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Lone Star Special: Texas and the Titanic
Texas and the Titanic
April 15th, 1897. RTS Galveston. North Atlantic. Midnight
Captain Andrew Alvarez was currently on the bridge of the pride of the Texas Navy, the battleship Galveston. The Galveston was a fine ship that was Texas's first official battleship of the current Galelveston-class battleships that would one day be in the forefront of Texan defense in both the Atlantic and Pacific. The reason for Galveston being so far away from home was that the ship had recently completed war games with both France and the United States a little over a week ago. While Galveston should've been home by now they had engine trouble as they were about to head to New York and thus they had to dock in Iceland for repairs. During the two week exercise the three fleets had gone over numerous engagements and the Texan fleet managed to have a successful ratio of 8 wins to 6 losses. Galveston performed particularly well as the ship did not sink at all during the entire war games and managed to achieve a remarkable 14 kills.
While Andrew was proud of the ship he knew the real reason why the war games had been done in the first place. Tensions had been recently rising between all three of the nations and Great Britain and her little entente. Some military members and politicians, Andrew being one of them, believed that a war in Europe was inevitable in the future and that the current technological advances would make it the largest and bloodiest one the world has ever seen. Andrew prayed to God that whatever happened Texas would never get involved in it. He knew Austin had been maintaining an official position of neutrality in European disputes but so many factors could happen for Texas to be pulled into a war. Whatever happened though Andrew knew that he would fight for his country. The Texas Navy had been ongoing a continuous armament policy since the Mexican War and they were now prepared to fight on both oceans and defend the interests of the Republic wherever they called her.
As Andrew was maintaining watch on the bridge his first officer Commander William Forrester entered the room. The man was the best sailor a captain could ask for as second in command and Andrew could always rely upon him when it came to consultation on important decisions regarding the ship.
"What are you doing up here so late skipper? You should be resting in your cabin and let the night shift take over."
"I could be saying the same thing for you Bill. Last I checked Lieutenant Gomez was in charge of the night shift." Andrew asked.
"Eh, I couldn't get enough sleep and the cabin is too damn cold so I decided to go for a walk. Care to share your reason?"
"Too be honest I like being up here this time of night. The waters are calm and the stars fill the sky. One of the benefits of joining the Navy, you get to see many parts of the world you could never find in Texas."
"That and you get to blow ships up." Both men shared a laugh at that comment. Though little did they now of the coming storm that would change the world in the next decade.
"So Captain what's our plan of action for the rest of the trip?"
"Well all we're going to do is simply head to New York for resupply then make a smooth trip around the east coast until we head back into the Gulf and secure port in Galveston. Hurricane season doesn't start for another month so the weather should be fine. Don't tell the crew but as a little reward for their performance during the games I'll give them 4 day liberty in port once we reach Texas."
"We did pretty all right if I do say myself. Though the fact that the President and the admiralty agreed to this exercise in the Atlantic worries me. If we start fighting a war I want to be protecting the Republic in the Gulf or in the Pacific Ocean. Anywhere around the Americas is fine but the North Atlantic is too damn far off. Do you really think we'll get wrapped up in that European nonsense?" William said.
"I don't know Bill. We're soldiers not politicians so we'll just follow orders. Trust me when I say I don't want to be involved in the the royal bickering that is Europe. But France is our ally and we must repay her one day for all she's done for the Republic. I mean this is the Navy. Did you expect it to be a gigantic cruise around the world?"
"I know this isn't the Titanic, Galveston's a finer ship than her. I just want to fight for a good cause when the time comes that's all."
It could be said that fate choose for Commander Forrester to say the name of the infamous ship. As just a moment later Petty officer second class Ryan Davidson entered the room bearing news of one of the greatest maritime tragedies in history.
"Lieutenant Gomez! We gotta wake up the captain and alert the ship IT"S A EMERGENCY! Oh Captain, There you are! Captain Alvarez a terrible tragedy is taking place as we speak!"
"Calm down Petty officer! Speak clearly and tell us what happened."
"It's the Titanic sir. We just received word in the radio room that she hit an iceberg and is currently starting to sink."
"Good God not her, they said that ship was unsinkable." exclaimed William
Both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester in reality knew that the claim was false. Any ship can strike tragedy on the seven seas. Such was the life of a sailor. 'But Good Lord, for a large ocean liner to sink on her maiden voyage. Just think of all the passengers'.
"Lieutenant Gomez!"
"Yes sir!"
"Wake up the crew and bring them to full alert. Tell them that the RMS Titanic has struck an iceberg and is currently sinking. Call for all crew to man their stations and ready all life boats to rescue the passengers. Petty officer lead us to the radio room."
Petty officer Davidson lead both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester to the Radio room as the crew members currently stationed their were in a frenzy trying to get a hold of the situation. They saluted the Captain as he entered but Alvarez eased them.
"Ensign Ross what is the current location of the Titanic?"
"The ship is 18 miles due northeast of our current location, sir. If we go at full speed we should reach the ship in a little over an hour sir."
'Shit! That's an hour too long. So many events can happen in such a short amount of time.' "Commander I want you to go to the bridge and tell the engine room to give it all they got. I want us to arrive as fast as possible and not a moment late."
"Yes Captain!"
"Ensign have we established communications with the Titanic?"
