I due Titanic: L'enigma di un disastro voluto e di una truffa colossale. Il vero Titanic non è mai partito

by Robin Gardiner, Dan van der Vat, Stefania Manetti (Translator)

Perché il Capitano Smith ignorò l'allarme lanciato dall'equipaggio e accelerò la corsa della nave contro il ghiaccio? Perché le indagini anglo-americane vennero ritardate e tutti i relativi documenti distrutti? Perché la compagnia proprietaria del Titanic non mandò sul luogo del disastro una nave di soccorso che era nelle vicinanze? Questi e molti altri interrogativi sono affrontati in questo libro che ricostruisce tutta la storia, i misteri che circondano l'affondamento del Titanic.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Conspiracy Theories, Historical, Mystery

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Anika · Rating 3 out of 5]

The German title of this book ("The Titanic Conspiracy") is very much misleading. If you're shying away from this because you think it's just another book full of weird/paranoid conspiracy theories: don't; because it isn't. Sure, the authors do present a possible theory (that it wasn't the Titanic that sank but actually her already "injured" sister ship Olympic - and what supposed to be a big insurance fraud sadly turned into a tragedy). But the authors present this theory only very briefly, once in a chapter and, a tad more detailed, in the epilogue (and they really only present it, they don't force it upon anyone; actually, only one of them thinks this theory might be possible, while the other is strongly against it).

So what do you get instead here? You get a very entertaining and interesting collection of facts. This book is divided into three parts: pre tragedy (the history of the White Star Line and its "Olympic Class", the building of the sister ships, the backgrounds of Capt. Smith, Ismael, Andrews, other officers, certain passengers and other important "characters"), during tragedy (what, when, why happened) and post tragedy (the birth of "Yellow Press", the American and British Commessions investigating, the "trials" and what else happened). All kind of witness accounts are presented. It's a really interesting read and not boring at all, rather the contrary.

[Foolscap Folio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Titanic nerd, although, for such an isolated disaster with relatively few survivors, it's impossible to get the story straight in my head and it still seems contentious even now.

I don't buy into the Titanic/Olympic swap for a number of reasons, not worth going into during a review of this book, but either way I don't enjoy Robin Gardiner's style. Putting '[sic]' after everything you deem to be wrong in someone's verbatim testimony is a sure fire way to grate on my history student's sensibilities.

If one survivor says 'several' people were pulled out of the water, while five other survivors say 'one' was pulled out of the water, unless you were there, you don't get to put [sic] afterwards! You tell me, the reader, after closing the quote, why you think 'several' was wrong, and back it up.

So, this gets 3 out of 5 stars - excellent narrative in terms of chronology, background and inquiry summaries. Two stars off for the overwhelming number of sanctimonious little [sic]s, and some unbelievably biased/leading questions. For example, when trying to convince the reader that First Officer Wilde was apprehensive about his voyage on the Titanic - not because he possibly got that all-too-human feeling of foreboding that you just can't quantify, but because he knew it was the Olympic that IMM/White Star had arranged to have sunk for baffling 'insurance purposes' - Gardiner ends the passage with 'Could he have seen or heard something that escaped the attention of others (with the possible exception of John Coffey). Or was this experienced, imposing man in his prime a superstitious wimp?'

Oh, gosh Mr Gardiner, I wonder what you want me to think? Not cool.

[Lea Berryreadinbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extra star for original ideas. This book chronicles all the odd happenings surrounding the making, maiden voyage, and tragedy of the Titanic. It’s pretty dense to read, with lots of details that did not seem necessary. However, this is the book that Robin Gardiner posed some very interesting questions. “Why did Captain Smith accelerate into the icefield of which he had been warned many times? Why were White Star employees bribed as witnesses in the American and British trials? Was the titanic replaced at the last minute by her sister ship, the already damaged Olympic, in a plot to recover the huge losses she ran up?

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a comprehensive set of allegations and "mysteries" that aren't answered by the various inquiries into the sinking of the ship, which were essentially white-washings of the event designed to blame nobodies and to leave the responsible parties relatively unscathed. Gardiner and Van Der Vat would become famous for the other book they published in 1996, in which Gardiner argues (and Van Der Vat disagrees, apparently) that it wasn't the Titanic that sunk, but the Olympic. This book doesn't make that claim, but it does allude to it at the end.

