Titanic – The Ship That Never Sank?

By Robin Gardiner
Review by Jon Jones

In 1912 the unthinkable happened – the unsinkable Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg. Or did it? It seems that for every major historical event there is a least one alternative story and much public speculation.

This intriguing account of the Titanic’s demise seems more than just opinion though. Gardiner reveals fresh evidence supporting the controversial theory that it was the Titanic’s fatally wounded sister ship Olympic that went down in her place – an insurance scam perpetrated by White Star lines, with the possible collusion of the British Government in the cover-up. I found it rather convincing. There are countless examples of where the original story doesn’t seem to hold water, including contradictory passenger and crew accounts; a lifeboat from an unknown ship; the strange behaviour of the Master of the nearby Californian; a secret boiler-room fire and, most importantly, the damage being inconsistent with that of the famous berg.

Titanic – The Ship That Never Sank? is beautifully written, albeit heavily detailed in places. I initially skimmed the slavishly finer points about deck arrangements and the timings of wireless messages and distress flares until I realised their significance and reread the whole book. Whether you like conspiracy theories or not, this is a fascinating read. I’ll leave you to decide whether it’s fantasy or not.

Paperback book
Published by Ian Allan Publishing
ISBN 9780711034860
Price: £8.99