Titanic Universe

Kate Winslet and the Titanic Movie

During the year of its release (1997), James Cameron’s Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, became the largest grossing film in history. The epic tale of the sinking of the massive cruise vessel in 1912 has become an iconic tragedy in history which spelled big bucks for the Hollywood blockbuster. What most people don’t know is that the real drama did not occur on screen but rather behind the scenes between the Director and the stars of the film. The filming process was described by actress Kate Winslet as “an ordeal”.

The actress tells of some of the hardships she experienced during the filming of The Titanic which include influenza, extreme chill from being exposed to cold water, a chipped bone, deep bruises, and a near death experience which involved her almost drowning. An interview reveals that since a good portion of the filming was done at night that it was difficult to set a sleep schedule, thus making the entire process disorienting.

Kate Winslet was not the only one on the set of the Titanic having trouble though. She explains that the film was taxing for everyone involved including Director James Cameron. She describes the frustration involved with the process and explains that his temper would sometimes show. Even though she said that crew members would sometimes receive a good chewing out, this never spilled over to the actors.

The near death experience came during a scene where Kate Winslet and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio were running from a rushing wave into a closed gate. During the scene a coat that Winslet was wearing got caught on the environment and she was engulfed by the approaching wave. The actress recounted that she swallowed water and gasped for air before finally becoming free of the coat. Another scene required her to be submerged in water and use a breathing regulator. She claims that the device was tricky and that she ended up swallowing a large amount of water. It was also claimed that she was not asked whether or not she could swim before filming of the Titanic Movie began. Winslet happens to be a strong swimmer but found it odd that nobody inquired. Cameron defends this decision by stating his belief that actors incur a certain amount of risk with each filming process and it is up to them to decide whether they are prepared.

The famous quote from the whole experience cites Kate Winslet as saying ”For the first time in my life on a film set I was thinking, ‘I wish I wasn’t here.’ Some days I’d wake up and think, ‘Please, God, let me die,” but many including Cameron believe that the context is grossly exaggerated. She explains that the whole process was stressful and strenuous and that at times she simply wanted it to be over. Cameron does admit that there was a point where the actress was spitting and sputtering because of inhaling water, but believes that her life was never in danger.

Cameron contests that he may have added to her stress level, but that most of it was internally generated stress on the part of the actress herself. In a Playboy interview, Cameron called Winslet a drama queen and noted that most of the stress was simply a part of the job.

Cameron also claims that he believes that the actress would work with him again and that he would love to work with her as she is extremely talented. According to another Interview with Kate Winslet, she was silent when asked whether or not she would do it all over again. Unfortunately for fans of the Titanic Movie, they likely won’t see a reunion of the pair for quite a while as Kate Winslet claims that she never hopes to star in any films where water is central to the story.

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Sister Ships of the Titanic

The Titanic was the second of three ships that were planned on being built as a shuttle service from Southampton to New York. Intended to be similar in design, these were engineered to be the most luxurious cruise vessels on the planet. Here is some of the history and facts behind the two White Star Lines ships that did not meet as historic of a fate as the RMS Titanic–the RMS Olympic and the HMS Britannic.

RMS Olympic

Little sister to the Titanic, the RMS Olympic was launched on October 20, 1911 and was captained by Edward J. Smith, the same man who captained the Titanic on the night of its tragic sinking. Her maiden voyage took place on June 14, 1911 and made the trip from Southampton to New York successfully.

Like the Titanic, the Olympic also had problems while sailing. On September 20, 1911 she was involved with a collision with a cruiser by the name of HMS Hawke. The Olympic received massive damage and was repaired using parts from her sister ship the Titanic. After the sinking of the Titanic, the Olympic had a facelift that bolstered safety precautions including an increased number of lifeboats and an inner watertight skin that was installed.

The ship was requisitioned by the British government on September 1, 1915 as a vessel used to transport troops. Perhaps her most famous military exploit was when she struck and sank a german submarine by the name of U103. The Olympic then returned to work as a shuttle ship and her bad luck would return. Even with the newly earned nickname “Old Reliable”, the Olympic would meet tragedy yet again after colliding with the Nantucket lightship, claiming the lives of 7 individuals.

Her career ended on April 12, 1935 in Southampton. Her ragged body was dismantled on September 19, 1937 and parts were auctioned off. Some of her components can be seen today at various locations including the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, England. A famous wood carving titled “Honour and Glory Crowning Time” can be found at the Southampton Maritime Museum.

