deck, where she was boarding boat No. 2, which, literally by miracle, she managed to board..

Seven-year-old Eve Hart escaped the sinking Titanic with her mother, but her father died during the crash.

Helen Walker believes that she was conceived on the Titanic before it hit an iceberg. “This means a lot to me,” she admitted in an interview.

Her parents were 39-year-old Samuel Morley, the owner of a jewelry store in England, and 19-year-old Kate Phillips, one of his workers, who fled to America from the man's first wife, seeking to start a new life.

Kate got into the lifeboat, Samuel jumped into the water after her, but did not know how to swim and drowned. “Mom spent 8 hours in the lifeboat,” said Helen. “She was in only a nightgown, but one of the sailors gave her his jumper.”

Violet Constance Jessop. Until the last moment, the stewardess did not want to be hired on the Titanic, but her friends convinced her because they believed that it would be a “wonderful experience.”

Before this, on October 20, 1910, Violette became a stewardess of the transatlantic liner Olympic, which a year later collided with a cruiser due to unsuccessful maneuvering, but the girl managed to escape.

And Violet escaped from the Titanic on a lifeboat. During the First World War, the girl went to work as a nurse, and in 1916 she got on board the Britannic, which... also sank! Two boats with a crew were pulled under the propeller of a sinking ship. 21 people died.

Among them could have been Violet, who was sailing in one of the broken boats, but again luck was on her side: she managed to jump out of the boat and survived.

Fireman Arthur John Priest also survived a shipwreck not only on the Titanic, but also on the Olympic and Britannic (by the way, all three ships were the brainchild of the same company). Priest has 5 shipwrecks to his name.

On April 21, 1912, the New York Times published the story of Edward and Ethel Bean, who sailed in second class on the Titanic. After the crash, Edward helped his wife into the boat. But when the boat had already sailed, he saw that it was half empty and rushed into the water. Ethel pulled her husband into the boat.

Among the Titanic's passengers were the famous tennis player Carl Behr and his lover Helen Newsom. After the disaster, the athlete ran into the cabin and took the women to the boat deck.

The lovers were ready to say goodbye forever when the head of the White Star Line, Bruce Ismay, personally offered Behr a place on the boat. A year later, Carl and Helen got married and later became the parents of three children.

Edward John Smith - captain of the Titanic, who was very popular among both crew members and passengers. At 2.13 a.m., just 10 minutes before the ship's final dive, Smith returned to the captain's bridge, where he decided to meet his death.

Second Mate Charles Herbert Lightoller was one of the last to jump from the ship, miraculously avoiding being sucked into the ventilation shaft. He swam to collapsible boat B, which was floating upside down: the Titanic's pipe, which came off and fell into the sea next to him, drove the boat further from the sinking ship and allowed it to remain afloat.

American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim helped women and children into lifeboats during the crash. When asked to save himself, he replied: “We are dressed in our best clothes and are ready to die like gentlemen.”

Benjamin died at the age of 46, his body was never found.

Thomas Andrews - first class passenger, Irish businessman and shipbuilder, was the designer of the Titanic...

During the evacuation, Thomas helped passengers board lifeboats. He was last seen in the first class smoking room near the fireplace, where he was looking at a painting of Port Plymouth. His body was never found after the crash.

John Jacob and Madeleine Astor, a millionaire science fiction writer, and his young wife traveled first class. Madeleine escaped on lifeboat No. 4. John Jacob's body was recovered from the depths of the ocean 22 days after his death.

Colonel Archibald Gracie IV is an American writer and amateur historian who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Returning to New York, Gracie immediately began writing a book about his voyage.

It is she who has become a real encyclopedia for historians and researchers of the disaster, thanks to the large number of names it contains of stowaways and 1st class passengers remaining on the Titanic. Gracie's health was severely compromised by hypothermia and injuries, and he died at the end of 1912.

Margaret (Molly) Brown is an American socialite, philanthropist and activist. Survived. When panic arose on the Titanic, Molly put people into lifeboats, but she herself refused to board them.

