Trump’s Titanic: Sailing the Ship of State to Disaster

In 1912 the Bishop of Winchester said these words in a sermon marking the end of the R.M.S. Titanic: “Titanic, name and thing, will stand as a monument and warning to human presumption,” as well it should. Sadly, it seems that that Trump administration is doing its best to strip away vital safety, health, and environmental regulations that protect people from even worse disasters than that which befell the great ship 109 years ago, making it a a very contemporary story. But only a historian would understand that. I happen to be a historian.

The story of the Titanic has been told many times, and it should be a cautionary tale for those who in the name of profit and glory seek to dismantle safety and environmental standards. I remember reading Walter Lord’s classic treatment of the story, A Night to Remember back in 7th Grade. It made a tremendous impact on me, and every so often I will go back and read it again.

Lord did not romanticize the disaster as many in Britain did after the disaster, instead he gave us a fascinating narrative of that fateful night. He assigned blamed where it was needed while remembering the heroes who tried to stop the disaster long before Titanic struck the iceberg. He told the stories of those who did what they could to help others, while remembering the Third Class passengers who were locked below, unable to escape as Titanic plunged beneath the depths.

The story of Titanic is a perfect metaphor of the greed, hubris and arrogance that is now exemplified by the Trump Regime.

The story of what happened to the great ship is as hard to believe now as it was then, but even still incredible tragedies of shipwrecks, crashes of airlines, buildings and bridges, even spacecraft always invoke such feelings. When I was told about the Space Shuttle Challenger blowing up in 1986 I remarked to the young soldier who brought me the news “don’t be silly Space Shuttles don’t blow up.”

Walter Lord, who was probably the most prolific historian and author of the Titanic disaster used to talk of the “if onlys” that haunted him about the sinking of Titanic: “If only, so many if “onlys”. If only she had enough lifeboats. If only the watertight compartments had been higher. If only she had paid attention to the ice that night. If only the Californian did come…”

If only? will be a question that many will ask after Donald Trump wrecks the American Ship of State, something that took far longer than Titanic to construct.

The word “if” probably the biggest two letter word that plagues human history, looms large in the tragedy of Titanic. The great ship, which was the largest ship and one of the fastest ocean liners of her time was the victim of her owner and operators hubris as much as she was that of the iceberg which sank her. The ship was heralded by Bruce Ismay, the Chairman and Managing Director of the White Star Line as “unsinkable”, a claim that was echoed in the press.

Her builders had no such illusions and protested the claims. Thomas Andrews the Managing Director of Harland and Wolff Shipyards where she was built commented “The press is calling these ships unsinkable and Ismay’s leadin’ the chorus. It’s just not true.”

Titanic was designed with the latest shipbuilding innovations, watertight compartments, a double bottom and equipped with wireless. She was billed as “unsinkable” by her owners but those innovations as advanced as they were for her day were insufficient to save her when her Captain and owners chose to charge through a known ice field at full speed. Her watertight compartments did not extent far enough up the hull to prevent water from going over them. Likewise, it was never imagined that so many watertight compartments could be compromised at the same time.

Although Trump promised to do all that is happening today, far too many people, even when they knew that his actions would harm them, supported those policies and put him back in office. Never since Titanic has such hubris been rewarded by such appalling belief. The British press ignored the warnings of her designers and builders to trumpet the unsupported claim the Titanic was unsinkable, just as so many Americans put their trust in Trump, ignoring incontrovertible evidence that his policies will lead to disaster. The economy, not just ours but the world economy is crashing. He is preparing to attack Iran despite ongoing negotiations, which will set the Middle East and world afire. Our allies no longer trust us and while he betrays Ukraine he cozies up to dictators worldwide, except China’s Xi who he is handing over the control of Asia, and with it much of our national security and economic interests.

Thomas Andrews (above) and J. Bruce Ismay (below)

Back to Titanic. Bruce Ismay, like Trump, the Director of the White Star Line was a man who ignored the advice of experts. As Titanic was building her designer, Thomas Andrews told Ismay that she did not have enough lifeboats. Andrew’s wanted 64 but Ismay twisted to lower the number to 32. When Titanic sailed with only 20 of which 4 were collapsible boats smaller than smaller lifeboats. Justifying himself under antiquated regulations (which were written for ships of 10,000 tons) which allowed just 16 boats, Ismay told Andrews:

“Control your Irish passions, Thomas. Your uncle here tells me you proposed 64 lifeboats and he had to pull your arm to get you down to 32. Now, I will remind you just as I reminded him these are my ships. And, according to our contract, I have final say on the design. I’ll not have so many little boats, as you call them, cluttering up my decks and putting fear into my passengers”.