"We've just patched a connection now sir. The line is all yours."
Captain Alvarez sat down at the control station and silently prayed that Galveston could manage to save the ship in time. "Calling RMS Titanic. Calling RMS Titanic. This is Captain Andrew Alvarez of the RTS Galveston. We are an hour near your location and are en route to support. I repeat this is Captain Andrew Alvarez of the RTS Galveston..."
Captain Edward Smith stood in the bridge of the Titanic. Just minutes earlier the ship had collided with an iceberg and water had entered the lower decks. Smith and his men were gathered in the bridge with the ships architect Thomas Andrews, overlooking the ships schematics. There was a large tension within the air as virtually no one in the crew had anticipated this. 'This was all supposed to be a simple voyage. One that would make headlines across the world. It will still, but as a terrible tragedy.'
"So what your saying Mr. Andrews is that the hull cannot sustain the pressure and we will eventually sink?"
"I'm afraid your correct Captain. At best we got about two hours before we go under. We can get the lifeboats out but they'll only be able to support about 1/3rd of the passengers. Many of us won't make it alive."
"Well why the fuck didn't you design this ship to sustain an hit from an iceberg?! Your the bloody architect for Christ's sake!" shouted a member of the crew.
"And why in God's name do we not have enough lifeboats. That's sheer stupidity if I ever saw it." Said another.
Thomas Andrews held his head in shameful silence as the crew was entirely right. He was the designer of the ship so no matter what the cause the sinking of the Titanic was partly his to blame. 'The poor man will live with this guilt for the rest of his life if he makes it out.' "That's enough from the both of you. No matter what the cause it's our duty as the crew of this ship to see our passengers escape safely. You all have been trained in this before. Now use that to our current situation and get to work."
Andrews mouthed the Captain a silent thank you but they both understood what would happen. If this ship went down it was their jobs to go down with it. Suddenly First Office Murdoch entered the room with the only good news the crew would have in these moments.
"Sir, we just received a response in the radio room from a nearby ship who is on its way to help us."
That certainly lifted the spirits of those present.
"Really? Who is it, what's their location?"
"It's a Texas warship called the RTS Galveston. Don't frankly know what they're doing all the way out here but they're about an hour away from our current position. They say they're doing everything in their power to make it in time to rescue the ship."
'A Texas ship, strange. Thank God though that they're on their way. It's still an hour away but that's better than nothing at all.' "Thank you for the news Murdoch. Men you heard the news. We've got a nearby ship on the way but it'll be an hour before they can make it here. That's about half of the time we have left. In the meantime I want all the crew members to organize an evacuation. Good luck men and may God save our souls."
'Hell. Absolute Fucking Hell.' These were the thoughts of Captain Alvarez as he looked through his binoculars to see the Titanic in the distance. The Galveston had made the trip in just under 55 minutes and was within a short distance of the Titanic. From what the Captain saw though, it looked as if they were already late. From his limited sight he could see that the passengers were in an immense state of panic. There were many strange and dreadful things that he was seeing. All around people were pushing each other and scrambling in an emergency as the tried to reach the lifeboats. Some people were gathered around a man that he assumed was a priest, probably performing last rites as they believed they were on the verge of death. The crew was trying to install order but while some were doing a good job, others were clearly panicking as they were incompetent for the job. The oddest thing that he could not comprehend was the sight of an orchestra group playing while the panic was going on. 'I guess some men handle tragedy better than others.' What infuriated Alvarez the most was that he could see that the first class passengers were given preferential treatment in regards to the lifeboats. Sure women and children were allowed first from what he could gather but there were no men and women dressed in plain clothes and rags among the lifeboats. 'Honestly the whole world is going to hell and these people still think of social class first. Fucking British.'
Captain Alvarez then panicked as he suddenly heard gunfire coming from the ship. 'And the madmen are suddenly shooting the passengers. How the hell can these people call themselves sailors?'
Commander Forrester then walked up to him. "Sir, the boats are prepped and are ready for launch."
"Well what are you waiting for? DO IT!"
"Already did sir. Just wanted to inform you."
"Well use clearer context next time. Send flares out to alert the Titanic of our position. That shall hopefully calm down their nerves. Tell the remaining members of the crew on board to make room for the incoming survivors. I don't care what you have to do, use the rooms of the crew for the night including my personal cabin. I hope to have the ship be filled with hundreds of survivors by the time the Titanic goes down."
"So do I Captain. So do I."
Chief Petty officer Reggie Johnson was currently leading the rescue team that was making its way towards the Titanic. Reggie was an Afro-Texan who had joined the Navy to escape the social racism that still lingered in East Texas. While it was hard to become accepted at first, Reggie did eventually gain the respect and admiration of the crew through his hard work ethic and was one of the leading NCO's on the Galveston. He was honored that the Captain had given this important task but at the same time was immensely frightened. The lives of the passengers were in his hands and his actions would forever be remembered in history to come. Though Reggie would not falter, he knew the task that he was given and would do his duty to the end in order to make his family and the Navy proud. Reggie's boat was able to make contact with one of the lifeboats that was currently a half a mile from the Titanic's location. The officer who was in charge of the boat was shocked that Reggie was at the head of the helm.
"Are you bloody serious? They sent a jungle boy in charge to save us from this wreck."