“If the worst happens, I’ll swim out,” she said, until eventually someone forced her into lifeboat number 6, which made her famous.

After Molly organized the Titanic Survivors Fund.

Millvina Dean was the last surviving passenger of the Titanic: she died on May 31, 2009, aged 97, in a nursing home in Ashurst, Hampshire, on the 98th anniversary of the liner's launch.

Her ashes were scattered on October 24, 2009 at the port of Southampton, where the Titanic began its first and last voyage. At the time of the death of the liner she was two and a half months old

Original taken from vesente in Titanic - a story raised from the bottom

During my New Year's stay in Estonia, an exhibition of recovered items from the Titanic was held in Tallinn. It would seem, what is the connection between them? The exhibition is temporary from 11/15/13 to 03/31/2014, which, as I understand it, is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the liner. Perhaps the exhibition will reach Russia.

In the meantime, what did I see at this exhibition?

The Titanic is a legendary story; the name alone attracts the attention of the public, in which Hollywood played a significant role. In particular, James Cameron, who directed the film of the same name, which grossed a seemingly unimaginable more than $2 billion at the global box office. Even after its death, the history of the Titanic continues to set records.

The beginning of the 20th century was a time of optimism and progress. The development of technology has given humanity such technological wonders as the automobile, airplane, cinema, telegraph and skyscrapers. The development of international trade increased the movement of people, mail and goods. Ocean-going ships became larger, faster and more luxurious as the primary mode of long-distance travel in anticipation of the era of aviation.

In the 19th century, many went overseas in search of a better life - to America. The main criterion for navigation was speed, and passengers sought to board the fastest ship. The size and speed of ships grew rapidly, but this aggravated certain inconveniences, such as strong vibration. By the beginning of the 20th century, the proportion of wealthy people among passengers increased, and comfort and luxury acquired the greatest importance.

Project Bureau

By the beginning of the 20th century, the speed of ocean liners had almost doubled compared to the mid-19th century, and already exceeded 20 knots (37 km/h). The Titanic was built fast, but not the fastest, since the Ufa Star Line was based on the principle that comfort and convenience are preferable to speed. The liner was supposed to cross the ocean at a speed of about 21 knots (approximately 39 km/h).

On April 10 at 6 o'clock in the morning, the crew of the Titanic, having boarded, prepared to receive passengers. A little later, the captain arrived and, together with a representative of the Ministry of Trade, they inspected the ship. Everything was in order and the Titanic was allowed to go to sea.

At 9.30 a train with second and third class passengers arrived at the port, and at 11.30 first class passengers arrived. The captain greeted the latter personally, accompanied by an orchestra.

At noon, after blowing three whistles, the highest achievement of engineering set off on its first and last journey. The Titanic was scheduled to arrive in New York on the morning of April 17.

I wonder if the history of the largest passenger liner at that time would have such a long historical trail if it had reached New York safely?

Some numbers:
- 53 meters in height.
-28 meters wide. It was possible to fit 8 Ford cars in width.
- 59000 hp - this is the same as 79 modern Lamborghini Veneno.
- 42 km/h was the maximum speed of the Titanic

In 1896, Schuyler S. Wheeler created the first electric fan with two blades. The electric motor rotated the shaft into which the rotor was mounted. At the beginning of the 20th century, fans were used only in commercial establishments and wealthy households.

“Thermotank” made it possible to heat the room with warm air. By turning the control knob, the passenger could change the amount of heat entering the cabin, setting the blinds to open, closed or an intermediate state.

In terms of comfort, luxury and service, the Titanic was comparable to the best hotels of that time and was rightfully considered a luxury “floating hotel”, making passengers forget that they were at sea. On board there was a swimming pool, a Turkish bath, a hair salon, a gym with exercise equipment, a squash court, a darkroom, luxurious dining salons and a cafe. Many first-class cabins had en-suite baths, and the most expensive suites had their own private promenade decks. The telegraph was a valuable opportunity that passengers actively used to communicate with their households.

