I am a titanic addict. Usually, any book with anything to do in any form to the Titanic is an instant request for me. This was not bad for a nonfiction and I love to see any other ideas in regard to what doomed the ocean liner. Easy to read and well researched.

The most famous maritime accident in history to date raises questions about the definition of what was the main circumstance that led a ship considered by many to be "unsinkable" to sink in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
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But author Bryan Jackson in this book shows us that it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint just one mistake that led to the momentous tragedy of 110 years ago.
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In Why The Titanic Was Doomed, we are presented with circumstances ranging from "savings" aimed at comfort and design in construction, the delay of the RMS Titanic's maiden voyage to misguided choices made seconds before the ship collided with the iceberg.
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Also featuring a detailed timeline that extends to 2030 - the year in which the Titanic will probably cease to exist once and for all on the seafloor due to a superbug -, the work is not just a technical and impersonal account, but manages to elicit emotions as strong as the fictional version of James Cameron.
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I definitely loved reading it and I think it became one of those books that leave a mark on you forever. Hopefully, even after 2030 the story of the RMS Titanic and its entire crew will remain in our minds.

I honestly thought I knew everything about Titanic. Ding dong, I was wrong. Even the biggest Titanic nerd will learn something from this interesting and informative book.

I sped through it in one evening. As some other reviewers have pointed out, the first section of the book was a little more interesting, with real life stories from the tribunal after the sinking included. I really enjoyed this.

I love all things Titanic and I was thrilled to be able to get a copy of this book.

I must say that the first half of the book was brilliant, I carried on reading and didn’t want to put it down. It was fascinating and I loved find out more, it really was stand out for me.

The way that the story of the Titanic was told in the book was excellent, it was easy to follow and understand and it really does get the brain ticking in terms of what did happen and why, along with the most important question - could it have been avoided, but the author goes one further as he explains why he believed that the Titanic was “doomed” so naturally that is something that will grab your attention if you do have a passion or interests in the ship.

The second part covers a different set of points that are still very interesting and you will carry on reading after being hooked from the way the book starts. The preface and introduction really do hit the nail on the head and the Titanic was, and most likely will always be one of the most, if not the most famous ship in the world due to its infamy and its “brush” with the iceberg on 14th April 1912 which ultimately changed the history of many families, and the future of passenger ships.

The book does make you think as it does sound as though through a number of different elements it was not likely to have a long service at all but we will never be in a position to find out.

It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon – it is a great addition to my Titanic book collection and on that is highly recommended!

This is a very well written and thought out book. It is laid out in clear and concise chapters in an easy to read format. While this story has been told many times, Bryan manages to bring fresh views and facts to the playing field, also highlighting the tragic human cost. I recommend it to any Titanic fan!

Excellent book about the sinking of the Titanic, especially if you are looking for the specifics and nuts and bolts aspect. Amazingly detailed and a step by step approach on how this supposedly unsinkable ship, sank to the icy depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. Fascinating

Oh my goodness! I did not think that this book would affect me the way it did, but it blew me away. I enjoyed reading about the different areas that really doomed Titanic from the start, shuddered again at the large loss of life, and dove into the timeline like a kid in a candy store.

Absolutely heartbreaking and amazing all at once. This book was all of those - with a lot more in between. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy anything Titanic.

As someone who loves history, this was fascinating. Some parts were a little dry (irony?) but that's nonfiction for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We have all heard the story of why the Titanic sank-it hit an iceberg. But did it? This book reveals an alternative account of why the Titanic was doomed before it even left the shipyard. A fascinating account, well-written, well-researched. Definitely a recommended read.

Nonfiction book detailing all the circumstances that came together that caused the Titanic to sink. Covers each topic with exactly how it effected the Titanic and why it would have affected the sinking. The only thing that I've heard of in relation to the sinking that was not included was the coal bunker fire that many researchers believed sped up the sinking. This is a great book for those interested in the Titanic and how she sank.