Reggie was furious at this bigoted man's comment. And the men under his command knew that the idiot had just unleashed a wild fury. 'IS HE FOR REAL?!' "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW! I CAME OUT HERE ALL THE WAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GODDAMN FREEZING ATLANTIC TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ASS AND YOU DARE INSULT ME BECAUSE OF MY SKIN COLOR!! FOR THE SAKE OF THE WOMAN AND CHILDREN IN YOUR BOAT YOU BETTER SHUT THE FUCK UP, GIVE ME THE PASSENGERS TO TAKE BACK TO MY SHIP, GO BACK TO THE TITANIC AND DO YOUR FUCKING JOB! OR THIS "JUNGLE BOY" WILL TURN THIS BOAT AROUND AND LEAVE YOU HERE TO FIND YOUR OWN RESCUE."
That sure shut up the fool as he was visibly stunned by the man's outburst and his bluff about him and the boat. Then a large woman with a thick southern accent chose to speak up. "Sir I suggest that you kindly do as the man says or I'll kick you off this boat myself."
"Er um yes ma'am. All right everybody, do as the uh... sailor says and make your way onto the boat as it arrives."
"Thank you for your manners." replied Reggie coldly. "Now ladies, pardon for the foul language, but if you could carefully step onto the boat one by one in a safe and calm manner."
The women and the crew did as Reggie said and stepped onto the boat to be rescued. Reggie than turned back to the officer. "You there!"
"Uh, Yes!"
"Listen closely if you want to save more people. Go back to the Titanic and tell the crew to put more passengers on your ship at full capacity with this megaphone." Reggie tossed him the megaphone which the man nervously cached. "Tell them that more boats will be on the way and that they'll need to stay calm and wait for help."
"So you're coming back?"
"Son, do you REALLY want me to get started again..."
"Right, men move back to the Titanic."
Reggie than turned back to his men and ordered them to row as fast as possible so that they could make another round. He looked in the faces of the women and children but instead of looks of hatred like he usually received he saw faces of gratitude and joy. He turned to the southern woman who had heckled the sailor. "That was mighty kind of you ma'am to tell that jackass off. Didn't know southern people had it in them like you."
"Please I never got into that whole bullcrap anyways. A man's a man no matter what race he is and I sure am thankful that you were there to save us. Name's Molly Brown by the way."
"Reggie Johnson, nice to meet you."
"Likewise." As they were steered towards the Galveston Reggie looked back at the ship. People were still moving in a frenzy onboard and the ship was getting closer to the bottom each minute. While he had saved a good number of people there were plenty more to go. 'Hopefully all of them but I know we'll never be that lucky.' Towards the back he heard some women crying about a person named Rose.
It was around 2:20 A.M when the Titanic finally sunk. Captain Alvarez watched in horror as the largest ocean liner in the world made her way to the bottom of the ocean floor. The Galveston had managed to save most of the on deck passengers and some of the men and women who were initially below deck but escaped upward. Still despite their efforts there were probably hundreds of people trapped on the ship or still left in the water as the ship collapsed and they couldn't reach the lifeboats. He could see the so many people floating on the freezing water as they were swimming about trying to survive the hypothermia. Alvarez signaled for all remaining boats to head out and search for survivors once they had unloaded passengers from the ships. Once everyone alive was rescued they would head back out and search for any corpses that were floating abound. 'It's the least they deserve. To be given a proper burial instead of left at the bottom of the ocean.'
A part of Alvarez's mind told him that this could be the fate of him and his crew one day if they were lost in battle. He tried not to think about it and instead focus on the survivors who made it onto the Galveston. He did keep his word about the quarters and gave his cabin to a family of Swedish immigrants. Ironically they were heading towards New York to make their way to immigrate towards Texas. He welcomed his future countrymen in open arms and assured them that they would find much happiness in the Republic. 'Whatever happens to them better be good after going through this disaster.' He saw Commander Forrester making his way towards him. The man looked tired and haggard, then again they all were with the enormous size of the situation at hand.
"You look like utter shit Captain."
"So do you Bill, hell even worse than me." Both men laughed for a moment, it was good that they still could after this dreadful ordeal. "Seriously Bill, We managed to save a multitude of people but there are still probably hundreds who died on the ship. Hundreds who we could have saved. Hundreds who went on this ship with a dream, now dead and waiting for the fish to get them."
"Your being too hard on yourself Andrew. Just thank God that we were in the right place at the right time. Had we not been here hundreds more would've gone under and the people in the lifeboats could've died also with no one nearby to rescue them. I think it was God's will that we were here at all. I mean think about it. Had we not had engine trouble after the war games then we would've been back in Texas while all this happened. All because of a simple malfunction were we here to save the lives of so many people. Your a hero Captain."
"I suppose your right. I don't at all regret being here at all. I just wish we could go on the voyage without any occurrence than being remembered as heroes who saved a sinking ship."
"You are right about that. Besides though I think it's the White Star Line that was mostly responsible."
"How could you possibly say that?"
