Ghosts of the Titanic

Ghosts of the Titanic

We all know the most tragic maritime story of all time: the sinking of the Titanic by an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 14th, 1912. However, what many of us may not know is that, over the years, there have been many strange stories centred around the ill-fated ship. The most reported story has been that involving the Titanic Exhibit, which is housed in the Georgia Museum, and which travels from one major city to the next, giving people the opportunity to view many of the once-lost artifacts from the monumental wreckage. The exhibit is reported to be haunted.

Ghostly apparitions, disembodied voices and strange footsteps have been reported at many locations on the Titanic exhibit tour, and volunteers who work at the exhibit claim to have experienced an eerie presence around them while walking through the artifacts. These reports cannot be so easily dismissed, for it is quite often the case that spirits do attach themselves to certain artifacts, and haunt whatever location houses them This could well be the case with the Titanic, for obviously, unlike haunted properites, it is no longer actually standing, but has left behind many artefacts which could quite easily have been left with supernatural potential.

It is not known for sure just how many ghosts haunt the Titanic Exhibition. More than 1,500 people went down with the ship on that fateful evening of April 14th, 1912, so it could be any one or any number of those deceased souls.

A spokeswoman for the aquarium, Meghann Gibbons, has expressed her belief, and the belief of many volunteers working on the exhibit, that is is in fact haunted. One visitor to the Titanic Exhibit, with her daughter and 4 year old grandson, firmly agree. According to her story, while viewing the 1st class quarters, she and her daughter thought little of the young boy’s repeated questioning “Who is that lady?”, and “What is she doing?” They assured him that there was only a dress laid out over the love seat, as if waiting to be adorned. It wasn’t until they heard later that the TAPS ghost hunting team was investigating paranormal activity in the Titanic Exhibit that they believed the boy had experienced his first ghostly encounter.

 

Many visitors to the exhibit claimed to have experienced an eerie feeling, as if being watched, or feeling an immense sadness around specific objects or areas of the exhibit. Most assumed it was a general somber mood evoked by the 1912 disaster, but as more and more reports come in with similar claims, a lot of people are starting to give these reports credence – including the TAPS team of paranormal investigators from Sci-Fi’s “Ghost Hunters”. The TAPS lead investigators, Jay and Grant, strongly believe that the Titanic Exhibit is haunted. After a lengthy investigation, which aired on the 97th anniversary of the ship's tragic demise, the TAPS team found sufficient evidence of paranormal activity, including an eerie EVP recording. They were seated in a room trying to communicate with the ghost, and asked the spirit if it wanted them to leave. The voice distinctly replied, “Now – please, wait.” Unfortunately, Jay and Grant could not follow up on the questions, since they did not hear the voice until later, when the evidence was being analysed.

This year (2012), a group of ghost hunters plan to mark the 100th anniversary of the ‘Titanic’s’ sinking by travelling out to the exact location of the ship's sinking and searching for any residual impressions left behind from the incident. The group - appropriately named D.E.A.D (direct, evidence, after, death) - hope to achieve results mainly from the use of sophisticated EVP recorders. Their spokesperson, William Brower, says they will be recreating the atmosphere of the doomed ‘Titanic’s’ last hours by serving up the same meals and listening to the same type of music heard on that fateful night a century ago. One of the group, Angelica Harris, hopes this will be a fitting tribute to those that died, including her great uncle who was aboard.

The supernatural incidents revolving around the Titanic could be attributable to residual impressions, which are often left behind after an event of extreme trauma, like the emotional trauma experienced by all those people who went down with the Titanic. Will the group pick up sounds of those who died, desperately screaming out for help in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean? Only time will tell.