Phantse iminyaka engama-92 igqithile ukusukela oko uKapteni uCharles Bartlett, eme kwiipyjama zakhe kwibhulorho yenqanawa enkulu emhlabeni, i-HMHS Britannic, yanikezela ikhwelo lokushiya inqanawa.
Kwakungo-8.35am ngoNovemba 21 1916. Inqanawa yolwandle enefuneli emine, eyakhelwe ukuba ibe nkulu ngakumbi kwaye ikhuseleke ngakumbi kuneTitanic “engatshoniyo”, udade wabo owayenezifo, yayidwelisa ngokukhawuleza. UBartlett wayesazi ukuba inqanawa yayiza kutshabalala, kodwa ngale ntsasa izolile njengoko yayisiya kuqokelela amajoni awayengxwelerhekile kwiphulo lemfazwe yehlabathi yokuqala eBalkans, yena nabasebenzi bakhe babengenakuyithelekelela isantya esasiza kuhla ngaso inqanawa.
Ugqabhuko-dubulo lwenzeka ngo-8.12am, kwathumela isigebenga esikhulu kwinqanawa ye-gargantuan, yonakalisa kakubi isaphetha saso njengoko sasidlula kwisiqithi saseGrisi saseKea. Kwimizuzu engamashumi amahlanu anesihlanu emva koko, “inqanawa emangalisayo” yeemitha ezingama-269 (883ft) yalala kwicala lenkwenkwezi ezantsi elwandle.
Apho iBritannic, eyasungulwa ngoFebruwari 1914 eBelfast, kwaye, kunyaka olandelayo, yasetyenziswa njengenqanawa yesibhedlele ngexesha lemfazwe okokuqala, yayiza kuhlala kubunzulu beemitha ezili-122 (400ft), ingachukunyiswa kwaye ilityalwe, de ibe yafunyanwa ngumhloli wamazwe uJacques Cousteau, ngowe-1975.
Ngoku, imfihlakalo, kunye neengxabano ezigubungele esi sikhephe - esiye satshona ngokukhawuleza xa sithelekisa ne-160 okanye imizuzu ethathwe yi-Titanic - ingaphakanyiswa ngokukhawuleza.
Kukho izicwangciso zokuguqula inqanawa ibe yimyuziyam ekhangayo engaphantsi kwamanzi. Indawo yayo, esele ijongwe kuphela ngabantu abambalwa abahlukeneyo, iya kuvulelwa abakhenkethi. Injongo yeyokuba ukhenketho lokuqala kwindawo engaphantsi kwamanzi luqale kwihlobo elizayo.
Igqibelele ngokumangalisayo
USimon Mills, umbhali-mbali waselwandle waseBritani owathenga inqanawa kurhulumente wase-UK ngowe-1996 nowaququzelela iprojekthi yangaphantsi kwamanzi namagosa aseGrisi, uxelele iGuardian: “Icebo lethu kukuqalisa ngeenqwelo-moya ezinezihlalo ezithathu okanye ezine. I-Titanic ilele kumanzi abandayo akuMntla weAtlantiki kwaye iqhekeka ngokukhawuleza ngenxa yeebhaktheriya ezitya isinyithi, kwiminyaka engamakhulu ambalwa kuya kuba kuncinci kakhulu okubonakalayo. Kodwa iBritannic yahluke ngokupheleleyo. Ulala emanzini afudumeleyo, ugcinwe kakuhle kwaye ulungile ngokumangalisayo. Lixesha elide usithwe ngudade wabo omdala kodwa naye unebali lakhe afuna ukulibalisa.”
Bambalwa abanolwazi ngezihlandlo zokugqibela zelo bali ngaphandle kwabantu baseKea, abaphuma ngokukhawuleza ngezikhephe zokuloba ukuze bahlangule oogqirha abali-1,036, abongikazi kunye nabasebenzi ababethwe yintlekele.
Usekela-sodolophu wesiqithi, uGiorgos Euyenikos, wathi: “Wonke umntu olapha uyazi ngeziganeko zaloo ntsasa kuba ntsapho nganye ngandlel’ ithile yayibandakanyekile. Xa inqanawa isihlayo kwavakala isandi esikhulu kwaye abantu basekuhlaleni bagxalathelana ukuya kwindawo ephakamileyo yesiqithi ukuze babone ukuba kwenzeka ntoni.
“Utata wayeyinkwenkwana xa yayisenzeka loo nto yaye ukhumbula uyise ekhumbula isikhalo sabantu ababekhala ngeentlungu ezingathethekiyo njengoko babejamelene nokufa.” Kodwa, ngokungafaniyo nelahleko enkulu yobomi kwi-Titanic, ngabantu abangama-30 kuphela kwiBritannic ababhubhayo, ngenxa yokuba inqanawa yayikuhambo lwangaphandle kwaye ingathwali naziphi na izigulane.
