10 Unusual Facts You Didn't Know About The Titanic

2. There Was A Ship Stationed Within Sight Of The Titanic That Did Not Respond To Her Distress Calls

At the inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic, surviving crew members testified that they had sighted the lights of another ship about six miles from where Titanic was in distress. The ship would later be identified as the SS Californian, which had stopped for the night due to the dangers of icebergs in the vicinity.

Fatally, the Californian had also turned off its wireless radio, and its captain had gone to bed. The crew of the Californian admitted to seeing the lights of a ship in the distance but stated that they did not realise that she was in distress until they turned their radio back on the following morning only to learn of Titanic€™'s sinking.

During the sinking, the Titanic fired rockets in a desperate bid to attract the other ship's attention. The standard distress signal of 1912 was to fire rockets at one minute intervals. However, in the panic of the moment, Titanic was firing its rockets erratically and at irregular intervals which led the Californian to conclude the ship they could see in the distance had just stopped for the night to have a party. By 2.30, the Californian€™'s crew noted that the lights of the other ship had disappeared and assumed that it had continued on its way. Had the Californian responded to the Titanic€™'s distress signals, it could have reached the stricken ship in time to have saved a considerable amount, if not all, of the lives lost that night.