HMHS Britannic

The HMHS Britannic was built under the shroud of the Titanic tragedy and was initially planned to be named the Gigantic. Britannic was chosen as the name because it was deemed by the White Star Line as a lucky name; the company had three ships with this name, this being the second. She closely resembled the Titanic with her enclosed A deck but had a few different features including additional lifeboat davits.

Additional safety upgrades were added to the Britannic including a watertight double skin that was installed during construction instead of being added after the ship was built like the Olympic. There was no initial plan to increase the power of the Britannic but she ended up boasting an 18,000 horsepower turbine instead of the 16,000 horsepower turbine featured on the Titanic. Its engine was the largest turbine in the world at the time.

The Britannic’s launch occurred on February 26, 1914. the ship was soon requisitioned by the British navy as a hospital ship (Her Majesty’s Hospital Ship) giving it the HMHS Britannic name. On December 11, 1915 the Britannic began its short maritime career. On November 21, 1916 the Britannic struck a mine (some believe it may have been a torpedo) while sailing the Kea Channel in the Agean Sea. The ship immediately being to sink in the same manner as her sister the Titanic despite the improved safety features which were installed.

The true horror began when two lifeboats were launched and immediately sucked into the ship’s propellors. The sinking of the Britannic made the Olympic the only surviving vessel of the White Star Line shuttle service.

Her wreckage was discovered in 1976 by famous french explorer Jaques Cousteau and a few small objects were recovered. Because the ship was requisitioned by the navy, the remains of the Britannic, which lie in shallow waters, are currently the property of the British government. The wreckage was set to be recovered in 1995 by a team of Greek explorers, but their attempts were cut short following representations to the Greek government to halt the expedition.

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Famous People Aboard the Titanic

The Titanic was the most luxurious cruise ship of its time and this drew in a diversity of important individuals. Ranging from first to third class, the collection of passengers both rich and poor have rich background stories and had impact both inside and outside the topic of the Titanic. Here are some of the individuals aboard the doomed ship and their importance in the history of the vessel.

John Jacob Astor IV

This American businessman, builder, and investor was the descendent of the first multi-millionaire in the United States, German-American Johan Jakob Astor. He was the richest person aboard the Titanic and was traveling with his second wife Madeline who was five months pregnant. Astor did not survive the sinking of the Titanic but his wife did. According to survivor accounts Astor was last seen on the starboard wing of the boat smoking a cigarette with Jacques Futrelle. Astor’s body was recovered on April 22, by a cable-ship chartered by White Star Line. He was identified by the initials sewn into the label of his jacket.

Benjamin Guggenheim

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this American businessman was aboard the Titanic with a mistress; a French singer by the name of Madame Léontine Aubart, his valet Victor Giglio, chauffeur René Pernot, and Emma Sägesser the maid of Aubart. Guggenheim and his valet had slept through the collision with the iceberg, but were forced to wake and dress once it became clear that the situation was dire. Guggenheim and Giglio helped Aubart and Sägesser along with other women and children into lifeboats and then proceeded to change into their evening wear and go down with the ship “prepared to go down like gentlemen”. If his body was ever recovered it was never identified.

Margaret Brown aka “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”

Margaret Brown was born in 1867 and was a philanthropist and activist who gained a great deal of fame from the sinking of the Titanic. After boarding lifeboat 6, she returned to the sinking ship to look for other survivors. It is not known whether or not any victims were rescued upon return, but after the event she became known as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown”. In her later life she became an activist for a number of causes including women’s and worker’s rights, children’s education, historic preservation, and recognizing bravery aboard the Titanic. During the last years of her life she became an actress. Margaret Brown died in 1932.

Isidor and Ida Straus

Isidor Straus was a German Jewish American and was co-owner of Macy’s department store in New York along with his brother Nathan. Aboard the Titanic with his wife, Ida refused to leave her husband while the ship was sinking. Isidor was told that he would be able to board the lifeboat with his wife, but refused and instead sent his wife’s maid Ellen Bird onto the boat instead. Both Isidor and Ida were last seen sitting on the deck holding hands before a large wave washed them into the ocean. Isidor’s body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett and brought to Halifax, Nova Scotia before being shipped back to New York. Ida’s body was never recovered.

