The Titanic may have struck an iceberg and sank helplessly because of a strange atmosphere-caused optical illusion, a new book argues. British historian Tim Maltin says super refraction, an extraordinary bending of light that causes mirages, prevented the Titanic's crew from seeing the fateful iceberg.
It also may have prevented nearby ships from seeing the doomed Titanic, Maltin argues. His theory is the subject of a new book and a documentary airing next month in time for the 100th anniversary of the accident.
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In these cases we should always turn to Occam's razor. As such I think it's much more likely to be human error.
What people don't seem to realise is that a ship being lost was far from unusual back then. The Titanic became such a famous disaster because a number of issues came together:
Its owners and builders claimed it was unsinkable.
It was on its maiden voyage.
The loss of life was enormous.
Unusually the crew behaved like gentlemen, not trampling the passengers in a rush for the boats.
There were survivors who could report on the disaster. It was quite common for a ship to be lost with no sign ever being seen of again.
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