As the Titanic was swallowed by a freezing sea, over 800 miles from the nearest land, her 2,200 passengers and crew attempted desperately to advert tragedy. Lifeboats were lowered, and constant SOS signals sent, but most realised they would require a miracle to avoid their doom. And then it came. Approaching over the horizon was a ship, coming ever closer and then stopping within five or six miles of the Titanic. The joy on board the sinking ship was unimaginable; the crew even reassured passengers that rescue was imminent. Agonisingly, however, the vessel did not come to the rescue - despite rockers of appeal - but gradually turned and moved away, abandoning over 1,500 people to their fate. The search for the 'Mystery Ship' began immediately, and both Britain and the USA accused a ship called the Californian of deserting the Titanic in her hour of need. But was the 'Mystery Ship' the Californian? For the first time, this book explores the totality of evidence, with the discovery of the Titanic's actual wreck site in 1985 allowing crucial insights not available during official investigations seventy-three years earlier. Combining a penetrating argument with an extensive collection of archive photographs and materials, this book aims to find clear answers to the many riddles of the Titanic's 'Mystery Ship'.
What fascinates most people are the conspiracy theories that abound about her. Was she switched for her damaged sister Olympic, did Captain Smith really ignore the ice warnings that flooded into her wireless room, or was there some fabled treasure on board when she went down? Perhaps one of the most enduring tales of Titanic is the mystery ship, the fabled vessel seen in the distance that could have saved all her passengers from freezing or drowning. But what was the mystery ship, and was she the Californian, a cargo/passenger ship that according to her captain was stuck in ice over the horizon. At the enquiry into the sinking, Captain Lord of the Californian was castigated and blamed for the loss of life on Titanic, but for ninety years, there has been proof that his ship could not have been the mystery ship.