In conjunction with the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a report published by the British newspaper Metro revealed that an optical illusion caused by the weather may have played a crucial role in the occurrence of this catastrophic tragedy.
Reports indicate that the ship sank due to a visual phenomenon known as a mirage, which hindered the crew’s ability to detect the iceberg in a timely manner.
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic and its 2,240 passengers and crew transitioned from warm waters to cold waters, having already received several warnings about icebergs in the area.
“The Thermal Inversion”
Now, the evidence presented in the reports conveyed by The Times suggests that they sailed into a “thermal inversion,” which occurs when cold air sinks beneath warm air.
In this case, the cold air came from the Labrador Current along the Canadian coast, and the warm air from the Gulf Stream. While this may seem somewhat normal, the impact is not, and thermal inversions can cause the appearance of various mirages, including the famous Fata Morgana mirage, where ships can appear to be floating above the horizon.
“A False Horizon”
In the case of the Titanic, it is believed that the thermal inversion led to a mirage creating a false horizon.
For those at sea level, light bends over the true horizon, allowing them to see farther than usual. However, at a higher level above sea level, the gap between the true horizon and the false horizon can appear as a fog, which may explain why those on board the ship, at a height of 30 meters, were unable to see the iceberg until it was too late.
Without the mirage, they might have been able to see it in time to avoid the disaster.
Articles in The Times archives support this theory proposed by historian and broadcaster Tim Maltin.
However, the mirage may not have been the sole cause of the accident but also hindered the arrival of assistance later on.
The SS Californian was the closest ship to the Titanic when the tragedy occurred but failed to provide assistance.
“The Mirage Trap”
While blame has long been placed on the crew, particularly wireless operator Cyril Evans, for their failure to respond to distress signals from the ship, Maltin believes they also fell into the mirage trap.
Maltin also believes that this peculiar weather event effectively scrambled the signals of the Titanic’s and SS Californian’s lanterns, as the distress lights sent by the sinking ship did not serve as clear distress signals due to the mirage.
Amidst the confusion caused by the mirage, the crew of the SS Californian did not respond until morning, by which time over 1,500 people had lost their lives.
