Maritime Law Without the Titanic Sinking

[APreston]

It's been a few years since I really did a lot of research on the Titanic so I may have a few facts skewed, but here goes nothing.

It's been my understanding that the sinking of the Titanic, both the circumstances and the human cost, spurred a lot of reforms in Maritime Law that we take for granted today. Things like an international force to track and report on ice floes, the requirement that ships carry enough lifeboat capacity for all aboard, and the requirement that radio service be run 24 hours a day in case of emergencies. So, my question is, if Titanic arrives in New York as planned, how and when do these developments come about if at all?

[DaVinciCode]

Originally Posted by APreston

It's been a few years since I really did a lot of research on the Titanic so I may have a few facts skewed, but here goes nothing.

It's been my understanding that the sinking of the Titanic, both the circumstances and the human cost, spurred a lot of reforms in Maritime Law that we take for granted today. Things like an international force to track and report on ice floes, the requirement that ships carry enough lifeboat capacity for all aboard, and the requirement that radio service be run 24 hours a day in case of emergencies. So, my question is, if Titanic arrives in New York as planned, how and when do these developments come about if at all?

My guess is they'll stay as they were until the next big ship that sinks on and iceberg goes to the bottom.

[Tallest Skil]

Exactly what always gets said every time this exact thread comes up: Nothing happens until another ocean liner hits an iceberg and kills off ¾ the compliment.

[Color-Copycat]

Within that same time period (first two decades of twentieth century) there were already a huge number of severe maritime disasters that together would've spurred on some degree of reform. Off the top of my head, there's the Empress of Ireland collision, and once war hit Europe, there was the Lusitania and Britannic. The Titanic simply offered a very glamorous and well publicized incident for reformers to rally behind.