Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Irish Republican Army

If one is looking for a "terrorist" group on which to pin the sinking of Titanic, the Irish Republican Army makes a strong candidate.  The Titanic sank in 1912, only a couple years before the Easter uprising of 1914, and the fight for home rule was already well under way.

Add to this the fact that Titanic was built in Belfast, and some interesting ideas begin to bubble to the surface of the conspiracy cauldron.

The hiring process in Belfast was not exactly exclusive -- it was a cattle call, and easy for all sorts of characters to get aboard, possibly some dangerous men with a more hateful turn of mind than others.

Most interesting is the "coal fire" that plagued Titanic throughout the first half of her journey across the Atlantic.  Could this have been sabotage?

Another possible act of sabotage was the disappearance of the binoculars normally used by the lookouts.  Where did they go?

Finally we look with interest on the man who was behind the steering wheel when Titanic struck the iceberg.  What was his background?  Had he expressed a hatred of the rich?