No tragedy at sea was as horrible as that of the Titanic.
Well, they all seem pretty horrible. In terms of loss of life, there were deadlier shipwrecks in history.
Traveling across the sea has always been a dicey and risky venture, and back in Columbus' time, most people were afraid to sail the "Ocean Sea" (before they found out there was more than one ocean).
A lot of people thought Columbus' voyage would end in disaster, and even after he successfully crossed the Atlantic and returned, it was still thought of as highly risky and dangerous. But over time, they were able to build better, more sturdy ships, since they gained experience in understanding the kinds of weather and other conditions they'd have to face.
So, it started to seem relatively safer to travel across the seas, and since there was an economic motivation, it became more common. I can only imagine how it must have been on the Mayflower or other such ships that made their way across the Atlantic. Scary and uncertain.
By the time of the Titanic, shipbuilding had greatly improved, and the oceans were pretty well explored and mapped. It was much safer and more comfortable than in previous centuries - even for those in steerage.
But I think it also may have created an illusion of invulnerability that's attributable to the arrogance of humans.
That may be what was different about Titanic. Not that it sank, but that it wasn't supposed to sink.
And by the way, I have seen people claiming the absurdest things for years. Saying that the steel was not good quality, or that there was already a hole in the hull...or something like that.
Researchers and historians have found that the Titanic was the most perfect work of engineering at that time.
Something that would have lasted for decades.
You can't have such a perfect ship and be so thriftless. Sailing by night? Come on...at least at very slow speed.
But no...very fast. If the ship had been slow, they would have had all the time to change route.
No...they had to arrive after few days in NYC... and they couldn't care less. They were the "slaves", down the steerage digging coal 24/7.
Even the most perfect work of engineering gets destroyed if one is reckless and unwise.
It's been proven time and again that it's much easier to destroy than create.
But yeah, I've read the various theories and conjecture about what might have happened. Ships do sink, for any number of possible reasons, but the thing that strikes me about it is that they did not adequately prepare for that possibility - probably due to the same the illusion of invulnerability.
Another heartbreaking aspect was that the Californian was nearby and could have gotten there in time to save even more lives, but their radio operator went to bed for the night and they didn't get the message. The Carpathia got there as fast as they could, but the Californian was much closer.
One thing that came out of it was that they made changes in how ships operate, particularly in having enough lifeboats for everyone on board. I think they also standardized radio communication procedures, as radio was still a relatively new technology. There were definitely some lessons learned from the tragedy.