Good book about the titanic, very informational, gives you timelines from when it was created till the time it hit the iceberg, there is also pictures.
Thanks to Penn & Sword History, netgalley, and author in an exchange for a review.
Publishing date April 30th 2022.

Why The Titanic Was Doomed is a critical evaluation of the reason(s) why Titanic met the fate that it did in April 15th, 1912. If you ask someone why the Titanic sank, more times than not you will be told it was because of an iceberg. While this is true,researcher Bryan Jackson argues that there were also several other things that could have attributed to the sinking. Topics such as the way the ship was built, the way that the crew handled the messages regarding icebergs, and the idea that Titanic was unsinkable are discussed and it is explained how each could have impacted the untimely end of the magnificent ship. It is argued that the "ship of dreams" may very well have been doomed before it even left her first port.

When discussing how the Titanic was built, the author describes some of the short cuts that may have been taken due to time and money. These included man made welding versus machinery welding, limiting the amount of space for life boats, substandard materials, and potentially outdated requirements for all ocean liners. The type of welding played a role because if it had been done by machinery it would have been more secure and thus harder for the water to force its way aboard the ship. Outdated regulations is a topic that comes up multiple times through out the book including examples of how some of these regulations were changed after the tragedy of the Titanic. The limited number of life boats has been a highly debated topic when discussing the sinking of the Titanic. There were only 20 lifeboats aboard the ship and this amount of lifeboats was no where near what was needed to save all the passengers. Originally, there was going to be more lifeboats but the decision was made to pull back the amount in order to create more space for leisure and walking. Personally, I would have much rather had the extra lifeboats!

The Titanic received multiple warnings about ice fields in the area which they were sailing. Some of these made it to Captain Smith for evaluation while others were set aside and not deemed as important. Apparently it was more important to get the messages out to loved ones especially after the transmitter was down for a period of time. If these warnings had been taken more seriously, there would have been more time prepare, reduce speed, and potentially avoid disaster. Unfortunately a major part of this avoidance came from thinking that nothing could possibly happen to this unsinkable ship.

The idea that the Titanic was unsinkable started off relatively innocent. During construction it was going to be a ship that was "nearly unsinkable". Somewhere along the way the "nearly" part of the idea disappeared and the "unsinkable ship" idea was pushed to the forefront. This was obviously human error and a very costly human error. If this concept had not been brought up perhaps things would have been taken more seriously. Instead anyone involves with the Titanic became very cocky and truly started to believe the unsinkable message. Although I have known about this before, I couldn't help but cringe the way the author described it and analyzed it. Sadly it seems to the ego of some destroyed the lives of so many.

Why The Titanic Was Doomed is well researched and easy to read. There is alot of information here but it is put together in a very concise manner. Bryan Jackson uses newpaper articles, quotes from survivors, outlines of the building project and the sailing plan in order to formulate his argument. The information is also very interconnected with what ultimately happened. There are alot of "what if" scenarios and sadly even after 110 years our questions may never really be answered regarding what could have prevented the events of that tragic night.

Very well researched and interesting to read.

While the Titanic disaster has been picked over many times by many different eyes none has been as fact full (in my opinion) as this book. It was filled with all snippets of the events that led to the possibility of disaster, from the accidents that happened before the ship even left the dock to the way that the rivets were made and how they could have been weaker.

I am a really big fan of anything to do with the Titanic but didn't really think I would enjoy another book about the subject. How wrong I was absolutely loved this book. Great facts, great story telling brilliant. The pictures were a real delight at the end totally recommend

I've read most books on the Titanic that I could get my hands on. This book is differently simply because it shows each step from the beginning of the ship building to the night of her sinking that took her to the bottom of the ocean. This is a very interesting book. Like most books on the subject of Titanic, there isn't a whole lot of new information. You will however find this book one of the most interesting books written about the Titanic. The writing flows and even a first time reader of Titanic history will enjoy and understand this book.

