On Saturday, March 31, 2001 I had the opportunity to hear Ohio mariner and author David G. Brown speak about his book, “The Last Log of the Titanic”, in which he challenges the common theories postulated about the ship’s collision with the iceberg. Brown utilized his expertise as a ship’s captain to delve into the popularly regarded accounts of the events of April 14-15, 1912 in the North Atlantic.

His announcement for the scheduled Toledo, Ohio talk was posted on the Encyclopedia Titanica web site, much to the interest of several individuals who lived within a reasonable time from the Glass City. And shatter those accounts he does!

His research and knowledge of ships, combined with a refreshing common sense approach to the known factors of the Titanic’s demise, offers a completely fresh look at the last hours of the vessel, focusing particularly around what he calls ‘the lost hour’, from collision to the launching of the first lifeboat, an hour which is vaguely covered in most historical accounts.

One by one, the pieces surrounding the night’s tragedy fall into place and facts are given a unique view as to how, why and when they occurred. Though he refers to his chronicle as a historical opinion, I found myself agreeing with the way the events unfolded through his referencing.

Arriving about 45 minutes before the scheduled seminar, I arrived at the same moment as ET regular Bill Wormstedt, and author George Behe. We milled about the book store where the presentation was to be held. We all knew we were there for the talk, but it was a few minutes before we formally introduced each other. I knew who the two ‘Titaniacs’ were, only because I knew through MB threads that Bill (who flew in from Washington state) was riding with George. Most students of the Titanic recognize researchers such as George, Don Lynch, Jack Eaton, Charles Haas, Ken Marschall, etc. through publicity surrounding their various projects.

First with the introduction was Bill Wormstedt, a friendly fellow Titaniac from Seattle. Immediately following a joking reference to bringing tomatoes to ‘taunt’ speaker David Brown (discussed to some extent on the ET message boards, George Behe said, “you must be Dan Cherry!” We all shook hands and shared brief greetings before seeking the place where the talk would commence. 

One of the highlights at the symposium would be an HO scale Titanic model, if the person bringing it could safely transport it. “And there it is,” George was the first to spot the buff and black funnels rising above a book case marring an unobstructed view from where we had entered the store. We had found the some 8-9 foot model and stood before it in a matter of seconds. Bill and I, model makers, quickly made our way to the display case and marveled at the detail put into the wood and cardboard creation. A lot of effort and detail went into it. The fact that the model had passengers walking where they should not have (on top of the bridge roof and around the bases of the funnels) did not take away from out close examination of the representation before us. Out of curiosity, George asked if the courier had any trouble getting the model here. The response was “no, I just threw it in the back of the truck and brought it over.” Whatever works!

Bill Wormstedt and I spoke about our experiences and stepping stones in assembling our Titanic models. He is stuck at applying the rigging, I at waiting for complex details to be confirmed before plugging away at final assembly. Other topics included Roy Mengot’s wreck model and it being approved for accurate detail by dedicated researchers such as Ken Marschall, as well as others in respective fields, not to mention other model makers attempting to create similar results - efforts to be deemed commendable, but cannot compare to the eye for detail aided by Mengot’s engineering background.

George Behe spoke with me at length about our areas of interest in Titanic, his in the passengers’ stories, mine in visual history and Titanica in general. I brought along a copy of my 1997 book on a local history, to which George replied that I sold more books in my first print run (out of two) than he did in his first published chronicle total. Huh!

With a full half-hour until the talk, we drifted to various parts of the bookstore to kill a little time. Within a few minutes, we happened to converge in the same section. History buffs to the end! About 12:40, I went to the makeshift auditorium at the back of the bookstore to find a seat while Bill and George went to retrieve a small collection of items kindly requested by David Brown to bring along. Once back from the parking lot, George set up a knot of White Star Line and Titanic-related memorabilia on a nearby card table.

The featured speaker had not yet arrived, and patiently, we all sat down together in front row seats to wait for David Brown. None of us knew who to look for, but I had it in my mind that a Captain Smith lookalike would soon be coming through the doors In short order, the captain arrived, a gentleman in seaman’s coat and cap, with captains bars on each shoulder. “I’m willing to bet that’s him,” observed George. Within a few minutes, a crowd of about 40 converged on the corner of the store, including another ET regular, Captain Erik Wood.

To reserve the time after the talk for a Q&A session and opening dialogues about the Titanic, David Brown conducted his book-signing beforehand. He mentioned that it would also allow any latecomers to arrive and not miss any part of his presentation, a kind gesture, for there were latecomers to be had.

David Brown’s theories and interpretations of the Titanic’s activities from about 9 p.m. until 2:20 a.m. on April 14-15 were riveting, no pun intended, and before we knew it, a scant hour and a half had passed. After the conclusion, he invited George to explain the history of the artifacts in his small display. After George’s humble explanation of the sample of memorabilia he had before him, David signed a few more books for those who didn’t get a chance beforehand, and with the exception of about 6 or 7 people, the audience moved on to other Saturday afternoon activities.

I offered a few thoughts on the author’s comprehensive views in his book, and covered a few more Titanic topics with Bill. I also had the privilege of speaking with a younger Titanic enthusiast, who was a professed fan of the Titanic tutorial and rivet-counter.com, as well as the web sites at the TRMA, the Debris Field and the Official Britannic Research Center.

We shot a few ideas for model presentations back and forth, in order to offer fresh ways of constructing Olympic-class models. I won’t spoil Josh’s efforts by revealing his model ideas before he unveils it himself, but I was inspired by the next generation’s enthusiasm in the field. By 3:30-4:00, it was suggested that we move the ‘party’ of David, Erik, Bill, George, and myself to a local mall court for refreshments and further discussions on all things Titanic and ships in general. Unfortunately, I had places to be in short order, so after organizing a few group pictures of the five of us and offering well-wishes and brief dialogue reiterating the pleasure of meeting each other, I was heading off into the direction of the late-afternoon sun.

© 2001, The Debris Field. The article is a direct copyright of Dan Cherry. The Debris Field is the direct copyright of Mike and Steve Pell.