Sea travel is one of the safest forms of travel both for people and cargo; however recent events off the coast of Italy remind us only too well that the unexpected can happen. Ironically the Costa Concordia incident happened just three months short of the anniversary on 15 April of the centenary of the sinking of one of the most famous ships of all - RMS Titanic.

To mark the centenary, a new a 16-page fully illustrated commemorative booklet has been published as a tribute to the engineering staff, all of whom lost their lives on that fateful night working in the depths of the ship to supply power for lighting during the evacuation and to enable radio distress signals to be sent until just three minutes before Titanic finally sank beneath the waves.

The legacy of the sinking of Titanic comes in many different forms according to the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) - this booklet published by the Guild of Benevolence, the only charity in the world with a direct connection to the Titanic is just one of those legacies, and it spells out the others along with illustrations of the engineers; and of the ship itself.

The practical legacy

Immediately following the sinking in 1912, regulations were introduced to provide lifeboats for all on board and this led to developments in the design of lifeboats, life rafts and the means of launching them under all conditions. Safety exercises are now mandatory for all new passengers joining a passenger or cruise ship and for the crew to undertake lifeboat launching and evacuation exercises before the ship leaves harbour. Similar regular exercises are required of the crews of all commercial ships. Major improvements to the design and safety of all ships directly result from the sinking of Titanic.

Legislation was prepared in 1914 under the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention following the investigation of the sinking. This encompassed international requirements dealing with safe navigation, watertight and fire resistant bulkheads, lifesaving appliances, fire protection and fire fighting appliances. It also required subdivision of ships into several compartments with watertight bulkheads extending to the main deck to ensure that, should the hull be breached in any two adjacent compartments, the ship would remain afloat.

Sadly this initiative was interrupted by the 1914/18 world war and was never ratified. However, the second SOLAS Convention came into force in 1929, based on that of 1914, and included chapters dealing with construction, navigation, radiotelegraphy, lifesaving appliances and fire protection.

The SOLAS Convention has been updated and amended ever since to reflect developments in technical design, scientific knowledge and seaborne trade. Today it provides the key international regulations governing maritime safety.

The International Ice Patrol, an organisation with the purpose of monitoring the presence of icebergs in the North Atlantic and reporting their movements for safety purposes, was established in 1914 as a result of the sinking. It is still active today operated by the US Coastguard.

The charity legacy - that continues to this day

There is another important legacy: All the engineers on board the Titanic were lost through staying at their posts to maintain the ship's services for as long as they could. In 1912 the UK newspaper, the Daily Chronicle, initiated the Titanic Engineering Staff Memorial Benevolent Fund to assist the widows, orphans and dependents of the engineers who died so heroically at their posts below decks on that fateful night.

This fund was administered by the Institute of Marine Engineers (now the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology). In 1934 the Fund was renamed The Institute of Marine Engineers Guild of Benevolence when the Institute Council drafted new rules and regulations extending the provision of relief from hardship to qualified marine engineers and their dependents worldwide. Several smaller charities were absorbed into the Guild.

Since that time its work has grown significantly through the years in supporting marine engineers and their dependents who have fallen on hard times. For example, during the past five years the Guild has received many applications and after due and sometimes difficult consideration distributed £1 million of benefit to those in need. Now it is raising funds to ensure that it can continue this invaluable work well into a new century.

Last but not least, there is a new legacy - the Guild's 16-page fully illustrated commemorative booklet. It contains the history of the Titanic, drawings and photographs of the ship and its machinery; a tribute to the engineers - all of whom are named and whose photographs appear in the booklet, along with details of the safety measures that resulted from the Titanic catastrophe, and information on the Guild of Benevolence. Already one cruise line has ordered several hundred copies; and discussions are under way with others as well as with land-based organisations.

Source: IMarEST