At the beginning of the 20th century, all ship passengers were divided into 3 classes according to status. The first class included people of high origin, wealthy production workers, famous actors, singers and writers. They had the most luxurious cabins at their disposal. Second class passengers were mostly wealthy people with respected professions, such as university teachers, priests and officials.

The most significant part of the passengers - third class - were people going overseas in search of a better life. These were mainly impoverished workers and peasants. Passengers of different classes on the ship were separated from each other, they had separate rooms for spending time, their food was prepared in different places and they walked on different decks.

First class cabin

The Titanic could carry more than 750 first class passengers. All their cabins were spacious, finely decorated and could easily compete with the best hotels in the world. All cabins had baths, hot and cold water, and plenty of closets. Some first class cabins were connected to the salon.

The most expensive suite cabins cost $4,500 (currently 76,000 euros).

Hot water tap and floor tiles

The promenade deck, or "A" deck, was intended only for first class passengers. In addition to apartments, there were the most luxurious premises, including a reading and smoking lounge, and a cafe on the veranda.

Fragment of a bench on the promenade deck

Smoking salon

If the smoking lounge was intended for first class men, then the reading room was for first class women. Comfort was created by Gregorian-style furniture, molded cornices and a fireplace.

Traveling ladies, sitting in the warmth of the fireplace, could read their favorite novels here, write letters, and watch what was happening on the promenade deck through the window.

Reading salon

The first class Turkish bath was one of the most comfortable accommodations on the ship. There was a steam room, a warm and cold room, a relaxation room and finally a massage room. The most innovative thing about the Turkish bath were the heated beds.

To give the rooms a more exotic look, curtains from Cairo hung from the portholes, as well as bronze lamps in the Arabic style. Entrance to the bathhouse was paid - 1 dollar (17 euros).

The main resting place was a 150-meter promenade on both sides of the deck. Here, first class passengers could sit on sun loungers or walk around, admire the sea and enjoy conversation. Also, the spacious promenade deck was a favorite place for the children of the first passengers: there was room to run around.

On the Titanic, first class passengers had a superbly equipped gym at their disposal. There were two exercise bikes and rowing and riding simulators. You could use electric machines to massage your back and abdomen, and rent a tennis court for half an hour for $1. Fans of water treatments could swim in the ship's pool with heated water. In the whole world, such pools were only on two liners.

The internal main gangway of the Titanic was undoubtedly one of the main attractions. It was located in the bow of the ship, between the boat and salon decks, so that first class passengers could use it to move between the upper decks. The internal main staircase was crowned with a dome made of iron and colored glass, through which daylight filled everything around.

From the boat deck one could go down the main ladder to D deck, where there were first class lounges and dining salons. From there you could get to deck E, where some of the first class accommodations were located.

Titanic's second class cabins were comparable to first class cabins on other ships and priced accordingly. Second class passengers were offered various amenities that on other ships were only available to first class, such as an elevator, a library, a reading room, and a promenade deck. The second class dining salon, located on the Titanic's salon deck, was paneled in 17th-century oak and seated 394 people.

For this reason, the table here was served in several shifts. During the first meal, many second class passengers thought they had accidentally wandered into the first class cabin. Since the galleys for first and second class on the liner were combined, second class passengers ate almost the same as first class passengers.

Baking utensils made of refractory clay. The dishes were stored in a closet; over time, the closet decomposed and the dishes remained lying at the bottom in the sand.

The 3rd class passengers were mainly emigrants of different nationalities. Before boarding the ship, third class passengers were required to undergo a medical examination and check for lice.

Third class cabins

The interior of the third class mess hall was simple, but the hall could accommodate more than 470 people. While other ships had benches screwed to the floor, the Titanic had comfortable chairs that created the atmosphere of an inexpensive restaurant. The choice of dishes was not as rich as in first and second class, but the portions were large and tasty.

