by Layna Transue

April 15th marks the 112-year anniversary of the Titanic sinking. Since that fateful day in 1912, the Titanic has become a landmark of tragedy and exploration. Multiple expeditions to the sunken wreckage have returned new information about how exactly the Titanic sank. Conspiracies about the Titanic’s past and the events leading up to the tragedy have run rampant since 1912. But, do these conspiracies hold any water? What really caused the Titanic to sink?

One major conspiracy theory surrounding how the Titanic could have sunk given its “unsinkable” title revolved around the idea that the Titanic and its sister ship the Olympic were swapped. Theorists mainly claim that the Olympic and Titanic were swapped due to an insurance fraud scheme. In September of 1911, the Olympic was involved in an accident sent for very costly repairs. The swap theory states that the repairs were too expensive for the British White Star Line so the company decided to swap the ships before the Titanic’s maiden voyage and deliberately sink it to collect any insurance money they would get. The sinking was supposed to be slow enough that everyone on board would survive. This theory has had a resurgence in believers after the fatal incident with the Titan submarine in June of 2023. 

However, historians have debunked any possibility of this conspiracy. The Titanic and Olympic were not identical ships and had striking differences. The Olympic was even photographed in New York the day the Titanic set sail. Ships are given specific hull numbers that are plastered on areas of the boat. Titanic’s hull number, 401, is visible on the wreckage while the Olympic’s 400 is visible on auctioned scrap pieces. Both ships have unique layouts that allow historians to confidently deny the swap theory. Regarding the insurance fraud claim, the Titanic was underinsured. It was insured for $5 million of its $7.5 million (in 1912) value, which in total was less than what the Olympic was worth. There would have been no possible way to gain any money on insurance by sinking an underinsured ship. There is no reason with any evidence for the British White Star Line to swap their ships and deliberately sink one of them for insurance instead of repairing it. 

The true cause of the Titanic sinking, and the scale of the tragedy, relies on the mistakes of humans. Before its departure, the Titanic was dealing with a coal fire in its lower levels. Coal fires are historically difficult to get rid of and can burn for decades, like the Centralia fire in Pennsylvania that has been burning since 1962. Historians believe that in an effort to diminish any effects of the coal fire, excess coal was being chucked into the engine, causing the ship to be moving at full speed. This factor is considered the main reason why the Titanic could not change course to avoid the iceberg, as it was moving too quickly. 

The mistakes made by almost everyone in charge of the Titanic is often cited as the true reason why the ship sank. While the crew received many warnings of icebergs in the area, Captain Smith was not informed of the final and most specific warning. Senior radio operator Jack Phillips made the decision to not inform the captain due to the message not containing the prefix “MSG” or Masters’ Service Gram. Whether this message would have convinced Captain Smith to change course is unknown, but acts as another mistake that led to disaster. After the infamous iceberg was spotted, a command was made to move the ship left but was worded in a way that the crewmen misinterpreted it as a command to turn the ship right. The mistake was not caught in time to turn the ship in the correct direction. Low-grade iron rivets were used to hold together the steel plates at the head and bow of the ship. High-grade iron rivets were in short supply at the time. Upon collision, the low-grade rivets were ripped to shreds, forcing the ship to sink quicker than if higher-grade equipment was used. Finally, one of the most famously cited examples of human errors is the inadequate amount of lifeboats. While the Titanic did hold more lifeboats than legally required (enough to hold 1,200 compared to the requirement of 1,060), the amount on board was nowhere near enough to satisfy the 2,200 total passengers. 

As the anniversary of the Titanic tragedy is remembered this month, let the reality of its cause be a lesson in not cutting corners. While conspiracies are often attention-grabbing and enticingly easy to get lost in, it is important to remember that actual people lost their lives and families in the accident. The best way to honor those who passed is to respect their deaths and not make a mockery of tragedy.