It's true that aboard RMS Titanic there were acts of heroism and of cowadice. Isador Straus refused a place in a life boat and gave her spot to the couple's maid. She returned to her husbands side and said they had had their lives and they would die together. After accepting his fate Benjamin Guggenheim and his valet changed into full evening dress as an expression of their dignity. "we will go down like gentleman", said Guggenheim. 

Eight musicians led by Wallace Hartley, chivalrously continued to play as the ship sank. Their final song was appropriately entitled,“Nearer My God To Thee”. In fact one of the first artifacts to be salvaged from the shipwreck was a clarinet belonging to a band member.

The Titanic’s largest loss of life came from third-class passengers. Just 14% of the men survived, with 47% of the woman surviving. As compared to first-class which had a 94% survival rate for woman and 31% for the men.

Artifacts recovered form the wreck site.

The salvage operation of the Titanic has also been broadly publicized and has become controversial in recent times. Because of Titanic’s location, a salvage operation wasn’t possible until the 1970’s. The first salvage effort was fueled by claims from entrepreneurs such as Douglas Woolly, who believed the ship had a cargo of 100 million dollars in gold and silver. There was also a rumor that a storage room contained diamonds worth millions. Although the ship was carrying a large cargo, valued at 100,000 pounds, it was mostly everyday items such as soap, golf balls and wine. Furthermore, much of the ships cargo was perishable goods. However, the Titanic was the most expensive ship ever produced by the White Star Line and no expense was spared. For example, the chanderliers for the grand staircase were supplied by Perry & Co. of Bond Street and all the first class crockery came from Royal Crown Derby.

The ship’s passengers included twelve multimillionaires. Among them Col. John Jacob Astor, member of the prominent Astor family, one of Americas richest families. Col. Astor’s body was recovered with a pocket watch worth $2,000. Many wealthy passengers filed insurance claims. Mr. Charlotte Cardeza claims to have lost $104,752 worth in jewelry. This includeds a Tiffany ruby ring and bracelet. William Carter lost his new Renault and Hakan Bjornsrom lost a valuable art collection.

The cost of a first-class suite on Titanic was $4,350 one way.

It wasn’t until 1985 that the salvage team of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in partnership with Institut Francais de Recherches pour l’Exploration des Mers ( IFREMER), led by Bob Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic. The shipwreck had broken in two sections but eye witnesses reported that the ship was in remarkably good condition. Bob Ballard observed that the wreck was undisturbed. He wrote; “it is quit and peaceful, and a fitting place for the remains of sea tragedies to rest”

Bob Ballard attempted to keep the location of the wreck a secret, but IFREMER contracted two other salvage companies, Marex Titanic and Titanic Ventures. The site surrounding the wreck was excavated and over 300 artifacts removed. The two salvage companies and a third, RMS Titanic Ltd., became involved in litigation over ownership of the wreck. Governments were powerless to claim possession of the wreck because it lays in international waters.Ballard could have prevented any battles over ownership by first claiming the shipwreck, but he chose not to. The artifacts recovered by RMS Titanic Ltd. were first exhibited at the National Maritine Museum in London. The collection is now regularly exhibited around the world.

All images from commons.wikimedia and flickr.com

Lesser known facts about RMS Titanic (part 1)