“The Great Titanic” by Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff uses “The Great Titanic” to narrate the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. As seen in the verses, Roy begins by describing how more than 2,000 people aboard may have felt when the great ship was on the verge of sinking.
In the subsequent lines, Roy addresses how White Star Line, the shipping company, boasted about the ship’s inability to sink, causing many people to join the voyage. He also captures how more poor people died because they were placed on the lowest part of the ship. The tragic turn of events is emphasized throughout the song as the writer recalls it as the deadliest maritime disaster at the time.
Roy Acuff released this song in 1955. It can be found on his album titled Songs of the Smoky Mountains.
The Sinking of RMS Titanic
In April 1912, the RMS Titanic, which was considered as one of the largest passenger ships, tragically sank. This tragic incident happened while it was making its journey from Britain to the United States. The ship went down after colliding with an iceberg on the North Atlantic Ocean.
Out of the estimated 2,224 persons in the ship, it is believed that over 1,500 people lost their lives. Reports indicated that the ship received six cautions of the presence of ice on the sea but due to its speed it couldn’t turn quickly to swerve the iceberg.
The accident affected a number of its compartments which caused it to sink. Upon noticing the danger, the crew started evacuating the passengers with lifeboats. According to accounts, the evacuation was poorly done. The poor evacuation alongside the fast rate at which the ship was sinking resulted in lots of passengers being trapped in the ship.
