Curiosity: What Sank Titanic? is an episode on Discovery Channel about any alternative theories that could have sunk the RMS Titanic. It first aired in 2011. It was revamped for Channel 5 as Inside The Titanic.
Plot[]
We think we know the full story of what happened aboard the Titanic, which sank almost 100 years ago. But how much do we actually know about what went wrong? In the aftermath of the disaster, a full trial was conducted producing a unique first-person account from those who survived. This special takes those highly emotive testimonies and, for the first time, uses them to forensically piece together the true tale of the Titanic.
Characters[]
- Bill Paxton (narrator)
- Frederick Barrett (main character, fireman)
- Elizabeth Dowdell (main character, third class passenger)
- Edward John Smith (Captain)
- Joseph Bruce Ismay (ship's owner, first class passenger)
- Quigg Edmond Baxter (first class passenger)
- Jack Thayer (first class passenger)
- Milton Long (first class passenger)
- Berthe Antonine Mayné (first class passenger)
- Mary Hélène Douglas (first class passenger)
- Hélène Baxter (first class passenger)
- Frank Goree (Greaser)
- Joseph Bell (Chief Engineer)
- Harold Sydney Bride (minor character, wireless operator)
- John George Phillips (minor character, wireless operator)
- Reginald Lee (lookout)
- Frederick Fleet (lookout)
- William McMaster Murdoch (first officer, minor character)
- Robert Hichens (quartermaster, minor character)
- Joseph Groves Boxhall (fourth officer, minor character)
- James Paul Moody (sixth officer, minor character)
- Amy Zillah Elsie Stanley (third class passenger)
- Virginia Ethel Emanuel (third class passenger)
- Thomas Andrews (ship's designer, first class passenger, minor character)
- Taffy (Engineer???)
Historical accuracy[]
The episode received very mixed reviews, varying between "best Titanic documentary ever" to "this is total trash!". Overall, the episode has zero historical accuracy and does not deserve to be called a documentary.
One of the main inaccuracies is all the watertight doors being left open. The captain tells Murdoch "She needs to be level if we want to be able to launch those lifeboats".