Worst Team in History - the Titanic Team

Running Head:  WORST TEAM IN HISTORY

Worst Team in History- The Titanic Team

Introduction

On the night of Sunday, April 14, 1912, approximately 1,500 lives were claimed in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic.  The sinking of the HMS Titanic continues to reign in the hearts of society today, inspiring blockbuster movies, documentaries, exhibits, novels, and Broadway shows.  When delving into the details of the horrific night, the disaster was not just unfortunate luck of nature, but a culmination of poor decisions, leadership and teamwork.  This paper will analyze the events leading up to the incident, and the poor teamwork that contributed to the tragedy.

The Tragedy – What Happened?

To fully understand the disaster, it is important to first understand the competition and industry of the Titanic.  Until the mid-19th century, a crossing of the Atlantic was a rare and audacious attempt.  However, the evolution of steam power to oceangoing vessels significantly decreased the time and risk of an Atlantic crossing (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  In 1840, Samuel Cunard organized the British & North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company.  Cunard’s ship, the Britannia, achieved the trip from Liverpool to Boston in 14 days, eight hours. The Britannia was small – 1,150 gross tons, 207 feet long and carrying 115 passengers (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  After this initial achievement, Cunard’s company continued to succeed.  Cunard launched the Campania in 1891, spanning 600 feet and weighing 18,000 tons, with the ability to cross the Atlantic in five days, nine hours and carry 2,000 passengers (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  Cunard faced competition from 13 other steamship lines, one of which was Titanic’s company, the White Star Line.  White Star entered the North Atlantic market with the Oceanic in 1871, weighing 3,700 tons, 420 feet long, and room for 1,000 immigrant passengers (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  White Star followed up with a string of other vessels, and launched a second Oceanic in 1899.  Its 700-feet span and 17,000 ton weight made it the largest liner in the world (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  Despite this achievement, White Star, however, still faced fierce competition from Cunard.

The Cunard line had a partnership with the British government, supplying the struggling company with funds.  In return, Cunard allowed the Admiralty to test new naval technology in Cunard’s next generation of liners (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  This funding allowed Cunard to build two of the largest liners on the Atlantic – the Mauretania and Lusitania.  J. Bruce Ismay, White Star’s managing director, proposed the construction of three enormous liners in order to outdo Cunard’s in size and luxury – 882.5 feet long, 46,000 tons, and space for over 3,000 passengers and crew (Guelzo, 2012, p. 40).  One of these ships was the Titanic.