A few comments:

* My favorite of the mysteries is the newspaper that published a schedule that put the Titanic in port on Tuesday evening. The authors suggest that somebody at White Star screwed up and published the secret speedy schedule early, indicating that Smith's excessive speed was part of a plan.
* They really criticize J. Bruce Ismay's claim that he was "just a regular passenger." Their two pieces of evidence: one, he carried around one of the ice warnings all day; two, he didn't pay for his berth.
* They also spend a lot of time detailing the various testimonies about how many people went on each life boat. The inquiries found wildly different numbers for "people saved." The authors make a lot of hay out of the overturned lifeboat that one of the other ships discovered much later, right near a bunch of bodies. This despite the fact that the other ships claimed to account for all the lifeboats. Of course, they didn't bring all the lifeboats aboard, so the overturned one found later could have been one of the ones left in the water.
* The book also puts a lot of focus on the missing binoculars, which were an essential part of the lookout's arsenal. They raise a point that I hadn't thought of before -- in the 30-degree weather, the binoculars would have provided relief from the constant wind of the ship moving 22 knots through the water.
* The best bits of evidence in the book are the excessive detail used to document the numerous ships spotted by passengers and crew in the two and a half hours between the collision and the sinking. These ships will be essential to the intentional-sinking theory, but as it is they're just interesting.

This book isn't all that satisfying because it doesn't collect the evidence into a coherent picture -- something the other Gardiner books apparently do. I'm looking forward to reading those.

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally, I would advise that if you are seriously interested in the Titanic or in finding out the facts about what happened, don't bother with this book! Mainly this is a collection of conjecture and re-hashed information. Not for the serious fans.
I was glad I was borrowing a copy rather than having paid good money for it. Nice work mr Gardiner, a good way to make some new money out of an old story. The 'conspiracy theory' is paper thin - utter tosh!

There are many better volumes about the Titanic out there.

[L J H · Rating 1 out of 5]

I very rarely 'give up' on a book.. but this book has taken me almost 2 years to get half way.

Update..at page 215..I have given up.

If you are a titanic aficionado this is the book for you.
But as a casual interest person this book is not only full of essential facts and figures of construction and the parent company White Star Line ..a virtual full story of how this company functioned and came into being.

This book does touch on the very basic human story (I'm not a particular reveller in human misery or interest to be honest) and attempts to show facts from the formal enquiries with testimony from additional witnesses etc.

I found the writing disjointed and incredibly difficult to follow at times as I had a struggle to keep up with anyone other than the "main players" yet every crew member seems to have their own story.

The lifeboat launching part (despite being an integral and I imagine very very interesting section) seemed to just about bring monotony to the occasion and was a real slog to get through.

I will really attempt to get this book finished (at present the survivors have just been picked up by Carpathia) but yet again it is the constant name dropping of various crew members from several boats that are in some even tiny way involved (like being a marconi operator of a ship that didnt get a signal because he switched his radio off until morning) is confusing to someone such as myself who isnt fully up to speed with the intricacies of the desperately sad story.

It is a detailed book..and feels a little "self indulgent" and a bit ostentatious to show just how learned the writers are about the "riddle" of the titanic. Which as such in 2020..is no longer such a riddle.. most are aware of the bunker fire, excessive speed, financial difficulty of the company, the Olympic repairs..and the utter 'legal' tragedy of only having enough lifeboats for 50%of the persons on board.

Nothing is 'answered' nothing is 'resolved'.. I have read much more informative literature about this tragic disaster.

[Giulia Marino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A questo libro do tre stelline perché non è ciò che finge di essere. Il titolo fa l'occhiolino ai complottisti e si riferisce alla teoria secondo cui le navi gemelle Titanic e Olympic sarebbero state scambiate per compiere una truffa ai danni dell'assicurazione, però poi, nei fatti, non approfondisce la questione. Il testo è solo un'analisi di ciò che accadde la notte del 15 aprile 1912 e dopo, comprese le inchieste (statunitense e britannica) che seguirono. Soltanto nell'ultimo capitolo gli autori ritornano sul tema dell'ipotetico inganno, ma il 90% del libro affronta argomenti che un esperto del Titanic - in teoria - dovrebbe già conoscere. E', insomma, un'ottima analisi della vicenda (questo sì) e lo consiglio a chi desideri approfondire le sue dinamiche, ma è perfetto anche per chi si avvicina al mondo del Titanic per la prima volta. L'importante, per godervelo, è che teniate a mente che la copertina è una cosa e il contenuto tutt'altro.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer per i lettori italiani: il titolo tradotto è assolutamente fuorviante, non c'è nessun complottismo assurdo, nulla del genere.

Alla fine parliamo di un buon saggio sulla tragedia del Titanic, tecnicamente ineccepibile e ottimamente ricercato, una vera perla per gli appassionati di questo spaccato di storia. Davvero consigliato.

[Elena Botti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gli autori espongono i fatti così come ricostruiti dalle due inchieste ufficiali, tra i molti dubbi e le poche certezze, non prendendo posizione sulla tesi di fondo: lo scambio delle due navi gemelle.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives a fairly thorough history of the White Star Line but any real talk about conspiracy is found only in a handful of pages in the epilogue.