Captain Edward John Smith

Born in 1850, Edward John Smith was a British naval reserve officer and the captain of the RMS Titanic. The events connected with the sinking of the Titanic are clouded. Some believe that more immediate and drastic action by captain Smith could have averted the disaster while some believe that collision with the iceberg was inevitable. It is also unclear as to what his actions were during the sinking of the ship. Some accounts report that he was on the bridge at 2:13 am, seven minutes before the ship went down while others say that he ventured off to the ship’s wheelhouse. Others still say that he was present on the ship’s radio system throughout the entire disaster. Smith died during the sinking of the Titanic and his body was never recovered.

Thomas Andrews

Born in 1873, Thomas Andrews was an Irish businessman, managing director and head of the draughting department for Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. Andrews was a naval architect and the person in charge of the plans for the RMS Titanic. When the Titanic struck the iceberg, Andrews was drawing up possible changes to the vessel and hardly noticed the collision. Captain Smith informed him of the situation and Andrews noticed that five of the watertight compartments on the vessel had flooded and the ship was certain to sink. He also informed Smith of the shortage of lifeboats aboard the Titanic. According to survivor accounts, Andrews was permitted to board a lifeboat but instead helped women and children board and sealing his own fate. The body of Tomas Andrews was never recovered.

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Titanic Museums of the World

The beloved Titanic has become a symbol of history and culture around the world and many institutions are interested in its preservation and sharing its beauty with the public. Since the ship was rediscovered on July 14, 1986, many have been interested in what the wreckage contains and what these artifacts can tell us about the life and death of the vessel. A variety of Titanic museums can be found around the world, each possessing unique items exhumed from the wreckage of the Titanic and each offering its unique story behind the ‘unsinkable’ ship.

Titanic Museum Branson, MO

In 1987, owner of the Titanic Museum of Branson Missouri John Josyln co-led a 6 million dollar expedition to the site of the newly rediscovered Titanic shipwreck site. Diving multiple times to the wreckage in a submersible, the crew of the expedition took hundreds of images of the wreckage which became the inspiration for a variety of Titanic documentaries and shows and since have become some of the most famous images of the Titanic shipwreck. Since that journey, Josyln has dedicated his life to sharing the experience of the Titanic. This is done via a museum that is a two story replica of the ship itself and includes a grand staircase, walkable decks, various artifacts, and recorded tapes of survivor stories.

Visit the Titanic Museum Branson Site

Titanic Historical Society, Indian Orchard, MA

This museum offers authentic Titanic artifacts as well as unique stories of survivors of the wreck. The museum covers a broad scope of the history of the ship including its original blueprints, sheet music, and even the wireless message received by the Titanic stating the location of the fatal iceberg. Other artifacts include the bridge bell of the Olympic, a sister ship of the Titanic, the rescue ship Carpathia’s first class dinner menu, the flag of the White Star Line, the company who conducted the cruise itself, and a carved oak chair from the Titanic dining room. The Titanic historical society displays many of these and also loans items to the Titanic Museum in Branson, MO. Other items included in the extensive collection are: a bread board from the Titanic, passengers’ personal effects, 3rd class passenger Einar Karlsson’s inspection card, Titanic lookout Fred Fleet’s discharge book, Mrs. Astor’s lifejacket, and hundreds more. This is the largest collection of Titanic artifacts in the world.

Visit the Titanic Historical Society Museum site

Titanic Experience, Orlando, FL

Consisting of hundreds of artifacts recovered from various expeditions to the site of the wreckage, the Titanic Experience offers an in-depth look at the history of the vessel. This location features a 20,000 sq ft interactive museum, guided tours, full scale recreations of the Titanic’s grand staircase, authentic artifacts recovered from the wreck, the second largest piece of the Titanic itself ever recovered called “Little Big Piece”, Titanic room re-creations, and a dive area. The experience also contains trained actors in period costumes portraying famous people aboard the ship including Molly Brown and Captain Edward Smith. The museum is located near Universal Studios in Orlando.

Visit the Titanic Experience Site

Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge, TN

This museum offers a vast number of artifacts recovered from the site of the wreckage as well as a guided tour in which visitors are given random cards with a bio from an actual Titanic passenger. Some of the hundreds of artifacts contained within include a stairwell with water rushing in, three samples of the Titanic deck that visitors are allowed to climb on, replica lifeboats, salt water chilled to the temperature of the freezing Atlantic that doomed passengers were subject to, an interactive iceberg, and a big display of the finding of the Titanic. One of the main attractions of the museum is the large collection of photos and extensive amount of information regarding the history and construction of the vessel. This museum has been described as one of the best sites for museum enthusiasts interested in the life and death of the Titanic.

