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Home , Thomas Andrews, Titanic

The Tragedy

INTRODUCTION

More than 1,500 people lost at sea. Families that survived frantically searching for their loved ones, hoping they made it to shore alive. This is the tragic image that many people think Comment [T1]: HOOK of when they think about the Titanic, which was supposedly “the ship of dreams” and “the unsinkable ship.” It is widely known that the Titanic hit an on April 14, 1912 at

11:45pm. The ship ended up sinking with many people still on board. Who is mostly to blame Comment [T2]: BACKGROUND INFO for this disaster? Many people think that , head designer of the Titanic, is to blame for the sinking of the ship as well as for the thousands of lives lost. However, some people believe it was mostly Captain Edward Smith’s fault since he was the one responsible for the ship. Some people also believe that Andrews is a hero for going down with the ship he designed. Although there are many differing opinions about this, Thomas Andrews should be Comment [T3]: TWO SIDES TO ARGUMENT the one people blame most because he should have designed the ship so the plates weren’t so fragile and made the bulkheads higher. He also should not have let Bruce Ismay persuade him to lower the number of lifeboats. Comment [T4]: THESIS & REASONS FOR BLAMING PERSON/THING

BODY PARAGRAPH #1

Thomas Andrews is the person to blame for the because he should have designed the ship differently. Although Andrews was not the only designer, he was Comment [T5]: TOPIC SENTENCE responsible for the final “fit-out” and much of the décor of the Titanic. Andrews should have made the ship’s plates less fragile and made the bulkheads in a higher position. He definitely should have been more detailed and less careless when designing the ship.According to the Comment [T6]: EXPLANATION OF TOPIC SENTENCE/DETAILS article, Thomas Andrews, Shipwright, “Fourteen feet of water had come in in ten minutes, far Comment [T7]: INTRODUCE EVIDENCE FROM SOURCE

more than could be pumped away. As the water came in, the ship would settle towards the bow.

Eventually the water would come up to the top of the transverse bulkheads that separated the holds.”These bulkheads were supposed to make the ship unable to sink. The bulkheads were Comment [T8]: SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FROM ARTICLE/SOURCE IN THE FORM OF A QUOTE fitted with watertight doors that failed to deliver. If the ship was built properly by Andrews in the Comment [T9]: EXPLANATION OF HOW EVIDENCE SUPPORTS MY POINT OF VIEW first place and more care was taken when it came to the safety of the passengers, so many lives would not have been lost on that cold April night so many years ago. Comment [T10]: RESTATE TOPIC SENTENCE IN DIFFERENT WORDS.

BODY PARAGRAPH #2

Secondly, Thomas Andrews is to blame for lives lost because he let Bruce Ismay, owner of the , persuade him to lower the number of lifeboats. As the head designer, Comment [T11]: TOPIC SENTENCE

Andrews should have had the final say in how many lifeboats were allowed to be on the ship. In other words, Andrews should have been more firm in the matter and thought more about passenger safety. According to the article, The Sinking of the Titanic: who was to blame?, Comment [T12]: EXPLANATION OF TOPIC SENTENCE/DETAILS

“Ismay decided that fewer lifeboats would be placed on board the ship than should have been. Comment [T13]: INTRODUCE EVIDENCE FROM SOURCE

The boat was designed to carry 32 lifeboats but this number was reduced to 20 because Ismay (and the designer concurred) felt that the upper deck would be too cluttered thereby denying passengers more space to roam about on the upper deck.” Therefore, Thomas Andrews agreed Comment [T14]: SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FROM ARTICLE/SOURCE IN THE FORM OF A QUOTE with Ismay’s poor decision to lower the number of lifeboats that the Titanic would ultimately carry. Since Andrews was indeed the head designer and in charge of these matters, he should be held most responsible for this decision. So many more lives would not have been lost if Thomas Comment [T15]: EXPLANATION OF HOW EVIDENCE SUPPORTS MY POINT OF VIEW

Andrews had made the decision to have more lifeboats on the Titanic. Comment [T16]: RESTATE TOPIC SENTENCE IN DIFFERENT WORDS

CONCLUSION

There is no doubt that , 1912 was a tragic day for passengers aboard the Titanic.

What was supposed to be an exciting adventure on “The Ship of Dreams” turned into a nightmare.

Thomas Andrews, head designer of the Titanic, should be blamed most for not only the sinking of Comment [T17]: RESTATE TOPIC the ship, but for the thousands of lives lost. Andrews should have designed the Comment [T18]: RESTATE ARGUMENT/OPINION ON WHO/WHAT IS TO BLAME ship more carefully when it came to the position of the bulkheads and the durability of the ship’s plates. He also should have made having enough lifeboats on board a priority despite what Bruce

Ismay thought about it. This tragedy will forever be a piece of history and we must learn Comment [T19]: RESTATE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE/REASONS WHY YOU ARE BLAMING PERSON/THING from the many mistakes that were made on this unforgettable night. Some say history repeats itself, but in this case, we must make sure it does not. Comment [T20]: LEAVE READER WITH A LASTING IMPRESSION