And some might say to the point of overkill.
Titanic was ordered from the Harland & Wolff yard at Belfast on September 17, 1908. Laid down as Yard No 401 on March 31,1909, the ship was launched but not christened on May 31, 1911. The ship was handed over on April 2,1912, and at 46,239gt was the largest vessel to have been built in the United Kingdom.
The 21-knot, 269m long, triple-screw steamer was built to carry 735 first, 674 second and 1026 third-class passengers. Titanic left Southampton on April 10, 1912, for New York via Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland.
It left the latter port with 1348 passengers and a crew of 860.
Shortly before midnight on April 14, the ship's starboard side struck an iceberg drifting by. In less than three hours the liner had sunk and 1503 lives (815 passengers and 688 crew) were lost in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
One important legacy that emerged from this disaster was the setting up of the International Convention for the safety of life at sea, Solas. The first version of this maritime treaty appeared in 1914 in response to the loss of Titanic. It is still updated as required.
But not everyone respects the Solas requirements and news from overseas often reports tragic loss of life from overloaded ferries. The worst case on record was the collision between the ferry Dona Paz and the small 667gt tanker Vector on December 20, 1987, in the Philippines. The death toll, the worst ever in peacetime, was estimated to be about 4375, but the eventual official death toll was later recorded as 1749.
The fully-laden tanker, on charter to Caltex Philippines, was on a voyage from Bataan to Masbate when it collided with the Leyte to Manila-bound ferry. The tanker burst into flames and the fire spread to Dona Paz.
This 2602gt, 93m long vessel was built by the Onomichi yard and entered service in 1963 as Himemari Maru. With a capacity for 608 passengers, it plied Japanese waters until 1975 when it was sold to Sulpicio Lines. It renamed it Dona Sulpicio then Dona Paz in 1981.
Three days after the collision, Sulpicio Lines released a revised manifest showing that the vessel was carrying 1583 passengers and 58 crew members. However, it was later revealed that extra tickets were usually purchased illegally from crew members at a cheaper rate and those passengers were not listed on the manifest. The same applied to holders of complimentary tickets and children under 4.
Eight hours passed before Philippine maritime authorities learned of the collision and a further eight before a search was organised.
Only 26 survived the ordeal, 24 passengers and two from the 13-strong crew of the tanker. Most of them sustained burns from jumping into the flaming water.
The initial investigation carried out by the Philippine Coast Guard revealed that one apprentice member of the crew was monitoring the bridge when the collision occurred.
Other officers on the ferry were drinking beer or watching television.
Vector was said to be operating without a licence, lookout or properly qualified master.