There were 4 meals offered daily - tomorrow, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Tomorrow consisted of a boiled egg, oatmeal, bread and marmalade. For lunch there was soup, a meat dish, hot dessert and fruit. The afternoon tea included a hot dish, a light dessert and tea. For the evening they offered cheese, oatmeal jelly and coffee.

Crew. The ship's personnel consisted of more than 900 people, but according to various estimates, 885 took the first voyage. The crew was divided into three parts: the deck crew (officers and sailors), the engine crew and maintenance personnel. The hardest work was done by stokers and trimmers. More than half of the crew members were busy serving passengers. When designing the vessel, we proceeded from the principle that the non-service part of the crew should in no case interfere with passengers. There were only 23 women in the huge crew.

April 14, Sunday. It was the 5th day of the Titanic's voyage. People have already gotten used to the bustle, amenities and everything that the most comfortable liner in the world could offer. They were already preparing for their arrival in New York, which was expected in three days. It was easier even for the captain, since there was no mandatory inspection of the ship on Sunday.
Sunday was calm and quiet; there were no celebrations or dances on this day. A service was held in the first class dining room, led by Captain Smith himself. In the evening, a dinner party was held in honor of the captain at the A la Carte restaurant. As a rule, drills were held on the ships of the Ufait Star Line on Sundays, during which all passengers and crew members had to gather in certain places on the boat deck wearing life jackets. The captain of the Titanic canceled this exercise...

Ice warnings.

9.00 “Caronia”

13.42 “Baltic II”

13.45. "America"

19.42. "California"

21.40 “Mesaba”

22.40 “California”

Not a single ice warning, for various reasons, was transmitted to the captain's bridge...

In total, radio operators have received more than twenty reports of icebergs since departure. But they were perceived as advice, and not a real threat. The officers and captain were confident that in such weather in the Antantica they would be able to see the danger in advance. And yet, precautions were taken - the deck hatch in the bow was closed so that the light coming from there would not interfere with the inspection of the ocean surface from the bridge and from the mast basket.

Shift sailor. On April 14, 1912, Frederick Fleet stood watch from ten in the evening until midnight. Officers repeatedly reminded him and his partner, seaman Reginald Lee, to be extremely careful as the ship was in the area of ​​icebergs. The absence of the moon and the almost smooth sea made it more difficult to detect the iceberg than usual, because the iceberg was usually detected by reflected light or splashes from the waves.

23.40. A huge iceberg appears in the path of the world's greatest ship. The watchman strikes the bell three times and shouts: “The iceberg is straight ahead!”

The iceberg caused six small holes 90 meters long, as a result of which 5 waterproof compartments began to flood. More than 1000 liters entered the ship’s hull every second.

At the exhibition there is a large ice cube in which you can leave your imprint.

People in different parts of the ship heard and felt the grinding and impact of the collision in different ways. A few minutes later the Titanic stopped. If at first it seemed on the bridge that the worst had come to an end, the next twenty minutes revealed the seriousness of the situation.

After the collision, Titanic designer Thomas Andrews Jr. inspects the damage and tells the captain the fateful news: With two waterproof compartments flooded, the ship can remain afloat. It will withstand even four flooded compartments, but the resulting damage will lead to the inevitable death of the ship. Titanic is doomed. 25 minutes after the collision, the captain gave the order to put women and children into the boats.

On the night of April 14, 1912, the water temperature in the North Atlantic was -2 C. Salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water. Thus, the water was colder than the fatal iceberg. Most people did not drown, but died from hypothermia.

Help. The first to respond to the SOS message was the ship "Carpathia", which was located at a distance of 93 km. Having received a request for help, it changed course and, at full speed, headed towards the distressed Titanic, arriving at the scene four hours later.

The California ship was closer, 19 km away, and although they noticed missiles fired from the Titanic, the captain did nothing to come to the rescue.

Lifeboats. According to the original design, there should have been 32 boats, but their number was reduced to 20 because they took up too much space on the deck. However, at that time, according to the existing rules, this was more than enough: the maximum capacity of 20 boats was 1178 people, and it was supposed to provide 1060 seats.

