Cishe sekudlule iminyaka engama-92 kusukela uKaputeni uCharles Bartlett, emi egqoke izingubo zokulala ebhulohweni lomkhumbi omkhulu kunawo wonke emhlabeni, i-HMHS Britannic, ahlaba ikhwelo lokushiya umkhumbi.
Kwakungo-8.35am ngoNovemba 21 1916. Umkhumbi wasolwandle onamafunnel amane, owakhiwe waba mkhulu futhi uphephe ngaphezu kwe-Titanic “engacwiliki”, udadewabo ogulayo, wawukleliswa ngokushesha. UBartlett wayazi ukuthi umkhumbi wawuzobhujiswa, kodwa kulokhu ukusa okuzolile ngendlela esabekayo njengoba uhamba uyoqoqa amasosha ayelimele emkhankasweni wempi yezwe yokuqala eBalkans, yena nanoma yiliphi iqembu lakhe akekho owayengasicabanga isivinini umkhumbi owawuzokwehla ngaso.
Ukuqhuma kwenzeke ngo-8.12am, kwanyakazisa umkhumbi omkhulu, kwalimaza kabi umnsalo wawo njengoba udlula esiqhingini saseGreece, i-Kea. Ngemuva kwemizuzu engamashumi amahlanu nanhlanu, "umkhumbi wezimanga" wamamitha angu-269 (883ft) wabeka ibhodi lenkanyezi phansi olwandle.
Lapho, i-Britannic, eyasungulwa ngo-February 1914 e-Belfast, futhi, ngonyaka olandelayo, yasetshenziswa njengomkhumbi wasesibhedlela ngesikhathi sempi okokuqala ngqa, yayizohlala ekujuleni okungamamitha angu-122 (400ft), ingakathintwa futhi ikhohlakale, kuze kube yilapho ifika. yatholwa umhloli wamazwe uJacques Cousteau, ngo-1975.
Manje, imfihlakalo, kanye nempikiswano egubuzele lo mkhumbi - owacwila ngokushesha uma uqhathaniswa nemizuzu engu-160 noma ngaphezulu ethathwe i-Titanic - ingasuswa maduze.
Kunezinhlelo zokuguqula ukuphahlazeka komkhumbi kube umnyuziyamu omangalisayo ongaphansi kwamanzi. Indawo ekuyo, okuze kube manje isibukwe yidlanzana labatshuzi, izovulelwa izivakashi. Inhloso ukuthi ukuvakasha kokuqala emanzini angaphansi kwamanzi kuqale ehlobo elizayo.
Iphelele ngokumangalisayo
USimon Mills, isazi-mlando sasolwandle saseBrithani esathenga ukuphahlazeka komkhumbi kuhulumeni wase-UK ngo-1996 futhi owahlela umsebenzi ongaphansi kwamanzi nezikhulu zaseGreece, watshela i-Guardian: “Uhlelo lwethu luwukuqala ngezinto ezihlala ngaphansi kwamanzi ezinezihlalo ezintathu noma ezine. I-Titanic ilele emanzini abandayo asenyakatho ye-Atlantic futhi ihlakazeka ngokushesha ngenxa yamagciwane adla insimbi, eminyakeni engamakhulu ambalwa kuzoba nokuncane kakhulu okubonakalayo. Kodwa i-Britannic ihluke ngokuphelele. Ulele emanzini afudumele, ugcinwe kahle futhi uphelele ngendlela emangalisayo. Sekunesikhathi eside eqonywe ngudadewabo omdala kodwa naye unendaba yakhe afuna ukuyixoxa.”
Bambalwa abanolwazi mathupha ngezikhathi zokugcina zaleyo ndaba ngaphandle kwabantu baseKea, abaphuma ngesivinini ngezikebhe zokudoba ukuze bahlenge odokotela, abahlengikazi nabasebenzi abayi-1,036 abahlaselwe yinhlekelele.
