| STRANGERS ON THE HORIZON Titanic and Californian – A Forensic Approach by Samuel Halpern |
| On April 22, 1912, during the third day of the US Senate investigation into the loss of Titanic, it was learned that there had been a steamer in sight of Titanic. This steamer had failed to respond to distress rockets that were being sent aloft from the stricken Titanic as she slowly sank beneath the surface of the Atlantic following a collision with an iceberg. The following day, on April 23, 1912, a story was printed in a small New England newspaper that claimed that a small tramp steamer, the SS Californian, had seen the lights and rockets of Titanic, and had refused to come to her aid. This book takes a new look into what has since been called the Californian affair. It is significantly different from previous treatments of this highly contentious subject in that it does not try to simply interpret or reinterpret every single word that eyewitnesses said in 1912. Instead, it takes a novel approach of applying specific analytical techniques to test the many conflicting and sometimes contradictory statements that were made in 1912 in order to find the reality of what took place. It includes detailed analysis of distances, bearings, headings, speeds, drift rates, ranges of visibility and other quantifiable information that has never before been examined in any great detail. It provides answers to the question of where was Californian relative to Titanic that night, and were they in sight of each other. This book also looks into the role played by several other vessels that were in the area that memorable night, delving into some of the claims made afterward concerning rescue attempts and movements. In addition, the book also explores the moments leading up to, and immediately following, Titanic's collision with an iceberg, piecing together a detailed moment-by-moment picture of the events and actions that took place from the time the fatal iceberg was first spotted, to the time that the iceberg was last seen fading astern into the dark of night. |
| Title page, About the Author, Table of Contents Foreword
Herbert Stone on Californian.
stopped DR position on the night of April 14, 1912.
on the night of April 14, and how the erroneous distress position may have come about.
night of April 14, 1912.
Carpathia.
maximum distances between vessels.
maximum geographic range between lights and an observer, the geometry of an icefield, and from ship sightings at daybreak.
and why it would seemed to disappear to those in the boats before daybreak.
4am onward, and looks at the movements of the SS Carpathia on her race to the rescue.
return to New York.
Californian did not report seeing many floating bodies amongst the wreckage, and answers the question as to why Titanic was not affected by the Gulf Stream before reaching the ice region.
distress position, and the events that took place after she arrived on the scene.
known as the Californian affair.
the Californian affair is likely to continue.
Californian, and the one irrefutable conclusion from that night to remember. Appendix B. Report from Californian’s Second Officer Herbert Stone Appendix C. Report from Californian’s Apprentice James Gibson Appendix D. Capt. Lord’s Letter to the Board of Trade Appendix E. Capt. Lord’s Letter to the Editor of The Reporter Appendix F. 1959 Affidavit of Captain Stanley Lord Appendix G. Socket Distress Signals in 1912 Appendix H. A Short Tutorial on Marine Navigation Appendix I. Distance Between an Observer and a Light at Sea Appendix J. Particulars of Californian and Titanic Appendix K. The Icefields of Albert Moulton Foweraker Appendix L. Captain A. H. Rostron’s Report to the Cunard Shipping Company Appendix M. 12:35am Apparent Time Carpathia Appendix N. IMM Company Rules Regarding Time Kept and Clocks on Board Appendix O. Bells, Clocks, Watch Schedules and Time Alterations Appendix P. Extract from the Memorandum of Robert Ellis Cunliffe Solicitor to the BOT Appendix Q. Transcript of the Almerian Report Written by Capt. Stanley Lord Appendix R. Transcribed Extract From the Handwritten Wireless Log of the SS Birma Appendix S. Affidavit of Californian’s Second Donkeyman Ernest Gill Appendix T. The Icefields and Charts of Captain John Joseph Knapp Appendix U. Excerpts From the Speech of Senator William Alden Smith Appendix V. Lord Mersey’s “The Circumstances in Connection with the SS Californian” Acknowledgement Index |
| OUTLINE Click on any of the hyperlinked sections below to get a sneak peak inside the book. |
| Size: 7"X10" Pages: 556 |
| Errata As with all new publications, that will always be errors that have escaped the most careful of proofing attempts. Click HERE to open a file that contains an up-to-date list of errata related to the 2019 printing of the book. Many thanks to Eugene Nesmeyanov, Julian Atkins and Georges G. for finding these. |