"We'll I'm only saying this based on tidbits of what I heard from the passengers and crewmen who made it on board. Apparently the Titanic never had enough life boats to accommodate the entire ship. Only 1/3rd of the people! They claimed it was to save weight. When the ship saw the iceberg they stayed full speed ahead. FULL SPEED! The worst part is what I heard from the third-class survivors. Apparently as the ship was being evacuated these people were treated like animals and kept locked in the lower decks with guns pointed at them to wait their turn for the rich bastards to get off. Many had to fight to get on deck but most of the others were stuck due to their locations and inability to get onto the initial wave of the lifeboats. Even the lifeboats weren't fully boarded as they thought the extra people would sink the boats"
"JESUS CHRIST! How can these people possibly call themselves sailors? There a disgrace to the career entirely. Just please tell me that we managed to make contact with nearby ships. I'm more than happy to keep these people on board but the Galveston was never meant to be this crowded."
"Well sir we managed to contact two ships that have agreed to take some of the passengers to New York. One the SS Carpathia that was 50 miles away and is currently heading towards our location. The other the SS Oregonian was, get this Andrew, apparently 15 miles away from the Titanic the entire time. They had their radio turned off like idiots and were unaware of the ongoing crisis."
"Are you serious?!. You mean to tell me that this entire time we had a second ship that could've saved more lives but instead chose to sit on their asses and ignore the fucking flares! By God Bill, I intend to have a full inquiry conducted when we get back to shore and make sure everyone responsible for this affair is accounted for. Now please head with me to aft to meet the incoming boats."
"Yes sir!"
Both officers made their way to the side of the ship and saw Chief Johnson being the last to come on board with his few remaining passengers. A small group of 7 people with most notably a blond young man and a redheaded woman who were holding each other side by side during the ordeal. 'Must be lovers.' Upon seeing the boat Alvarez knew he made the right choice by picking Johnson to lead the rescue teams. The man was his most reliable NCO and had gone above and beyond the Call of Duty when rescuing the passengers. He and his men made a remarkable 5 trips to the Galveston and back, taking as many passengers as they could. Even when the Titanic sank Reggie was the first one to volunteer and head back in search of survivors. 'Don't know if they give out the Medal of Honor for peacetime actions but I'll do everything in my power to make sure this man is properly rewarded.'
When the two commanding officers came near Reggie promptly saluted but Alvarez called him down.
"At ease Chief. There's no need to stand at attention when your the real hero of the day. So tell me, is this the last of them?"
"Thank you sir. And yes this is the last of the survivors. We made sure to stay for several minutes but the rest of the bodies in the water are sadly perished. As soon as we upload these people I'll head back out and start collecting as many bodies as I can before they drop at the bottom of the Ocean." He looked back to the couple in each others arms. "Funny story about these two actually. When we passed by their bodies they were sitting on top of a large door but from the way they stayed still we were sure that they were goners. We picked up the other 5 and were about to head out when the redhead somehow grabbed hold of a whistle and blew as hard as she could to grab our attention. If it wasn't for her actions they would've both died by now of hypothermia."
"What a remarkable tale. Thanks once again Regg, you've done alot today and I can't stress how grateful we are that you still want to head out. As soon as we land in New York we're heading to the nearest bar where I've got a huge pint of beer with your name on it."
"Much obliged Captain."
Both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester where about to head back into the ship when they heard the woman wake up in a state of panic. Quickly both men rushed to her and tried to get her to calm down. "Ja-, Jac-, where is he? Sir please, there was a man with me around my height, same age and blond hair. Please for the love of God tell me you saved him!"
"Miss it's alright, your boyfriend is right next to you and from the looks of it he's alive. Just barely but he'll be alright once he says the doctor." Said Forrester. The woman cried tears of joy as she hugged the man next to her fiercely.
"Ma'am my name is Captain Andrew Alvarez, your currently on my ship the RTS Galveston. The Titanic went under but you two were able to make it out alright. Can you please tell me your names so that we can compose a survivor's list."
"Dawson. Jack and Rose Dawson."
A/N: OH MY GOD. That was the longest chapter I've ever had to write on my time as a member on the website. Now for those of you who may be wondering why I had the sudden urge to jump all the way from 1841 to the Titanic in my timeline, you see I just watched James Cameron's Titanic for the first time on Friday. The film was honestly one of the best ones I've seen, though the ending was depressing as hell. When I sat there at the ending credits a thought suddenly came to my mind. 'Wait a minute, this story takes place in 1912, right after my timeline starts. I CAN WRITE ABOUT THIS!' Thus my inspiration was born for Texas and the Titanic. I wanted to write this story as soon as possible so I couldn't possibly wait until the Titanic came TTL, which would be months away in IRL posts. I wanted to give the Titanic a better ending with Texas being involved but for a large tragedy to still take place. A lot of the writing was inspired by the first chapters of "Bismarck ISOT to Titanic." If your wondering between 1400-1500 people survived TTL. The reason for the year change is as you might've guessed, The Great War will be happening years earlier than OTL and conditions afterwords will prevent the Titanic from sailing in 1912. As you might've noticed I added elements of the film but that was honestly because I wanted our star couple to have a happy ending. I know it's shameful but I'm the author of this TL so if I say it happens, it happened. Please be sure to leave a like and some input on the chapter as it took 3 and 1/2 hours to write this entire thing down. For those concerned with the main story don't worry, Chapter 27 will most likely be posted on Monday and I'll have the 1846 Revolutions started next weekend. Thank you for your support and Long Live Texas!
