The Titanic - "Everything Was Against Us"

Book excerpt: Plagued by disinformation, personal politics and poor research, the Titanic story has existed in a miasma of romance and chivalry for a century now. Going back to the official enquiry transcripts and letters and interviews from survivors, a different picture emerges, and controversies about the sinking can be addressed. Were the 3rd class held below decks while the nobility escaped? Did the captain or 1st officer shoot themselves? Why did the ship leave port with room in the boats for only half of those on board, and why were 400 seats in the boats wasted? Was the Titanic trying for a speed record? With the aid of a hundred years of research, an enlightening new account of the liner's final hours emerges.