March 31st 1909

The Titanic, on her maiden voyage, just set sail from the shores of England. It was the most magnificent ship ever built, and everybody is very excited. No expense has been spared – the vast dining rooms, casinos, hundreds of neatly groomed waiters and polite service staff, string quartets, the works.

Every night at the bar, they had this magician come on and perform the most wonderfully amazing tricks of conjury the world had ever seen. It’s the first night of the voyage, and everyone is eager to see this great man at work, except there was one slight problem. There was this parrot, who’d sit on the bar top by the peanuts, and ruin each trick as the magician performed them. Each time, the parrot would sit quietly until the trick was almost completed, and say things like, “Squark! It’s up his sleeve!” or “Sqeeek! He’s hidden it in the hat!” etc., and ruin the trick for the magician.

Every time, the parrot would do this, and the magician would get madder and madder as the night wore on.

The same happened on the next night, and the one after that. The magician would shake with fury at this silly parrot ruining his world famous show. He spent his days devising even better and more stupendously amazing tricks in an effort to fool this bloody parrot.

One night, the magician is about to perform his greatest trick of the voyage. The lights are dimmed, a hushed silence sweeps across the bar floor, a drum roll builds up to a mighty crescendo as the magician performs his final piece de resistance….and suddenly the ship hits an iceberg and sinks…

For three days, the magician manages to cling to a door floating around in the wreckage, starving, thirsty. On the third day, he notices at the other end of the door, the parrot, sitting calmly and quietly, staring back at him. For three more days the magician just glowers at him, not saying a word – bitter, hushed, resentful, silence.

…Until one day, the parrot can’t contain himself any longer and squarks,
“Alright! I give up! What have you done with the ship?!”

The Titanic was a luxurious ship, but she was Butt ugly (In the same way that the modern Queen Mary is actually).
The most attractive ship, IMO, and dare I say it…was French. The Normandie. It was the most luxurious and possibly the fastest liner ever built.
Stolen by the Americans at the outbreak of WW2, during its refit to troopship, sparks from the welders set it alight. It ended up getting sunk due to incompetent firefighters in New York harbour not listening to the French crew about how to put a fire out in that part of the ship. The firefighters water just became unwanted ballast and over she went.

…despite the long running Titanic interest, the sister ship story is interesting as well. Hospital ship, torpedoed etc etc.

Mined actually…..but still sunk by a U-boat.

Ironically the other sister, Olympic, rammed and sank a U-boat that was trying to torpedo her…..one-all then! :diablo:

On a serious note, despite the long running Titanic interest, the sister ship story is interesting as well. Hospital ship, torpedoed etc etc.

Indeed! The Titanic in fact had two sister ships in the Olympic class. HMHS Britannic (by all accounts intended to be called the Gigantic, but changed to Britannic in light of the Titanic’s sinking), and RMS Olympic. It’s such a shame none of them are still around!

Paul

I saw a “conspiracies” show where they blew away that notion, but they interviewed a guy who makes a living writing books about it.

never let the truth get in the way of a good story……

……see that little Devil at the end of me post?

As the old joke went…
‘What goes down well with ice’… ???

You mean the Titanic. The ship that sank was the sister ship. Swapped as part of the insurance swindle when the RN clobbered her in the dock. As well you know:dev2:

I saw a “conspiracies” show where they blew away that notion, but they interviewed a guy who makes a living writing books about it.

never let the truth get in the way of a good story……

Allegedly (of course) 😀

It also means Celien Dion on the radio, ALL DAY EVERY DAY:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Still, the movie does show Kate Winsletts acting, ahem:diablo:, assetts very well something like 1 hr 16 mins in (so I’m told….):dev2:

On a serious note, despite the long running Titanic interest, the sister ship story is interesting as well. Hospital ship, torpedoed etc etc.

You mean the Titanic. The ship that sank was the sister ship. Swapped as part of the insurance swindle when the RN clobbered her in the dock. As well you know:dev2:

It also means Celien Dion on the radio, ALL DAY EVERY DAY:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Still, the movie does show Kate Winsletts acting, ahem:diablo:, assetts very well something like 1 hr 16 mins in (so I’m told….):dev2:

On a serious note, despite the long running Titanic interest, the sister ship story is interesting as well. Hospital ship, torpedoed etc etc.

Amazing to think, really, that the sinking’s 100th anniversary is just around the corner….