April 15th, 1897. RTS Galveston. North Atlantic. Midnight
Captain Andrew Alvarez was currently on the bridge of the pride of the Texas Navy, the battleship Galveston. The Galveston was a fine ship that was Texas's first official battleship of the current Galelveston-class battleships that would one day be in the forefront of Texan defense in both the Atlantic and Pacific. The reason for Galveston being so far away from home was that the ship had recently completed war games with both France and the United States a little over a week ago. While Galveston should've been home by now they had engine trouble as they were about to head to New York and thus they had to dock in Iceland for repairs. During the two week exercise the three fleets had gone over numerous engagements and the Texan fleet managed to have a successful ratio of 8 wins to 6 losses. Galveston performed particularly well as the ship did not sink at all during the entire war games and managed to achieve a remarkable 14 kills.
While Andrew was proud of the ship he knew the real reason why the war games had been done in the first place. Tensions had been recently rising between all three of the nations and Great Britain and her little entente. Some military members and politicians, Andrew being one of them, believed that a war in Europe was inevitable in the future and that the current technological advances would make it the largest and bloodiest one the world has ever seen. Andrew prayed to God that whatever happened Texas would never get involved in it. He knew Austin had been maintaining an official position of neutrality in European disputes but so many factors could happen for Texas to be pulled into a war. Whatever happened though Andrew knew that he would fight for his country. The Texas Navy had been ongoing a continuous armament policy since the Mexican War and they were now prepared to fight on both oceans and defend the interests of the Republic wherever they called her.
As Andrew was maintaining watch on the bridge his first officer Commander William Forrester entered the room. The man was the best sailor a captain could ask for as second in command and Andrew could always rely upon him when it came to consultation on important decisions regarding the ship.
"What are you doing up here so late skipper? You should be resting in your cabin and let the night shift take over."
"I could be saying the same thing for you Bill. Last I checked Lieutenant Gomez was in charge of the night shift." Andrew asked.
"Eh, I couldn't get enough sleep and the cabin is too damn cold so I decided to go for a walk. Care to share your reason?"
"Too be honest I like being up here this time of night. The waters are calm and the stars fill the sky. One of the benefits of joining the Navy, you get to see many parts of the world you could never find in Texas."
"That and you get to blow ships up." Both men shared a laugh at that comment. Though little did they now of the coming storm that would change the world in the next decade.
"So Captain what's our plan of action for the rest of the trip?"
"Well all we're going to do is simply head to New York for resupply then make a smooth trip around the east coast until we head back into the Gulf and secure port in Galveston. Hurricane season doesn't start for another month so the weather should be fine. Don't tell the crew but as a little reward for their performance during the games I'll give them 4 day liberty in port once we reach Texas."
"We did pretty all right if I do say myself. Though the fact that the President and the admiralty agreed to this exercise in the Atlantic worries me. If we start fighting a war I want to be protecting the Republic in the Gulf or in the Pacific Ocean. Anywhere around the Americas is fine but the North Atlantic is too damn far off. Do you really think we'll get wrapped up in that European nonsense?" William said.
"I don't know Bill. We're soldiers not politicians so we'll just follow orders. Trust me when I say I don't want to be involved in the the royal bickering that is Europe. But France is our ally and we must repay her one day for all she's done for the Republic. I mean this is the Navy. Did you expect it to be a gigantic cruise around the world?"
"I know this isn't the Titanic, Galveston's a finer ship than her. I just want to fight for a good cause when the time comes that's all."
It could be said that fate choose for Commander Forrester to say the name of the infamous ship. As just a moment later Petty officer second class Ryan Davidson entered the room bearing news of one of the greatest maritime tragedies in history.
"Lieutenant Gomez! We gotta wake up the captain and alert the ship IT"S A EMERGENCY! Oh Captain, There you are! Captain Alvarez a terrible tragedy is taking place as we speak!"
"Calm down Petty officer! Speak clearly and tell us what happened."
"It's the Titanic sir. We just received word in the radio room that she hit an iceberg and is currently starting to sink."
"Good God not her, they said that ship was unsinkable." exclaimed William
Both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester in reality knew that the claim was false. Any ship can strike tragedy on the seven seas. Such was the life of a sailor. 'But Good Lord, for a large ocean liner to sink on her maiden voyage. Just think of all the passengers'.
"Lieutenant Gomez!"
"Yes sir!"
"Wake up the crew and bring them to full alert. Tell them that the RMS Titanic has struck an iceberg and is currently sinking. Call for all crew to man their stations and ready all life boats to rescue the passengers. Petty officer lead us to the radio room."
Petty officer Davidson lead both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester to the Radio room as the crew members currently stationed their were in a frenzy trying to get a hold of the situation. They saluted the Captain as he entered but Alvarez eased them.
"Ensign Ross what is the current location of the Titanic?"
"The ship is 18 miles due northeast of our current location, sir. If we go at full speed we should reach the ship in a little over an hour sir."
'Shit! That's an hour too long. So many events can happen in such a short amount of time.' "Commander I want you to go to the bridge and tell the engine room to give it all they got. I want us to arrive as fast as possible and not a moment late."
"Yes Captain!"
"Ensign have we established communications with the Titanic?"
"We've just patched a connection now sir. The line is all yours."
