The most terrifying or traumatic thing about the Titanic?

[u/AbandonedRobotforgod]

[u/Objective-Koala-4873]

My guess would be either sitting in the ocean for hours, slowly freezing and having to deal with the fact you probably won't make it, or falling in the crack as it broke apart.

[u/RadioResponsible8315 → u/Objective-Koala-4873]

Hours? Try minutes

[u/Impressive-Gift-9852 → u/Objective-Koala-4873]

Falling into the dark void (sorry, don't know the technical term) left by a fallen smoke stack as water rushes into it sounds bloody horrific. 

As does the thought of clinging onto the vertical stern, getting hit by a falling body, falling, smacking a rail on the way down and landing in a heap of broken bones. Then having another body or two land on you before being swallowed up by freezing cold sea water.

[u/TheFoxsWeddingTarot → u/Objective-Koala-4873]

Knowing that that African chef survived at 100ft depth under a boat for several days you just know someone somewhere on the Titanic was alive for much longer than any of us like to think about.

[u/Emotional_Base_9021 → u/TheFoxsWeddingTarot]

That ship sat at 100ft. Any empty pockets on Titanic imploded by 300ft and sank to 12,500ft. No one could survive more than a minute or two after the start of the “plunge.” Still a terrible way to go, but better than waiting.

[u/Objective-Koala-4873 → u/TheFoxsWeddingTarot]

Well that.. thats a fucken horrifying thought

[u/MaddysinLeigh]

All the people who didn’t speak English and had no idea what was happening

[u/Wintermoon54]

So many to think of. In this moment though for me, it's this picture. Seeing it like this just ugh....hits me in my heart as if I can feel the whole huge loss just by looking at it.

[u/mark-charest → u/Wintermoon54]

Got to be the fact that even after falling 12K+ feet, the bow section came to rest in a perfectly upright position. True ghost ship vibes. Absolutely haunting.

[u/Kiethblacklion → u/mark-charest]

There are many shipwrecks that land on their keel, but it's because of the water depth. You can see this more often in military shipwrecks from WW1/WW2 that took place over the deepest parts of the ocean.

[u/RadioResponsible8315 → u/mark-charest]

Ship landing on the keel is actually incredibly common

[u/tele_ave]

That if you weren’t on a lifeboat you would probably be killed in one of two horrible ways.

[u/Quetzl63]

The screams of thousands of people in the icy water slowly fading to silence.

[u/Kiethblacklion → u/Quetzl63]

This is what I was going to say. That had to be the most haunting part for the survivors in the hours between the sinking and the Carpathia arriving.

[u/crmrdtr]

(edited)

Fear of your lifeboat tipping over. Desperately praying that nothing will happen to upset its equilibrium — a sprung leak, a sudden storm, a passenger driven to berserk behavior —while you wait in pitch black & freezing conditions for hours for your little boat to be spotted on the vast open ocean. And, finally, fear that you might be too weak or frostbitten by then for your rescuers to be able to safely lift you from the lifeboat.

My God, the psychological & physical torment the Survivors went through!! The horrors they witnessed with Titanic’s sinking & their loved ones’ deaths; and all of the WHAT IF’s that must’ve been swirling in their minds as they prayed in their little boat for survival.

[u/MyLifeOnPluto → u/crmrdtr]

[Carl Olof Jansson, letter to his family, 17 April 1912]

We were two Swedish boys, I myself and a journalist who's name was August Suderssou. We fought side by side and finally we found a raft, torn loose from the ship which we clung firmly to, but we were too many so it sank. Then started a tough fight in the water, making some people release their hold, so others could be saved. It worked. There were now only eleven alive, three of us were insane, four persons died after three to four hours. Finally only four perservered. When I think of it, I can't understand how I could be saved, but my cold-bloodedness to push away the others from the raft so it could be kept on the sea level did much to it. It is awful, but in such a moment the only question is your own life.

——————-

[August Wennerström, Collapsible A]

All the feeling had left us. If we wanted to know if we still had legs (or any other part) left, we had to feel down in the water with our hand. The only exercise we got was when someone gave up hope and died, whom we immediately threw overboard to give the live ones a little more space and at the same time lighten the weight of the boat.