Visit the Titanic Pigeon Forge Museum Site

Titanic Museum, Southampton

Southampton is the place where the Titanic spent a large portion of her life. Much of the crew came from the city. This is where the newest interactive Titanic museum will be located and the attraction is scheduled to open sometime during 2012. On display will be a variety of the over 4,000 artifacts recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic and will include cutlery, dinnerware, letters and menu cards, and recollections of about 70 survivors.

View news on the Titanic Museum of Southampton

Titanic Museum Belfast

If you find yourself driving through what was once a shipyard in Belfast, you will find a new structure scraping the sky which will soon open as the Titanic visitor attraction. Belfast has been slow to tell the story of the Titanic from its point of view and this new multi-storied metallic building will offer their story and a complete Titanic experience. The tour begins with a history of Belfast as an industrial empire, moves on to the conception, construction, launch, and maiden voyage of the ship itself. The 6 floor attraction will come complete with all of the sights and smells of a shipyard along with detailed information on how the Titanic was built, breathtaking views, and stories of passengers and crew who were aboard the vessel. The Belfast Titanic center is scheduled to open in April of 2012.

Read about the Titanic Museum Belfast

Maritime Museum, Halifax Nova Scotia

Much of the rescue effort concerning the Titanic disaster came from the Carpathia, a ship sailing out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship picked up the Titanic’s final distress call and responded to the ship’s last coordinates. Risking its own passengers and crew, the Carpathia was responsible for saving countless lives during the disaster. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is the oldest maritime museum in Canada and has a large collection of artifacts from the remains of the Titanic. Items include a perfectly preserved deckchair and large pieces of oak carving which are featured as permanent attractions at the museum.

Online Titanic Museum

The Online Titanic Museum offers pictures of various artifacts and other items surrounding the history of the Titanic. Each thumbnail can be clicked on for a larger version and all items come with a description. The site is divided into different categories making navigation easy and grouping each item into a specific frame designed to outline each element of the ship’s life cycle.

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Analyzing the History of the Titanic (2012 Edition)

The Titanic is a topic that is famous worldwide, has a variety of proven facts, and perhaps even more elements shrouded in mystery. From the number of passengers on the vessel, to what caused it to sink, there are often differing accounts and even conspiracy theories behind some of the events. The historic vessel was built to be unsinkable and the height of mass travel during the Victorian era. It is quite impossible to know exactly what happened on that fateful day near Halifax, Nova Scotia, but one thing is for certain: the history of the Titanic may not be what we think.

One of the most famous and interesting aspects of the sinking of the Titanic is the sense of valor and duty that is described. Captain Edward Smith stayed aboard the vessel and went down with the ship, women and children first were directed into the lifeboats, and the band played on. These are common things associated with the sinking of the Titanic, but what made these people so much different than those reported as being selfish in more recent wrecks? In the lap of luxury, there is no doubt that the passengers of the Titanic expected to be rescued, but wouldn’t the same be true for those who have survived recent wrecks? Perhaps the sense of duty and valor described during the sinking of the Titanic is simply a romantic view on what was just a chaotic event (although most numbers support that these events are accurate).

Safety is a huge concern on modern day vessels, but why was it so lax during the days of the Titanic. There were clearly not enough lifeboats to accommodate the large number of passengers, but how did a vessel of that magnitude pass safety inspections, especially because the boat was so highly publicized. Furthermore, how are these companies still in business to this day? There are a variety of reports that suggest the ship was built using inferior grade rivets and other corners greatly cut. White Star Lines and Harland and Wolff still construct ships to this day. There may have been an investigation into these companies and the corner cutting that took place, but these are not widely publicized.

How accurate are the accounts of the escape portrayed? Up until recently there were surviving members of the Titanic, but now there are no first-hand accounts of the sinking of the Titanic. Although there are a few stories outlined, of the large number who survived there are few stories to highlight exactly what happened. This could very well be due to the fact that the experience was far too traumatic to speak of, but one would think that survivors would come out in troves in order to tell their story.

These questions and many more are just part of the appeal that attract individuals to the Titanic and its amazing story. Some of these questions may be answered as we learn more about the vessel, while some may never be answered. Either way, past, present, and future of the Titanic continues to captivate individuals of all walks of life.

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