Only two boats had the required number of people; the first seven boats had only 160 people. This is due to the fact that, by order of the captain, at first only women and children were placed in them.

Margaret Brown.

She took control of the boat when she noticed that helmsman Robert Hitchens began to behave inappropriately. She ordered other women to row with her and encouraged them with stories and songs.

Ilda Strauss.

The wife of the owner of Mary's department store refused to board lifeboat number eight without her husband. “We have always been together with him, and we will die together.”

Musicians. As soon as the passengers began to take their places in the boats, the ship's chief purser, Herbert McElroy, gathered the musicians and ordered them to play so that the passengers would remain calm. They played excerpts from different works, each time taking more and more cheerful passages. The musicians were private entrepreneurs, no one offered them to manage the boats, but also did not offer evacuation on the same basis as the passengers. None of them survived.

Bruce Ismay. The director of the White Star Line boarded collapsible lifeboat C while many women and children had not yet been evacuated. Climbing aboard the Carpathia, which came to the rescue, he demanded a separate cabin, from which he did not leave until his arrival in New York. Until the end of his days, he was haunted by universal contempt.

First class passengers: 199 slept, 125 died.

Second class passengers: 116 survivors, 168 deaths.

Third class passengers: 181 saved, 529 killed.

The Titanic lies at a depth of 4 kilometers, 740 kilometers from the island of Newfoundland. Having broken, it sank, and the bow and stern parts of the hull lie at a distance of 600 meters from each other. The bottom space between them is strewn with various objects.

The idea of ​​finding the Titanic was expressed back in 1912, but technically it was impossible then. The ship was discovered only 73 years after the crash, in 1985. A more detailed study of the wreckage confirmed the version that the ship broke into two parts, which was previously considered unlikely.

The company "RMS Titanic Inc" in 1987-2004, together with France and Russia, organized a number of expeditions to study and recover objects from the sunken liner, collecting over 5,500 objects from the day of the sea. During the 2010 expedition, with the help of deep-sea vehicles, the boundaries of the archaeological find were determined, the first echolocation image of the ship's location was compiled, and high-resolution 3D video footage was taken, with the help of which scientists can explore the Titanic in a previously inaccessible way. Remote control modules connected to the mother ship via a cable collect data. Scientists still get the best visibility and perspective from inhabited bathyscaphes. The dive to the Titanic lasts 12-15 hours, of which 2-2, 5 are spent on the dive and ascent.

These postcards were found in a bag tied with ribbon, along with 120 other postcards from various locations that belonged to Howard Irwin.

Disputes over ownership began immediately after the discovery of the vessel, as it sank in international waters. After lengthy legal disputes, the exclusive ownership right was transferred in 1993 to the company RMS Titanic Inc, which retains it to this day.

The investigation into what happened began 4 days after the disaster. A special commission in New York interviewed survivors and tried to find out the circumstances of the disaster. The investigation lasted 8 days, but little was found out. A more thorough investigation was carried out in England. The conclusions and recommendations formed the basis for safety legislation.

Changes in maritime safety. After the disaster, radio operators had to be on duty in the radio room 24 hours a day and there had to be direct communication with the captain's bridge. The requirements for the design and construction conditions of ships, as well as the location and strength parameters of watertight bulkheads, were tightened.

And by the way, the New York Times called the Titanic unsinkable after its death.

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More than 105 years ago, the famous Titanic set off on its first and last voyage. On board were the wealthiest people of the time, who brought untold wealth and works of art worth millions of dollars to the New World. What legendary treasures lie in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean and why has no one managed to get them yet?

We are in website We found a list of the most expensive personal belongings of the Titanic passengers, and some of the items seemed very strange to us.

1. Billion dollars on board

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton for New York with 1,317 passengers and 908 crew on board. According to various sources, they carried with them jewelry totaling from half a million to a billion dollars in terms of modern money.