Captain Alvarez sat down at the control station and silently prayed that Galveston could manage to save the ship in time. "Calling RMS Titanic. Calling RMS Titanic. This is Captain Andrew Alvarez of the RTS Galveston. We are an hour near your location and are en route to support. I repeat this is Captain Andrew Alvarez of the RTS Galveston..."
Captain Edward Smith stood in the bridge of the Titanic. Just minutes earlier the ship had collided with an iceberg and water had entered the lower decks. Smith and his men were gathered in the bridge with the ships architect Thomas Andrews, overlooking the ships schematics. There was a large tension within the air as virtually no one in the crew had anticipated this. 'This was all supposed to be a simple voyage. One that would make headlines across the world. It will still, but as a terrible tragedy.'
"So what your saying Mr. Andrews is that the hull cannot sustain the pressure and we will eventually sink?"
"I'm afraid your correct Captain. At best we got about two hours before we go under. We can get the lifeboats out but they'll only be able to support about 1/3rd of the passengers. Many of us won't make it alive."
"Well why the fuck didn't you design this ship to sustain an hit from an iceberg?! Your the bloody architect for Christ's sake!" shouted a member of the crew.
"And why in God's name do we not have enough lifeboats. That's sheer stupidity if I ever saw it." Said another.
Thomas Andrews held his head in shameful silence as the crew was entirely right. He was the designer of the ship so no matter what the cause the sinking of the Titanic was partly his to blame. 'The poor man will live with this guilt for the rest of his life if he makes it out.' "That's enough from the both of you. No matter what the cause it's our duty as the crew of this ship to see our passengers escape safely. You all have been trained in this before. Now use that to our current situation and get to work."
Andrews mouthed the Captain a silent thank you but they both understood what would happen. If this ship went down it was their jobs to go down with it. Suddenly First Office Murdoch entered the room with the only good news the crew would have in these moments.
"Sir, we just received a response in the radio room from a nearby ship who is on its way to help us."
That certainly lifted the spirits of those present.
"Really? Who is it, what's their location?"
"It's a Texas warship called the RTS Galveston. Don't frankly know what they're doing all the way out here but they're about an hour away from our current position. They say they're doing everything in their power to make it in time to rescue the ship."
'A Texas ship, strange. Thank God though that they're on their way. It's still an hour away but that's better than nothing at all.' "Thank you for the news Murdoch. Men you heard the news. We've got a nearby ship on the way but it'll be an hour before they can make it here. That's about half of the time we have left. In the meantime I want all the crew members to organize an evacuation. Good luck men and may God save our souls."
'Hell. Absolute Fucking Hell.' These were the thoughts of Captain Alvarez as he looked through his binoculars to see the Titanic in the distance. The Galveston had made the trip in just under 55 minutes and was within a short distance of the Titanic. From what the Captain saw though, it looked as if they were already late. From his limited sight he could see that the passengers were in an immense state of panic. There were many strange and dreadful things that he was seeing. All around people were pushing each other and scrambling in an emergency as the tried to reach the lifeboats. Some people were gathered around a man that he assumed was a priest, probably performing last rites as they believed they were on the verge of death. The crew was trying to install order but while some were doing a good job, others were clearly panicking as they were incompetent for the job. The oddest thing that he could not comprehend was the sight of an orchestra group playing while the panic was going on. 'I guess some men handle tragedy better than others.' What infuriated Alvarez the most was that he could see that the first class passengers were given preferential treatment in regards to the lifeboats. Sure women and children were allowed first from what he could gather but there were no men and women dressed in plain clothes and rags among the lifeboats. 'Honestly the whole world is going to hell and these people still think of social class first. Fucking British.'
Captain Alvarez then panicked as he suddenly heard gunfire coming from the ship. 'And the madmen are suddenly shooting the passengers. How the hell can these people call themselves sailors?'
Commander Forrester then walked up to him. "Sir, the boats are prepped and are ready for launch."
"Well what are you waiting for? DO IT!"
"Already did sir. Just wanted to inform you."
"Well use clearer context next time. Send flares out to alert the Titanic of our position. That shall hopefully calm down their nerves. Tell the remaining members of the crew on board to make room for the incoming survivors. I don't care what you have to do, use the rooms of the crew for the night including my personal cabin. I hope to have the ship be filled with hundreds of survivors by the time the Titanic goes down."
"So do I Captain. So do I."
Chief Petty officer Reggie Johnson was currently leading the rescue team that was making its way towards the Titanic. Reggie was an Afro-Texan who had joined the Navy to escape the social racism that still lingered in East Texas. While it was hard to become accepted at first, Reggie did eventually gain the respect and admiration of the crew through his hard work ethic and was one of the leading NCO's on the Galveston. He was honored that the Captain had given this important task but at the same time was immensely frightened. The lives of the passengers were in his hands and his actions would forever be remembered in history to come. Though Reggie would not falter, he knew the task that he was given and would do his duty to the end in order to make his family and the Navy proud. Reggie's boat was able to make contact with one of the lifeboats that was currently a half a mile from the Titanic's location. The officer who was in charge of the boat was shocked that Reggie was at the head of the helm.
"Are you bloody serious? They sent a jungle boy in charge to save us from this wreck."