Kodwa yayiyindlela yokufa eye yahlula iBritannic. Njengoko uBartlett wayezama ukuyimisa elunxwemeni i-liner emva kogqabhuko-dubulo olwalugqobhoze inqanawa, izikhephe ezibini zokuhlangula ezazithotyiwe ngaphandle kolwazi lwakhe ziye zafunxwa kwiipropela zenqanawa ezazisaqhushuza zaza zakrazuka. Bonke ababekhwele kwizikhephe zokuhlangula bafa.
Esi siganeko, esichazwe ngokweenkcukacha nguViolet Jessop, umongikazi wase-Anglo-Ireland owasinda ngokumangalisayo ekuzikeni kweTitanic, sothuse abo bayibonayo.
Iipropeller ezijikelezayo
Kwingxelo yakhe eyapapashwa ngowe-1997, uJessop wabhala wathi: “Akuzange kuviwe nelimdaka, kungakhange kuviwe nesithonga, ngamakhulukhulu amadoda abalekela elwandle ngokungathi abalekela utshaba oluwasukelayo. exodus, kwaye, ngoloyiko lwam, ndabona iipropela ezinkulu zaseBritannic zirhubuluza kwaye zicola yonke into ekufutshane nazo – amadoda, izikhephe nayo yonke into yayisisivunguvungu esinye esoyikekayo.”
Mahlanu kuphela kula maxhoba aseBritannic awakhe afunyanwa.
UMills wathi ekhumbula abo bafe kuloo nqwelo-moya, kwakuya kunyanyekelwa ngokukhethekileyo ukuze kulondolozwe ingqibelelo kuloo ngozi.
"Le projekthi ayikho nje malunga nokhenketho kodwa malunga nemfundo, ulondolozo kunye ne-archaeology yaselwandle," watsho.
I-Mills ikwanethemba lokuphelisa ezinye "iintsomi" ekudala zijikeleza iBritannic, kubandakanya nenkcazo yeethiyori zamayelenqe ukuba ukongeza ekuthutheni abantu abenzakeleyo, inqanawa yayithwele iimpahla zomkhosi kwimikhosi eManyeneyo kuMbindi Mpuma.
Ababhali-mbali baye bongeza kwingxabano ngokugcina ukuba inqanawa yayine-torpedoed, nangona uphando lwe-sonar scan olwenziwe kutshanje nje ngo-2003 olomeleza inkolelo yokuba i-liner yawiswa ngumgodi obekwe yi-U-boat yaseJamani.
"Uninzi lweepropaganda zexesha lemfazwe zisekho nanamhlanje, hayi isityholo saseJamani sokuba iBritannic yayisetyenziswa kakubi njengomthuthi womkhosi xa wayesihla," utshilo uMills. "Akukho bungqina bubonisa ukuba le yayiyinyani, kwaye sinethemba lokuba kungekudala ezi ntsomi ziza kumiswa."
Inqaku lasemva
IBritannic yaphehlelelwa ngo-1914, eyesithathu kwiinqanawa zodidi lweOlimpiki zodidi lolwandle ezakhiwe yiWhite Star Line eHarland naseWolf's Belfast. Ubungakanani bayo kunye nobunewunewu yayinjalo ekuqaleni yayiza kubizwa ngokuba yiGigantic. Lo mzila wawuyila ngokutsha inqanawa ukuze ulungise iziphene ezazinendima ebalulekileyo ekuzikeni kweTitanic, ngowe-1912. Kwenziwa isaziso sokuba iBritannic yayiza kuhamba ngenqanawa eSouthampton isiya eNew York ithwele amawakawaka abaphambukeli ababesinge kwihlabathi elitsha. Kodwa imfazwe yehlabathi yokuqala yangenelela kwaye, ifunwa ngumkhosi waselwandle waseBritane, iBritannic endaweni yoko yaqalisa ukuthwala abonzakeleyo kwiphulo laseGallipoli kunye neminye imida kuMbindi Mpuma. Wayekuhambo lwakhe lwesithandathu lwangaphandle xa kwabakho intlekele ngoNovemba 21 1916 yaza inqanawa yazika eKea, isiqithi esikufuphi neAthens. Ingxabano isoloko ixakeke malunga nokuba inqanawa yabethwa ngumgodi okanye i-torpedo. Abanye ababhali-mbali bakholelwa ukuba yahlaselwa ngenxa yokuba yayiphethe izixhobo kwaye inxibe kuphela njengenqanawa yesibhedlele.