2. Tons of valuable cargo for sale

The ship was also used to deliver 60,000 pieces of mail and several tons of various goods for sale in the United States, worth more than $10 million in today's money. In the holds of the ship there were furs, wines, champagne, food, books, medical instruments and even two barrels of mercury.

3. Diamonds

As we learned from surviving documents, the ship carried a collection of diamonds worth over $300 million.

4. Mysterious manuscript

One of the most valuable items that ended up on board the doomed ship was the manuscript of the 11th century Persian scientist and philosopher Omar Khayyam. The enamel-bound manuscript was decorated with a thousand precious stones.

5. Works of art

What was carried on board the Titanic became known thanks to claims and lawsuits filed by surviving passengers after the shipwreck. The most expensive loss was the painting by the French artist Merry-Joseph Blondel “Circassian Woman in the Bath” (La Circassienne au bain). Its owner valued the painting at $100,000 (about $2.4 million in modern terms).

6. "Dragon's Blood"

The list of cargo from the Titanic also mentioned 76 containers with “dragon’s blood”. This is what they used to call the resin from trees that grew on the Canary Islands. It was mainly used for medicinal purposes.

7. Mummy under the captain's bridge

Perhaps a very exotic treasure was transported on the ship. It is believed that the mummy of an Egyptian soothsayer from the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV was kept in a wooden box under the captain's bridge. With her was also an amulet with the image of the king of the underworld Osiris. There was an inscription on it that meant something like this: “Rise from oblivion and with one glance defeat everyone who stands in your way.” Some researchers believe that it was this ancient mummy that led to the death of the Titanic, while others deny the very fact of transporting an unusual artifact on board the ship.

8. Legendary car

Among other expensive cargo, the Titanic carried a partially disassembled brand new Renault Type CB Coupe de Ville. It is known that the owner of the car managed to escape with his family. After returning to the United States, he demanded compensation from the ship's owners for the car in the amount of $5,000 and another $300 for the two dead dogs.

Why the Titanic has not yet been raised to the surface

Relatives of wealthy passengers who died in the disaster discussed the possibility of raising the sunken liner. However, in 1912, such a technical possibility was not possible due to the too great depth at which the wreckage of the ship was located - about 3,750 meters.

At the end of the 1950s, they again returned to the ambitious idea of ​​\u200b\u200bsearching and recovering the wreckage of the Titanic. The most incredible proposals were put forward. In 1966, they seriously wanted to line the hull with plastic containers of water and pass an electric current through them so that the gases obtained by electrolysis, according to some scientists, would raise the ship.

It was proposed to freeze the ship's hull from the inside so that it floats to the surface, like an ice cube. There was even discussion of plans to fill the ship's hull with ping-pong balls or hundreds of tons of liquid wax. However, all these fantastic ideas remained unrealized.

They tried to find the treasures of the Titanic using high technology, but the exact location of the wreckage of the ship was established only 33 years ago. The first deep-sea vehicles

30 years ago the wreck of the Titanic was discovered. What went down with him?

On September 1, 1985, the wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic, which sank in April 1912, was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean. Over 30 years, over 5,000 objects were raised to the surface: from the personal belongings of passengers to a 17-ton piece of sheathing. Many treasures and artifacts still remain at the bottom. In honor of the anniversary, we decided to remember the most unusual and interesting cargoes of the infamous ship.

Lost Masterpiece

What was carried on board the Titanic is known largely through claims and lawsuits filed by surviving passengers after the shipwreck. The most expensive loss was the painting by the French artist Merry-Joseph Blondel “Circassian Woman in the Bath” (La Circassienne au bain), painted in 1814. Its owner, Swedish businessman Moritz Håkan Björnstöm-Steffansson, valued the masterpiece at $100,000 (in modern terms, that’s about $2.4 million). This became a record among claims addressed to the White Star Line shipping company: none of the Titanic passengers demanded such a significant amount for a single lost piece of luggage.