Reggie was furious at this bigoted man's comment. And the men under his command knew that the idiot had just unleashed a wild fury. 'IS HE FOR REAL?!' "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW! I CAME OUT HERE ALL THE WAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GODDAMN FREEZING ATLANTIC TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ASS AND YOU DARE INSULT ME BECAUSE OF MY SKIN COLOR!! FOR THE SAKE OF THE WOMAN AND CHILDREN IN YOUR BOAT YOU BETTER SHUT THE FUCK UP, GIVE ME THE PASSENGERS TO TAKE BACK TO MY SHIP, GO BACK TO THE TITANIC AND DO YOUR FUCKING JOB! OR THIS "JUNGLE BOY" WILL TURN THIS BOAT AROUND AND LEAVE YOU HERE TO FIND YOUR OWN RESCUE."
That sure shut up the fool as he was visibly stunned by the man's outburst and his bluff about him and the boat. Then a large woman with a thick southern accent chose to speak up. "Sir I suggest that you kindly do as the man says or I'll kick you off this boat myself."
"Er um yes ma'am. All right everybody, do as the uh... sailor says and make your way onto the boat as it arrives."
"Thank you for your manners." replied Reggie coldly. "Now ladies, pardon for the foul language, but if you could carefully step onto the boat one by one in a safe and calm manner."
The women and the crew did as Reggie said and stepped onto the boat to be rescued. Reggie than turned back to the officer. "You there!"
"Uh, Yes!"
"Listen closely if you want to save more people. Go back to the Titanic and tell the crew to put more passengers on your ship at full capacity with this megaphone." Reggie tossed him the megaphone which the man nervously cached. "Tell them that more boats will be on the way and that they'll need to stay calm and wait for help."
"So you're coming back?"
"Son, do you REALLY want me to get started again..."
"Right, men move back to the Titanic."
Reggie than turned back to his men and ordered them to row as fast as possible so that they could make another round. He looked in the faces of the women and children but instead of looks of hatred like he usually received he saw faces of gratitude and joy. He turned to the southern woman who had heckled the sailor. "That was mighty kind of you ma'am to tell that jackass off. Didn't know southern people had it in them like you."
"Please I never got into that whole bullcrap anyways. A man's a man no matter what race he is and I sure am thankful that you were there to save us. Name's Molly Brown by the way."
"Reggie Johnson, nice to meet you."
"Likewise." As they were steered towards the Galveston Reggie looked back at the ship. People were still moving in a frenzy onboard and the ship was getting closer to the bottom each minute. While he had saved a good number of people there were plenty more to go. 'Hopefully all of them but I know we'll never be that lucky.' Towards the back he heard some women crying about a person named Rose.
It was around 2:20 A.M when the Titanic finally sunk. Captain Alvarez watched in horror as the largest ocean liner in the world made her way to the bottom of the ocean floor. The Galveston had managed to save most of the on deck passengers and some of the men and women who were initially below deck but escaped upward. Still despite their efforts there were probably hundreds of people trapped on the ship or still left in the water as the ship collapsed and they couldn't reach the lifeboats. He could see the so many people floating on the freezing water as they were swimming about trying to survive the hypothermia. Alvarez signaled for all remaining boats to head out and search for survivors once they had unloaded passengers from the ships. Once everyone alive was rescued they would head back out and search for any corpses that were floating abound. 'It's the least they deserve. To be given a proper burial instead of left at the bottom of the ocean.'
A part of Alvarez's mind told him that this could be the fate of him and his crew one day if they were lost in battle. He tried not to think about it and instead focus on the survivors who made it onto the Galveston. He did keep his word about the quarters and gave his cabin to a family of Swedish immigrants. Ironically they were heading towards New York to make their way to immigrate towards Texas. He welcomed his future countrymen in open arms and assured them that they would find much happiness in the Republic. 'Whatever happens to them better be good after going through this disaster.' He saw Commander Forrester making his way towards him. The man looked tired and haggard, then again they all were with the enormous size of the situation at hand.
"You look like utter shit Captain."
"So do you Bill, hell even worse than me." Both men laughed for a moment, it was good that they still could after this dreadful ordeal. "Seriously Bill, We managed to save a multitude of people but there are still probably hundreds who died on the ship. Hundreds who we could have saved. Hundreds who went on this ship with a dream, now dead and waiting for the fish to get them."
"Your being too hard on yourself Andrew. Just thank God that we were in the right place at the right time. Had we not been here hundreds more would've gone under and the people in the lifeboats could've died also with no one nearby to rescue them. I think it was God's will that we were here at all. I mean think about it. Had we not had engine trouble after the war games then we would've been back in Texas while all this happened. All because of a simple malfunction were we here to save the lives of so many people. Your a hero Captain."
"I suppose your right. I don't at all regret being here at all. I just wish we could go on the voyage without any occurrence than being remembered as heroes who saved a sinking ship."
"You are right about that. Besides though I think it's the White Star Line that was mostly responsible."
"How could you possibly say that?"
