On 100th year anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, still questions about what really happened

By Daniella Cherner, News Editor

RMS TITANIC, APRIL 15, 1912 — Imagine this: You are a passenger on the Titanic. You awaken to hear the sound of rushing water. You get out of bed and walk out of your cabin. You find that gradually water is spilling into the hallway from somewhere. You were told the Titanic is unsinkable, but now you’re not so sure. You rouse your family, and you wade through the ankle-high water.

You hear screams of “I can’t swim,” children crying, and many people shouting, “The ship! It’s been hit by an iceberg!” You don’t know what to do except get your family out of there. You finally make it to the lifeboats and take the last seats with your family. You wonder if the people left behind will live.

That’s probably what it was like for some on that terrible night 100 years ago.

For decades, everyone thought the Titanic was gone forever, that no one would ever find out about its terrible end. But in 1985, Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel discovered the wreck, and since then they have been taking pictures and exploring the remains of the great ship with a manned submersible. They’ve also gotten information about the Titanic from its nearly identical sister ship, the Olympic.

Tomorrow, April 15, 2012, on the 100th year anniversary of the sinking, a special on the Titanic based on Ballard and Michel’s work will premiere at 8 pm on the History Channel, and will be re-broadcast on April 17 at 4 pm. The show promises to be fascinating, with never-before-seen composite images of the Titanic and greater insight and exploration into the ship’s remains.

This story also appears on the Colonial Times website.