Titanic cruise ship forced to turn back briefly

[Rhiannon12866]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - A cruise ship retracing the Titanic's fateful voyage 100 years ago was forced to turn back towards Ireland on Tuesday after a passenger developed heart problems.

The Balmoral is carrying 1,309 passengers, about the same number as were on the Titanic. Among them are relatives of those who lost their lives, relatives of survivors and historians.

The Titanic Memorial Cruise had departed from Southampton, England, on Sunday to follow the doomed ship's route to New York.

The passengers had intended to hold a memorial service at the spot where it sank on the night of April 14-15.

The Balmoral had left the port of Cobh in Ireland late on Monday night and was sailing through heavy weather when Captain Robert Bamberg announced on Tuesday afternoon it would have to turn back to return within helicopter range of Ireland to allow the sick passenger to be evacuated.




Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/britain-titanic-idUSL6E8FA55K20120410

---

Not a good year for a cruise...

[Rhiannon12866]

1. BTW, this is inaccurate. The number of passengers is fewer than those who died in 1912.

[Seedersandleechers]

2. I wonder if they would have done the same

100 years ago. If so it might have had a different ending.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Good point, since it all depended on the timing

But one major factor was that they were traveling faster than was prudent, were trying for a record. Any delay might have caused them to go even faster.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. No, they weren't trying for a record

the Titanic wasn't capable of a top speed that would've beaten the Blue Riband holder, the Mauretania. Titanic had a maximum speed of 21.5 knots, Mauretania had a top speed of 26 knots. The record wasn't possible and the White Star Line would have known it. The reason for making full steam and going at top speed would've been because Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship and there was therefore an incentive to complete the crossing in the shortest time possible for transatlantic mail delivery.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. Thank you, I should have remembered

I first read "A Night to Remember" when I was 10-years-old, would pour over the book. Since the movie 15 years ago, I'm afraid many of the true facts have been muddled.

[Cooley Hurd]

14. I think the record Rhiannon12866 was referring to was one set by RMS Olympic the previous season...

...of which EJ Smith was the master of her at the time. Having the White Star Line driector aboard, as well as the builder, created an incentive for EJS to put the pedal to the metal, so to speak.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. No, but it wouldn't really be a comparable situation

Medical care available to someone with heart problems, even in a top-notch hospital, wouldn't have been significant then. No relevant drugs, no surgical techniques that would have been any good. They also would have had to go all the way to a port, rather than just within helicopter range. I assume the Titanic would have had a ship's doctor - probably very well qualified, in case he had to treat the posh passsengers. He probably would have been able to do about the same as a doctor on land - which wouldn't have been much.

[Myrina]

7. No, there was (at least 1) very ill person on board ...

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=blogs0601&plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a35699dd2-da66-41f6-909b-deddb4a85df5Post%3a55fb24dc-b56d-4091-beb9-4759200a054c&sid=sitelife.greenbaypressgazette.com


"But Daisy had an attack of appendicitis during the trip and had surgery somewhere on the European continent. That forced Great Uncle Will to cut short the trip and book passage on the Titanic ... There’s evidence Daisy was ill before she spent several hours in a lifeboat in the middle of the North Atlantic on that frigid April night."

[dipsydoodle]

5. Sick passenger was a journalist

now lifted by 'copter.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Thanks for the update!

[dipsydoodle]

8. I nearly got it right - was a BBC cameraman

Link here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-17671052

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Thanks so much! Poor guy, this was a pretty cool assignment...

[Cooley Hurd]

9. I heard he ate the fish...

Last edited Wed Apr 11, 2012, 07:02 AM - Edit history (1)

[Rhiannon12866]

13. That was probably the freshest meal on board...

[RedCloud]

15. Compacted trash berg right ahead!