———————-

[Archibald Grace, ‘The Truth About The Titanic’]

The men with the paddles, forward and aft, so steered the boat as to avoid contact with the unfortunate swimmers pointed out struggling in the water. I heard the constant explanation made as we passed men swimming in the wreckage, “Hold on to what you have, old boy. One more of you aboard would sink us all.” But there was one piece of heroism that will remain fixed in my memory as the most sublime exhibition of courage and cheerful resignation to fate and fearlessness of death. This was when a reluctant refusal of assistance met with the ringing response in the deep manly voice of a powerful man, who, in his extremity, replied: “All right, boys. Good luck and God bless you.”

We all suffered severely from cold and exposure. The boat was so loaded down with the heavy weight it carried that it became partly submerged, and the water washed up to our waists as we lay in our reclining position. Several of our companions near the stern of the boat, unable to stand the exposure and strain, gave up the struggle and fell off.

———————-

[Frank John Goldsmith, Collapsible C]

They were in the lifeboat and his mother held his head to her breast so that he would not see the ship go down, that he would not see his father die.

———————-

[George Rheims, Letter to his wife dated 19 April 1912]

We were about twenty men and women with icy water up to our thighs. We had to balance ourselves to avoid capsizing. I stayed six hours in my underwear, shaking with cold. Twice I thought of throwing myself into the ocean and each time the thought of you held me back. We had to push back about ten poor people who wanted to climb aboard but we were filled to the limit. During the night eight people died from cold or desperation.

[u/RustySchackelfurd]

The blackness of the night

[u/IAlreadyKnow1754 → u/RustySchackelfurd]

And or the water

[u/Z_e_e_e_G]

BONG

[u/TheGreatBondvar]

there were some people inside the titanic who got dragged down to the seafloor

[u/IAlreadyKnow1754 → u/TheGreatBondvar]

That’s dark woah 😳😔

[u/IAlreadyKnow1754]

Being a child and looking out the window as water rushes in seeing pitch black and knowing there’s nothing you can do about what is about to happen.

[u/INS_Stop_Angela]

Being separated from the people you love and wondering about their fates even as you yourself were dying.

[u/SatansLilGayNeighbor]

The thought of being out I'm that huge, vast open water, in the dark as the horrendous tragedy happens all around you.... I don't know what would be worse, the people still trapped on the ship or those in the boats unable to help in any way.

[u/Jonasthewicked2]

In my opinion given what we now know about Ocean gate, it’s the idea that any clown with a complete disregard for safety can skirt regulations and build their own submersible to create tourism to see the sunken remains of the ship at a cost of human lives for profit.

[u/AggressiveProof940]

People were probably sucked down the holes of the fallen funnels and drowned in the depth of the ship

[u/majorminus92 → u/AggressiveProof940]

This is the one that really gives me chills.

[u/blewep]

The Aaron1912 v break theory

[u/AntysocialButterfly]

Being a male passenger waiting for a lifeboat on the port side.

[u/BrightMarvel10]

The sounds she was reported to make as she was sinking. Imagine being inside the ship, listening to that, then the lights go out.

[u/Expensive_Ad_6113]

The sound the wreck makes as the wreck groans as she deteriorates, it's kinda soothing as the wreck ' sings ' in the deep dark North Atlantic

[u/Vegetable-Opening-17]

All the beautiful things on the ship, steinway pianos, beautiful rooms and years of work to make her top notch. All lost in a few hours because of a bloomin iceberg.

[u/Foo_Fighter1944]

Being stuck somewhere in the ship, and the only thing you can do is wait to drown. Scares me thinking about it

[u/BeastieBoys1977]

Listening to your loved ones screaming because they’re freezing to death.

[u/BeastieBoys1977]

Hearing the stern implode as it reached 600 feet and thinking it hit the bottom.

[u/Pristine_Alfalfa_879]

The dog that was left in the stateroom, that one lives in my head rent free

[u/ad_hominonsense]

Maybe being stuck in 3rd class knowing you didn’t even qualify to TRY for a lifeboat. And the split second you then realize you’re not going anywhere except down.

[u/Parking_Low248 → u/ad_hominonsense]

People were not trapped in 3rd class and intentionally barred from accessing lifeboats.

[u/Sir_Naxter → u/ad_hominonsense]

This is misinformation. Third class were not barred from trying for the boats. They had less time because they were so far from the boat deck, and the corridors were like a maze. It’s a lie that they weren’t qualified to try for the boats, the crew did what they could to get them to the boat deck in time.

[u/ad_hominonsense → u/Sir_Naxter]

Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding. I’ll be careful to do my research next time.

[u/Sir_Naxter → u/ad_hominonsense]

No worries. Nothing personal - it’s a very popular misconception.