Titanic – the most magnificent ocean liner of her time – was doomed and destined for disaster before she ever left the docks at Southampton. Author Bryan Jackson presents a new and unique look at the many circumstances that came together on the night of April 14, 1912, to claim over 1,500 lives and leave the Titanic lying in 12,000 feet of water on the bottom of the North Atlantic.

Jackson organizes his book around fourteen main chapters with each chapter exploring the various circumstances that may seem disconnected but combined together on the night of April 14 leading to the biggest naval disaster. They include flawed design decisions, outdated regulations, substandard materials, weather conditions, lookouts left blinded, delayed maiden voyage, the coal strike before the voyage, and warnings never acted upon among others. The book also provides a comprehensive timeline that details the events which lead to her faulty construction -- and eventual destruction.

The last section talks about the aftermath of the Titanic. The book goes into great detail—to find out the events after the tragedy including the fate of the crew, owners, some survivors of the tragedy, and also other ships like--the Olympic, the Britannic, the Carpathia, the Californian, which were quite interesting. There are many books about Titanic but very few discuss the events that happened after the tragedy, which were both fascinating and engaging.

The book contains an appendix and some wonderful pictures of the building, launching, and sea trials of the great ship, important people associated with the ship, and various artifacts.
This is a history of the Titanic mostly focusing on the mistakes that all added up to contribute to the tragedy. The book mainly focuses on the “WHY” rather than the “HOW” and does not fall back on pointing out the human errors and corporate greed responsible for some of the ill-fated decisions such as the captain choosing to not slow down in the dark as they entered the ice fields, or not enough lifeboats or faulty design to accommodate more rich passengers and others.

This book has been very well researched and has been well written to include every possible detail. Though there are many books about Titanic and I have read quite a few of them, this book contained lots of relatively unknown facts and has been a fascinating read. The chapters present all the information in clear and concise chapters which were easy to read. If you are interested in reading and understanding more about the Titanic disaster, this book is a must-read for you.

Many thanks to Bryan Jackson, NetGalley, and Pen & Sword for the ARC.

Very informative and exceptionally well researched book on what can be an over saturated subject matter.

Jacksons book is well written and well paced and raises some interesting points, drawing in much information from multiple sources into one place.

The book addresses the horror of those who lost their lives and everything they owned but denies to dwell in graphic details of the moments of the sinking of the ship which is to its merit.

A must read for any titanic enthusiast.

I love reading any type of historical book about the titanic and feel like I never know enough! There are always new facts and discoveries to be made.

A great comprehensive read for Titanic experts and novices alike!
I've been a passionate Titanic buff for like 15 years now, seen many documentaries and read many books and articles, which is why I'm always so happy to find new resources with information new to me. And this book delivered.
The Titanic disaster was indeed nothing but a perfect storm and Bryan Jackson did an amazing job getting and organizing all of this information into one place, into one very well written and easily digestible book. I certainly learned some information I didn't know before.
In addition to all of the factors that contributed to the ship's demise the author also includes info on other ships and people that took part in the tragedy, a detailed timeline and historical photos (always my favorite part).

As a person who has read several books on the Titanic as well as watching many documentaries and movies I wandered if this new title would add much to my knowledge and understanding so I was pleasantly surprised to find that indeed it did! The author takes a unique approach to telling the story where each chapter reviews a specific circumstance that contributed to the disaster and, as he says, if any of these circumstance had been different or avoided altogether the outcome could have been so different. This approach is similar to accident and incident investigations carried out in hazardous industries where disasters occur through the failure of multiple "layers of protection". The benefit of this approach to the story allows the reader to gather facts about separate failures of design, equipment, materials, human judgement as well as prevailing circumstances of weather, schedules and coinciding events. It is a fascinating exercise where the reader can draw their own conclusions but it is clear that there were multiple opportunities to avoid the incident or at least to mitigate the consequences.
Clearly there has been a lot of research on the material for this book as is shown in the breath of detail. What readers will also appreciate is the skill he has used to bring it all together into a well written and cohesive story. Quite the page turner!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing this book for review.