Back Reflection Images courtesy of Atlantic-Cable.com
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ne hundred years ago, on 10th April 1912, the S.S. Titanic set out from Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York. Owned by the White Star Line, the Titanic was the largest passenger ship in the world. She let port that morning with 2,223 people on board. As is well known, at 23:40 (local) on 14th April, she hit an iceberg and sank, going down at 02:20 (local) on the morning of 15th April. 1,517 people lost their lives that day, and it remains one of the worst marine disasters in peacetime. The high casualty rate was due, in large part, to the fact that the ship only carried lifeboats for 1,178 people. This was entirely consistent with the regulations that were in force at the time. A high proportion of the victims were men, due to the “women and children first” protocol that was enforced by the ship’s crew while abandoning ship. As this year is the centenary of this tragic event, much in the months to come will
by Stewart Ash
be said, written, broadcast and televised describing various aspects of the story. Therefore, I thought we would take the opportunity, in the first issue of 2012, to cover the role that the submarine cable industry had to play in the aftermath of the disaster. Even as the S.S. Carpathia was steaming back to New York with survivors from the Titanic, the White Star line was in the process of chartering the 1,700 ton, C.S. Mackay Bennett from the Commercial Cable Company to recover bodies from the Atlantic. The charter rate agreed was US$550/day. The Mackay Bennett was built by John Elder and Co. in Govan, Glasgow, in 1884. She was named after the two principle directors of the Commercial Cable Company; John W Mackay (18311902) and James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841-1918), who was also proprietor of the New York Herald.
At the time, the Mackay Bennett was on station, alongside in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cable in her tanks was quickly discharged to shore and replaced with ice. A number of embalmers, undertakers and a large quantity of coffins were embarked. All of the ship’s crew volunteered for the harrowing task, and were paid double. The Mackay Bennett set sail under the command of Captain Frederick Harold Larnder, on Wednesday 17th April. Time was of the essence for a number of reasons; firstly, if the floating bodies reached the Gulf Stream they would be distributed far and wide; secondly the probability that the bodies would be disfigured by wild life, making identification impossible, had to be taken into consideration; and finally, the need of loved ones and families for closure was recognised.