"We'll I'm only saying this based on tidbits of what I heard from the passengers and crewmen who made it on board. Apparently the Titanic never had enough life boats to accommodate the entire ship. Only 1/3rd of the people! They claimed it was to save weight. When the ship saw the iceberg they stayed full speed ahead. FULL SPEED! The worst part is what I heard from the third-class survivors. Apparently as the ship was being evacuated these people were treated like animals and kept locked in the lower decks with guns pointed at them to wait their turn for the rich bastards to get off. Many had to fight to get on deck but most of the others were stuck due to their locations and inability to get onto the initial wave of the lifeboats. Even the lifeboats weren't fully boarded as they thought the extra people would sink the boats"
"JESUS CHRIST! How can these people possibly call themselves sailors? There a disgrace to the career entirely. Just please tell me that we managed to make contact with nearby ships. I'm more than happy to keep these people on board but the Galveston was never meant to be this crowded."
"Well sir we managed to contact two ships that have agreed to take some of the passengers to New York. One the SS Carpathia that was 50 miles away and is currently heading towards our location. The other the SS Oregonian was, get this Andrew, apparently 15 miles away from the Titanic the entire time. They had their radio turned off like idiots and were unaware of the ongoing crisis."
"Are you serious?!. You mean to tell me that this entire time we had a second ship that could've saved more lives but instead chose to sit on their asses and ignore the fucking flares! By God Bill, I intend to have a full inquiry conducted when we get back to shore and make sure everyone responsible for this affair is accounted for. Now please head with me to aft to meet the incoming boats."
"Yes sir!"
Both officers made their way to the side of the ship and saw Chief Johnson being the last to come on board with his few remaining passengers. A small group of 7 people with most notably a blond young man and a redheaded woman who were holding each other side by side during the ordeal. 'Must be lovers.' Upon seeing the boat Alvarez knew he made the right choice by picking Johnson to lead the rescue teams. The man was his most reliable NCO and had gone above and beyond the Call of Duty when rescuing the passengers. He and his men made a remarkable 5 trips to the Galveston and back, taking as many passengers as they could. Even when the Titanic sank Reggie was the first one to volunteer and head back in search of survivors. 'Don't know if they give out the Medal of Honor for peacetime actions but I'll do everything in my power to make sure this man is properly rewarded.'
When the two commanding officers came near Reggie promptly saluted but Alvarez called him down.
"At ease Chief. There's no need to stand at attention when your the real hero of the day. So tell me, is this the last of them?"
"Thank you sir. And yes this is the last of the survivors. We made sure to stay for several minutes but the rest of the bodies in the water are sadly perished. As soon as we upload these people I'll head back out and start collecting as many bodies as I can before they drop at the bottom of the Ocean." He looked back to the couple in each others arms. "Funny story about these two actually. When we passed by their bodies they were sitting on top of a large door but from the way they stayed still we were sure that they were goners. We picked up the other 5 and were about to head out when the redhead somehow grabbed hold of a whistle and blew as hard as she could to grab our attention. If it wasn't for her actions they would've both died by now of hypothermia."
"What a remarkable tale. Thanks once again Regg, you've done alot today and I can't stress how grateful we are that you still want to head out. As soon as we land in New York we're heading to the nearest bar where I've got a huge pint of beer with your name on it."
"Much obliged Captain."
Both Captain Alvarez and Commander Forrester where about to head back into the ship when they heard the woman wake up in a state of panic. Quickly both men rushed to her and tried to get her to calm down. "Ja-, Jac-, where is he? Sir please, there was a man with me around my height, same age and blond hair. Please for the love of God tell me you saved him!"
"Miss it's alright, your boyfriend is right next to you and from the looks of it he's alive. Just barely but he'll be alright once he says the doctor." Said Forrester. The woman cried tears of joy as she hugged the man next to her fiercely.
"Ma'am my name is Captain Andrew Alvarez, your currently on my ship the RTS Galveston. The Titanic went under but you two were able to make it out alright. Can you please tell me your names so that we can compose a survivor's list."
"Dawson. Jack and Rose Dawson."
A/N: OH MY GOD. That was the longest chapter I've ever had to write on my time as a member on the website. Now for those of you who may be wondering why I had the sudden urge to jump all the way from 1841 to the Titanic in my timeline, you see I just watched James Cameron's Titanic for the first time on Friday. The film was honestly one of the best ones I've seen, though the ending was depressing as hell. When I sat there at the ending credits a thought suddenly came to my mind. 'Wait a minute, this story takes place in 1912, right after my timeline starts. I CAN WRITE ABOUT THIS!' Thus my inspiration was born for Texas and the Titanic. I wanted to write this story as soon as possible so I couldn't possibly wait until the Titanic came TTL, which would be months away in IRL posts. I wanted to give the Titanic a better ending with Texas being involved but for a large tragedy to still take place. A lot of the writing was inspired by the first chapters of "Bismarck ISOT to Titanic." If your wondering between 1400-1500 people survived TTL. The reason for the year change is as you might've guessed, The Great War will be happening years earlier than OTL and conditions afterwords will prevent the Titanic from sailing in 1912. As you might've noticed I added elements of the film but that was honestly because I wanted our star couple to have a happy ending. I know it's shameful but I'm the author of this TL so if I say it happens, it happened. Please be sure to leave a like and some input on the chapter as it took 3 and 1/2 hours to write this entire thing down. For those concerned with the main story don't worry, Chapter 27 will most likely be posted on Monday and I'll have the 1846 Revolutions started next weekend. Thank you for your support and Long Live Texas!
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 4.8k