Most expensive luggage

The list of the largest losses also includes the luggage of the American millionaire Charlotte Drake Cardeza, the daughter of a textile manufacturer. She sailed on the Titanic with her son, returning to Pennsylvania after a long hunt: a safari in Africa and visiting hunting grounds in Hungary. She occupied the most expensive cabin on the ship and carried 14 chests of luggage, not counting four suitcases and three boxes. After the safe rescue, Charlotte Cardeza filed a claim for $177,352 (about $4 million in today's dollars) - in a 21-page list of lost property she listed 841 items, including a nearly seven-carat pink diamond ring valued at $20,000.

Marmalade machine

While some surviving passengers demanded millions of dollars in compensation, others estimated their losses more than modestly. For example, second class passenger Edwina Truitt asked for a refund of just 8s 5d. That's the amount she valued for a marmalade machine, a device for peeling and slicing fruit, similar to a meat grinder. A 27-year-old English woman was traveling to visit her pregnant sister in America to help her care for her newborn. Feeling the Titanic collide with an iceberg, she went up to the deck, saw how the lifeboats were being prepared, and hurriedly returned to the cabin to warn her fellow passengers. One of them was trying to tie a corset at that time, and Truett, putting on a warm coat, tore off the corset and threw it into the aisle, saying that there was no time for this. Along the way, she warned two friends from the next cabin about the disaster. When Edwina boarded the boat, an unfamiliar Lebanese passenger asked her to take her five-month-old child with her, which she did. At the time of departure from the Titanic, she had only a toothbrush and a prayer book with her. In a hurry, she clearly had no time for the marmalade machine, but after a while she remembered about the loss and filed a claim. It is noteworthy that the woman lived to be 100 years old. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean several times, and her last such voyage across the Atlantic occurred on her 99th birthday.

"Precious" book

The Titanic carried about 90 containers of books. The most valuable copy was the collection of sayings of Omar Khayyam “Rubai”, decorated with 1050 precious stones, each of which was framed in gold. This rare book was bought by an American in March 1912 at an auction for $1900, which can be equated to 15 annual salaries of a junior member of the Titanic crew.

By the way, the Titanic had the prefix RMS (Royal Mail Ship) in its name and was officially responsible for the transportation of British mail. Along with the books, 3,364 bags of mail went to the bottom, as well as about 800 parcels with unknown contents. One of the postal packages contained the manuscript of Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim: the writer sent it to collector John Quinn under the title Karain: A Memoir. Fortunately, the writer still had his own version of the manuscript and the book reached readers.

Opium for the people

In addition to passenger belongings and mail, the Titanic carried a huge amount of goods totaling $420,000 ($10 million in 2015). Information about the cargo is known thanks to a surviving copy of the 1912 manifest, which is a detailed list of items taken on board. This document was sent to America on the Mauritania liner and appeared in New York newspapers on April 20, 1912, six days after the sinking of the Titanic. From it you can learn, in particular, about the transport of drugs to the United States: on board the largest passenger ship in the world, hidden among cheeses, wines and furs, were four containers of opium for the American people. Three years earlier, the US Congress had banned the import and use of opium for non-medical purposes. In some states it was already banned even for medical purposes. There were two years left before opium was completely banned in America.

Dragon's blood

The Titanic's cargo list includes 76 containers of dragon's blood. This is the name of the resin from trees of the genus Dracaena, which grow in the Canary Islands, Morocco, and Socotra. Since ancient times, dragon's blood has been used in medicine by the Romans, Greeks, Arabs and residents of Socotra: with its help they treated respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal diseases, healed wounds, and stopped bleeding. In India, dragon tree resin was used for special ceremonies, and voodoo priests in New Orleans used it to drive out negative entities, attracting money and love. Now this natural substance is used to polish furniture, marble and create varnish.

It is not clear for what purpose the dragon's blood from the Titanic was intended; it is only known that it belonged to the joint-stock company Brown Brothers and Company. By the way, the demonic name for this substance and tree was given by an ancient Indian legend: a long time ago in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra there lived a bloodthirsty dragon, he attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day there was an old and strong elephant who fell on the dragon and crushed it. The blood of the two creatures poured onto the ground, irrigating it like water, after which dracaena trees grew in the same place, which translated from ancient Greek means “female dragon.”

