Don’t compare latest tragedy with Titanic

Any attempt to compare the recent cruise ship disaster to the Titanic tragedy is inappropriate, inaccurate and demeaning to the captain, crew and passengers who lost their lives when the Titanic sank. First, the Titanic’s design and too few life boats are the reasons the ship sank and so many died. Even after the Titanic hit the iceberg, had the ship’s design not been flawed, it would not have sunk.

Also, the Titanic’s captain had not been grandstanding or violating any safety rules before his ship hit the iceberg. However, the captain of the cruise ship was grandstanding and violating safety rules when his ship, which he had steered too close to the shore, ran over a huge boulder in shallow water.

Another pronounced contrast between the cruise ship disaster and the Titanic tragedy is the captain of the Titanic did not abandon his ship but went down with it. He and his crew, in an orderly manner, assisted as many passengers as they could into the few lifeboats available, while the cruise ship captain promptly left his ship, its passengers and an ill-prepared crew to fend for themselves in total chaos.

The only legitimate similarity between the two ships is the tragic loss of lives. Whether by captain error or design flaw, unnecessary loss of life is always profoundly sad.

Mary E. Keenan

Schaumburg