Report into the Loss of the SS Titanic: A Centennial Reappraisal

Samuel Halpern has written many books and articles on Titanic and often used the 1912 wreck report as a source of reference. It occurred to him one day how fascinating it would be if a team of dedicated, passionate and expert authors were to issue a modern-day report, with the knowledge we have today - what would such a report look like? In this book we have the answer. Sam has gathered a team of experts of write the ultimate Titanic reference book, with all the benefits of hindsight. Following the basic layout of the report, this team provides fascinating insights into the ship herself, the American and British inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, protocol and process of rescue, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications around the world. These experts offer the last words on the subject, 100 years on.

About the Author :
SAMUEL HALPERN has written over 25 articles on Titanic and is a member of the Titanic Historical Society and Titanic International Society. He lives in Chicago. CATHY AKERS-JORDAN is a professor at University of Michigan-Flint who has presented at the Titanic Symposium at the Maine Maritime Academy. She lives in Davison, Michigan. GEORGE BEHE is a past vice president of the Titanic Historical Society. He has been interviewed and acted as a consultant for many documentaries and Titanic books, and has written numerous articles for the Titanic Historical Society’s journal The Commutator. He has also been fortunate to have been able to count more than a dozen Titanic survivors among his personal friends. He has written On Board RMS Titanic and Voices from the Carpathia for The History Press. BRUCE BEVERIDGE is one of the foremost visual and technical historians of the Olympic-class ships. His highly sought-after General Arrangement plan of Titanic, released in 2003, is one of the most detailed and accurate plans released to date and has subsequently been used by dive teams investigating the wreck. He has advised on Titanic’s specifications for news media, publishers, scale-model manufacturers, archivists, exhibitors and television production companies across the world. He frequently gives talks and presentations globally and also makes regular appearances in Titanic documentaries. MARK CHIRNSIDE is a well-known maritime author. He has previously written RMS Aquitania: The Ship Beautiful, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic: The Olympic Class Ships, RMS Olympic: Titanic’s Sister, The ‘Big Four’ of the White Star Fleet, and Oceanic: White Star's Ship of the Century for The History Press. TAD FITCH is a member of both the Titanic Historical Society and the Titanic International Aociety, and has appeared in the documentary series Titanic: Stories from the Deep. He has been researching maritime history for over 30 years and has co-authored such books as Report Into the Loss of SS Titanic: A Centennial Reappraisal, Into the Danger Zone: The Lusitania, First Battle of the Atlantic, and Liners During the Great War. His books have twice been nominated for the Mountbatten Award. Alongside J. Kent Layton, he is the author of The Unseen Aquitania (The History Press, 2024) and can be found at wormstedt.com/TadFitch. He lives in Ohio. STEVE HALL is a historian, author, novelist and renowned Titanic researcher. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on her photographic record, having collected, studied and researched the ship for over three decades, and is a recognised authority on the technical aspects of the Olympic-class ships. He is a consultant for media centres, auction houses and museums around the world and is regularly invited to conduct talks with history students. He is a foundation member of the Titanic and Steamship Historical Society of Australia. Lester J. Mitcham is a Titanic scholar. CPT. CHARLES WEEKS is a professor of marine transportation and nautical science at the Maine Maritime Academy. He lives in Maine. BILL WOMRSTEDT is a Titanic scholar. He has written and co-written many articles and books, including The Lifeboat Launching Sequence Re-Examined, Report Into the Loss of SS Titanic and Titanic: Solving the Mysteries. A retired computer programmer, he lives in South Carolina. DAVE GITTINS is a Titanic scholar. He lives in Adelaide, South Australia. J. KENT LAYTON has been passionate about the great Atlantic liners from a young age and has written prolifically about them ever since. He is the author of The Unseen Mauretania (1907), Transatlantic Liners, and Conspiracies at Sea: Titanic and Lusitania. Together with Tad Fitch and Bill Wormstedt, he co-authored the groundbreaking volume On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic (nominated for the 2012 Mountbatten Maritime Award), Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History, and Titanic: Solving the Mysteries. He lives in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York and can be found at atlanticliners.com.