[Randy Wurm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information but was a slower read to me because it can be as dry as a schoolbook assignment. The photos were nice.

[Tessie Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Další teorie ze strany Gardinera a Vata. Rozhodně zajímavá kniha, která stojí za přečtení, hlavně pro fanoušky Titanicu.

[Jo-jean Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of the Titanic and the mysteries that still surround its demise. I thoroughly appreciated the review of all the available and relevant resources.

[Dany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensione! https://lamenteaffilata.blogspot.com/...

[Rachael Hewison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book when doing a search on Goodreads for Titanic works. The blurb seemed very intriguing; could the ship that sank that night actually be the Titanic’s sister ship; the Olympic, in an insurance scam gone wrong? I wanted to explore what possible evidence or facts the authors could have to justify this interpretation and see whether it is indeed a possibility.
Unfortunately however this theory seems to have been a clever ploy to interest the reader, as there was not much relating to this, indeed it was only briefly discussed throughout the book and with one small section in the epilogue, it seems to have been largely passed over. It felt a lot more like guesswork than anything conclusive.
Nevertheless they did put forward various other interesting points, such as claiming that certain crew members were bribed into being favourable towards the White Star Line and exploring the secret powerful leaders behind the company. Gardiner and Van Der Vat go into tremendous detail about the history of the White Star Line prior to the Titanic and how the favoured Captain Smith, did not have a blemish free sailing record. They covered in great detail the American and British Courts of Inquiry and the results that were determined there.
My main issue with the book however was the way it was written. The chapter divisions were fine, but the content itself just was a bit jumbled. New sections would start that did not link into the previous section, and yet the former would be picked up again later as if it had never been cast aside. By far the most irritating habit the authors formed was incessantly saying, “We shall explain later” or “it shall become clear.” They repeatedly mentioned points but then kept saying that they would come back to them. I would much have preferred it if they had either left the point out until later or just explained the point there and then. It left me confused as to whether they had come back to all their points.
Overall it was an interesting book, with some thoughtful new areas examined but lacked the coherence of a truly historical book and the imagination of something fiction leaving it trapped in the no mans land between.

[Rod Doty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the fascinating RMS Titanic story since I was 10 years old and have probably read every book related to the subject so when I received this book as a gift I was intrigued right away.

The idea that Titanic had been switched with her sister Olympic for the purpose of cashing in on collision damage that occurred to Olympic with a Royal Navy Vessel and subsequently after inquiry not covered was so far out there in the realms of the monster conspiracy that I simply had to read this book.

It certainly is well researched, I learned more about the dynamics of the Passenger Liner business and the intense competitiveness to arrive at destination faster with more goods and just as importantly in that time, with more Passengers including hundreds of thousands of Immigrants to the new World was immensely valuable to me.
Amazing evidence is presented in this book but nothing that is beyond the possible.. is it RMS Olympic sitting on the bottom of the North Atlantic or is it really Titanic.. The reader must draw their own conclusions and only after hours and hours of research on their own as I have had.
Well worth the time for anyone interested in this event or even those who love a good mystery.

[Trey Kiernan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book especially after reading the title and the inside cover. The book was basically a regurgitation of known facts. The only time any conspiracy is discussed is in the epilogue at the end of the book. I am probably spoiled by the fact that I had previously read a book by John Hamer that discusses the conspiracy of the Titanic, and the entire book is about the conspiracy. Even in the epilogue of this book the authors seem to debunk the conspiracy theory. This book was originally published in 1995, and apparently Mr. Gardner has written two other books since that purport to support the conspiracy theory. I may read them, still undecided though.

[Chris Tisinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is well written. i was hoping for more meat and less testimony. the last third of the book is devoted to us and british "hearings" that went on for days. the hearings went into witness accounts of what happened throughout the journey. i learned a few interesting facts although after reading this book i do not believe there was a conspiracy. i cannot imagine the captain, on any other human being purposly endangering the lives of 2500 people for sake of claiming insurance money against the white star lines injured sister ship, the olympic.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a disaster in my opinion. Basically the theory goes that Titanic and her sister ship were switched and this sunk for insurance money. I found it to be way too far fetched given what we know as fact from the US and British inquiries. I'm just not prone to believing in conspiracy theories as it is and this one just bothered me. Keeping it purely for my "Titanic Library."

[Caroline Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense with info but super interesting. I anticipated a book of BS conspiracies but it's actually all very well cited and pulls its info from the official inquiries done on the sinking and from the researchers of the wreck. Super cool

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man. total conspiracy. They meant to sink that bitch!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the events upto and after the Titanic sank. It taught me a lot about maritime companies, history and how society itself worked at the time.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Titanic is so interesting!

[Carol Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book.