Written by Benjamin Peck Keith, the poem “The Wreck of Titanic” talks about the bravery of the captain and the crew of the ill-fated ship.
Q. “Hard a starboard-full speed astern.” What was the intention behind the order? or What was First Officer Murdock’s immediate reaction just after he had seen the huge mountain of iceberg?
Ans: First officer Murdock gave the tiller the order for an abrupt turn to port left in the vain hope that he could swing the ship’s bow clear and then her stern. But it did not happen so; the Titanic received a death blow.
Q. Write how the law of the sea was enforced on the Titanic?
Ans: According to the law of the sea, women and children should be saved first. When the Titanic started sinking, this rule was strictly adhered to by the Captain. No man was allowed to board the life-boats.
Q. Why was the Titanic the envy and admiration of the maritime nations of the world?
Ans: The Titanic was a masterpiece in speed, in comfort, in beauty and in equipment. Everything about her was big and fascinating beyond comparison. The Titanic was the safest and biggest vessel ever built by men of that time. So, the Titanic was the envy and admiration of the maritime nations of the world.
Q. Why were the bandsmen described as heroes?
Ans: The bandsmen exhibited faith and fortitude by playing music. Earlier they played ragtime music to entertain the passengers. Later, when the end was near, they changed the music into hymn tunes to comfort the passengers. Their heroic courage was really magnificent.
Q. What caused the Titanic to sink?
Ans. The primary factor involved is the ship’s collision with a massive iceberg. The Titanic had been built with sixteen watertight compartments that were believed to be ‘unsinkable’. When the ship struck the iceberg, six of those compartments were damaged and the ship began to take on water very rapidly. Thus, the Titanic sank in the deep icy cold water.
Q. What was the shock that reverberated throughout the whole world?
Ans: The ship which was believed to be unsinkable had its doom on the Atlantic Ocean on 15th April, 1912 after it hit a huge ice-berg. Many lives perished in the icy cold water. This is the shock that reverberated throughout the world.
Q. Why is the Titanic called a Leviathan?
Ans: Leviathan means a huge beast or a sea monster. As the Titanic was unusually large and powerful when compared to any other vessels of its time, it was entitled as a Leviathan.
Titanic Facts for Kids
- Titanic, a luxury passenger liner, was built between 1909 and 1911.
- The Titanic is also often referred to as ‘RMS Titanic’, where the RMS stands for Royal Mail Ship.
- The Ship left Southampton on April 10, 1912 and stopped at destinations in France and Ireland before heading towards New York.
- Some of the world’s richest people were on board the ship on the fateful day. The ship also included passengers looking to start a new life in North America.
- The Titanic engines were powered by pressurized steam from burning coal.
- The Titanic carried over 2200 people but only had life boats for around 1200 of them.
- While the designers had prepared a ship that could withstand almost any impact, they didn’t consider what would happen to the ship if an iceberg hit the side of the ship, which is exactly what happened on the fateful day.
- The Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. Over 1500 people died because of the sinking.