Movies

Among the items carried on board the Titanic was one box containing a film for The New York Motion Picture Company, one of the smaller film studios that later merged with Paramount Pictures. What was on the tape remained a mystery; the film never appeared in theaters. Also irretrievably lost were 33.5 km of film that belonged to William Harbeck. It is known that he was a successful filmmaker and was returning from a creative trip to Europe, where he visited London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin, in order to show his work in American cinemas and begin filming in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon Territory. It is assumed that he was also involved in the creation of newsreels of the Titanic, but this footage has not survived. William Harbeck died along with his young mistress, a model from Paris, his body was identified and buried by his wife, who was not immediately allowed to be identified, since it was recorded that Mr. and Mrs. Harbeck had died. As compensation, the wife of the deceased demanded $50,000 from the shipowners. Harbeck's films were valued at $41,000, equipment - at $11,000, such amounts were indicated in the claim by the business partner of the deceased, Katherine George.

Automobile

One of the hottest love scenes in James Cameron's Titanic takes place in a Renault car. Indeed, such a machine was on board. True, they transported it rather disassembled: the cargo manifest indicated that the car was being transported in a container. The brand new Renault Type CB Coupe de Ville, purchased in Europe, was the first to suffer from the impact, as it was located in the bow of the ship, and was broken into pieces when it collided with an iceberg. Her owner was playing cards in the smoking room at that time. After the collision, he put his family on the boat: his wife, 11-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter - and he himself escaped in one of the last boats with women and children, where, besides him, only one man was able to get into - White Star Line manager Joseph Ismay. Reunited with his family, Carter demanded compensation for the car - $5,000 and for two more dead dogs - $300. The couple soon divorced: the wife considered her husband’s behavior during the disaster inappropriate. Along with the Titanic, not only the dogs, but also the Carters' servant and driver drowned. Condemnation also befell Ismay: he was forced to leave his post, earning a reputation as a coward.

Perfume

Today, things from the Titanic are exhibited in museums and sold at auctions. One of the popular exhibits is a perfume that has lain at the bottom for 88 years.

65 bottles with different scents were carried by one of the first class passengers - 47-year-old German Adolf Saalfeld, chairman of the perfume company Sparks, White and Co. Ltd. At that time, perfumes were in great demand in America, and the businessman brought samples for display in New York boutiques. At the time of the collision with the iceberg, Saalfeld was in the smoking room: after seeing what happened, he immediately went to the boats, which helped save his life. The leather bag with perfume samples remained in the cabin. The spirits lay on the ocean floor until 2000 and were discovered during another search expedition. When the researchers opened the bottles, they were amazed by the rich aromas: lavender, rose and other flowers. Some samples lost their scent, but most remained unchanged. Modern perfumers were able to recreate 62 of the 65 scents and released them in 2012 to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Violin - a gift from the bride

The Titanic had an orchestra led by 33-year-old conductor Wallace Hartley. As the surviving passengers said, even at the moment of general panic, the musicians did not abandon their instruments and continued to play until the ship sank. One of the last songs performed on the Titanic was the English Christian hymn “Nearer My God to Thee.”

Ten days after the tragedy, Hartley’s body and his violin, which the conductor managed to tie to himself, were found. Perhaps in this way he hoped to stay afloat, but more likely, he did not want to part with his bride’s gift. Shortly after the shipwreck, the violin, slightly damaged by the cold salt water, was returned to the inconsolable Hartley girl. Her own dedicatory inscription, made shortly before the departure of the Titanic, was still visible inside the case. Later, after the death of the owner, the violin was lost among relatives and was considered lost for a long time, until it was accidentally discovered in the attic of the house among old things in 2006. It took researchers and forensic experts more than seven years and thousands of pounds to confirm its authenticity, after which it was sold at auction for a record sum: $1.5 million.