Captain Edward Smith

While Titanic’s Captain, Edward Smith, an experienced Captain on his final voyage before retirement was blinded by his faith in shipbuilding technology. While Captain of Adriatic which he commanded previously, “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern ship building has gone beyond that.” A Senator said during the hearings about the sinking of her captain, “Overconfidence seems to have dulled the faculties usually so alert”.

Smith was vain, careless and arrogant, but had Ismay not pushed him so hard to break the transatlantic record on his last voyage he might not have showed such a lack prudence in the face of verifiable warnings that caused other Captains that night to slow down or alter course to avoid danger. Likewise, Trump is vain and careless, but Smith decided to go down with his ship. Trump, like Ismay will do what he can to preserve his life and fortune when he sinks the United States.

The word “if” probably the biggest two letter word that plagues human history, looms large in the tragedy of Titanic. The great ship, which was the largest ship and one of the fastest ocean liners of her time was the victim of her owner and operators hubris as much as she was that of the iceberg which sank her. The ship was heralded by Bruce Ismay, the Chairman and Managing Director of the White Star Line as unsinkable, a claim that was echoed in the press.

Her builders had no such illusions and protested the claims. Thomas Andrews the Managing Director of Harland and Wolff Shipyards where she was built commented “The press is calling these ships unsinkable and Ismay’s leadin’ the chorus. It’s just not true.”

Titanic was designed with the latest shipbuilding innovations, watertight compartments, a double bottom and equipped with wireless. She was billed as “unsinkable” by her owners but those innovations as advanced as they were for her day were insufficient to save her when her Captain and owners chose to charge through a known ice field at full speed. Her watertight compartments did not extent far enough up the hull to prevent water from going over them. Likewise it was never imagined that so many watertight compartments could be compromised.

“If only” is a question often asked when discussing the sinking of Titanic. The same will be asked after the disaster which will befall us.

I guess that today we could say, “if only the Senate had convicted Trump in his second impeachment trial”, “If only the Supreme Court had not ruled that he could not be prosecuted for his actions in office”, if only Republicans, especially conservative Christians had not abandoned their bedrock principles and beliefs to support Trump, before and after his impeachment.

Ismay and Titanic are symbols of men guided only by their quest for riches and glory who revel in their power and scorn wise counsel or regulation, government or otherwise. They often believe that rules don’t apply to them. It is a cautionary tale for us today as corporations, lobbyists, and politicians seek to dismantle sensible and reasonable safety and environmental regulations for the sake of their unmitigated profit. Today we are seeing the Trump administration doing all that it can to strip away important safety, workplace, and environmental regulations in order to maximize profits.

But the warning goes far beyond that, it applies to any of us who adopt the mindset, “this cannot happen to us.” After all, there are times when we all end up as victims of our own hubris, such is the human condition. That is especially the case now where an American President defies all precedent, ignores laws, demeans the Constitution, stands against the very proposition of the Declaration, “that all men are created equal…” and who represents the unregulated hubris of men like Bruce Ismay. Had he been a passenger on board the ill-fated ship the President would have likely saved himself like Ismay, absconding into a boat while being the President of the Line to which Titanic belonged. Walter Lord wrote about Ismay:

“This Sunday he was enough a member of the crew to see the ice message that arrived from another ship. In the bright, sunny Palm Court—just as the bugler sounded lunch—Captain Smith gave him a warning from the Baltic. During the afternoon Ismay (who liked to remind people who he was) fished it out of his pocket and waved it at Mrs. Ryerson and Mrs. Thayer. In the smoking room before dinner, while the twilight still glowed through the amber-stained windows, Captain Smith sought and got the message back. Then Ismay walked down to the restaurant, immaculate in his dinner jacket, very much a First Class passenger. After the crash he went back to being in the crew—up with the Captain on the bridge … consulting with Chief Engineer Bell … and now, despite the tongue-lashing from Fifth Officer Lowe, shouting orders about the boats. Then came another switch. At the very last moment, he suddenly climbed into Boat C. Down it dropped, with 42 people including Bruce Ismay—just another passenger.”

That would be President Trump. He loves playing President, and playing the role of the Commander in Chief, but he would abandon the ship of state, the citizens of the United States, even his cult of devoted followers who believe every word he says. He does that every day, so it is not unlikely that when the ultimate disaster occurs that he will abandon the country, the American people including his ever loyal Cult.

This is a hard lesson to learn, but believe me when I say it. It is the story of Donald J. Trump, and all he has done as a businessman and as President.

Until next time.