I was hooked of late by that renowned movie entitled "Titanic", and it's a movie of unequalled quality that has gripped countless hearts since its debut back in 1997.
Witnessing passengers on the gigantic vessel clinging on the rails for dear life as the vessel began to tilt, I was compelled to find out why not every innocent soul was given a chance to survive.
History
Built in Ireland, the Titanic set sail on April 10th, 1912, departing Southampton in England, where mourners recently gathered to pay tribute to the deceased, just eight days subsequent to its completion.
The biggest vessel afloat, ironically deemed "unsinkable" with its four unmistakable smokestacks, the ship had those on board utterly breezy, resplendent and ecstatic waving goodbye to those seeing them off from the deck, the bow, the stern as well as through the portholes.
Or perhaps blissfully delighted because four days later lay a massive and traumatic disaster in which the frigid water, as Jack in the movie put it, "used a 1,000 knifes to stab the 1,500" languishing in such grisly condition.
On the night of April 14th, 1912, passengers ensconced themselves in their seats as they basked in the sheer opulence of the vessel and their trip to New York, with some already thinking about how Titanic would make history as being the fastest ever to reach the Big Apple.
Tragically, the lion's share of them never got to appreciate the sheer beauty of the Statue of Liberty.
This, due in great part to the iceberg with which the "unsinkable" Titanic collided.
The movie certainly reflects the zeitgeist of the 1910s as those holding first-class tickets were given priority to flee, leaving those in steerage on the receiving end until the bitter end. That was what happened in reality as well.
In the dead of the night on April 15th, 1912, the vessel's ineluctable demise followed the vessel splitting in half, with all lights gone. It was completely darkness that accompanied the passengers who were literally praying they would be spared.
In the name of fleeing the suction that followed the sinking, among the 20 lifeboats that carried some 700 to safety, only one returned.
Suffice it to say, there were those lucky few who were rescued safe and sound from the penetrating and unbearable cold of the Atlantic Ocean as they looked to the star-studded sky, awaiting the selfish on lifeboats to come back. As such, the bulk of those falling into the sea perished: Consumed by the satanic waters and the sheer darkness.
According to the ship owner, "Titanic" was used to convey the magnificent luxury cruise liner's sheer size as well as its shining beauty. A ship of dreams, indeed.
The ship's designer removed some critical lifeboats, citing a cluttered deck as the reason.
The foregone conclusion: On the night of April 14th, when Titanic last saw daylight, passengers struggled to board lifeboats, with some having to throw their friends under the bus, quite literally, just in order to live on.
All this morphed into a significant and largely avoidable loss of life. A painful lesson every one of us is still very mindful of as so many selfless gentlemen subjugated themselves to the women and children who had a bright future ahead of them. We're all paying tribute to them who allowed the vulnerable to survive this calamity.
Whatever its value, Titanic is now resting the bottom of the freezing Atlantic Ocean.
Once carrying more than 2,000 on its maiden voyage, Titanic is currently facing the prospect of being consumed entirely by brine and metal-consuming bacteria under water.
It may eventually be rendered an intangible part of history if nothing is done to salvage the "unsinkable".
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