September 28, 1912
9:15 a.m.
Belfast, Ireland
Harland and Wolff
If anyone had told me in April that Harland and Wolff would be as busy as we were six months ago, I would never have believed them. But we are, thanks to Britannic and Olympic. Harland and Wolff was fortunately spared by the inquiries. We were cleared of any direct responsibility for the disaster. The Titanic was found to have inherent flaws, but the actions of the Titanic’s officers were judged to have a more direct impact on the events of that night. Captain Smith was found to have been responsible for the speed at which the Titanic was traveling, which was deemed excessive, given the icy conditions of the night. However, both committees determined that his actions that night prevented the incident from becoming a tragic disaster. Any loss of life is tragic, and that night we lost nearly a hundred lives. But we all know it could’ve been much worse.
The same design flaws in the Titanic were also inherent in the Olympic, so she currently sits in dry dock beside her sister Britannic while we make the upgrades necessary to make her safer for sea travel. In the mean time, I’m settling into life here in Belfast and at the Firm. As unsettling as I find it at times, I find myself thinking about my old life less and less. With each day that passes, the chances of me returning to that old life grows smaller and smaller. There was a time when that fact would have scared the living daylights out of me. But now, the prospect of spending the rest of my life here isn’t nearly so daunting. It’s actually quite pleasant to think about.
Engage Studio 