Isekela-meya yalesi siqhingi, uGiorgos Euyenikos, wathi: “Wonke umuntu lapha uyazi ngezenzakalo zangalolo suku lwasekuseni ngoba yonke imikhaya ngandlela-thile yayihilelekile. Lapho umkhumbi wehla kwaba khona umsindo omkhulu kakhulu futhi abantu bendawo baphuthuma endaweni ephakeme kakhulu yesiqhingi ukuze babone ukuthi kwenzekani.
“Ubaba wayesengumfana ngesikhathi kwenzeka lokhu futhi ukhumbula uyise ekhumbula ukukhala kwabantu ababekhala ngobuhlungu bebulawa. Kodwa, ngokungafani nokulahlekelwa okukhulu kwezimpilo ku-Titanic, kwafa abantu abangu-30 kuphela e-Britannic, ngenxa yokuthi umkhumbi wawusohambweni lwangaphandle futhi ungathwele noma yiziphi iziguli.
Kepha bekuyindlela yalabo bantu abafayo eye yahlukanisa iBritannic. Njengoba u-Bartlett ezama ukugudla umkhumbi ngemva kokuqhuma komkhumbi, izikebhe ezimbili zokuhlenga ezazehliswa ngaphandle kolwazi lwakhe zangena ophepheni abasaphephuka umkhumbi futhi zadabuka phakathi. Bonke ababegibele ezikebheni zokuhlenga bafa.
Lesi sigameko, esichazwe kabanzi nguViolet Jessop, ongumhlengikazi wase-Anglo-Irish naye owasinda ngendlela emangalisayo ngesikhathi kucwila umkhumbi i-Titanic, sihlukumeze labo abasibonile.
Ukushayela ophephela
“Akuzange kuzwakale nelilodwa izwi, noma isibhamu sizwakale, amakhulu nje amadoda abalekela olwandle njengokungathi avela esitheni esiwajahayo,” kubhala uJessop encwadini yakhe yesikhumbuzo, eyanyatheliswa ngo-1997. “Ngaphenduka ukuze ngibone isizathu salokhu. exodus, futhi, ngokushaqeka kwami, ngibona ophephela abakhulu beBritannic bephehla futhi behlinza yonke into eseduze kwabo - amadoda, izikebhe nakho konke kwakuyisivunguvungu esisodwa esibi kakhulu."
Abahlanu kuphela kulezi zisulu zaseBritannic ezake zatholakala.
UMills wathi ekhumbula labo ababefele emkhunjini, kwakuzobhekwa ukunakekelwa okukhethekile ukuze kulondolozwe ubuqotho bengozi.
“Lo msebenzi awugcini nje ngezokuvakasha kodwa umayelana nezemfundo, ukongiwa kwemvelo kanye nesayensi yemivubukulo yasolwandle,” usho kanje.
UMills unethemba lokuthi uzoqeda ezinye “zezinganekwane” osekunesikhathi eside zizungeza iBritannic, okuhlanganisa nokugomela kwezazi zokuqamba uzungu ukuthi ngaphezu kokuthutha abantu abalimele umkhumbi ubuthwele nempahla yezempi emabuthweni Ahlangene eMpumalanga Ephakathi.
Izazi-mlando ziye zanezela engxabanweni ngokugcina ukuthi umkhumbi wawune-torpedoed, naphezu kocwaningo lwe-sonar scan olwenziwe muva nje ngo-2003 olwaqinisa inkolelo yokuthi i-liner yehliswa imayini ebekwe yi-U-boat yaseJalimane.
"Inkulumo-ze eminingi yesikhathi sempi isasekhona nanamuhla, hhayi izinsolo zaseJalimane zokuthi iBritannic ibisetshenziswa kabi njengomthuthi wamasosha ngesikhathi yehla," kusho uMills. "Abukho nhlobo ubufakazi obufakazela ukuthi kwakunjalo, futhi sithemba ukuthi maduze lezi zinganekwane zizobekwa endaweni yokugcina."
I-Backstory
I-Britannic yethulwa ngo-1914, ingeyesithathu yemikhumbi yolwandle esezingeni lama-Olympic eyakhiwe yi-White Star Line e-Harland kanye nendawo yemikhumbi yase-Wolff's Belfast. Ubukhulu bayo nokunethezeka kwakunjalo ekuqaleni yayizobizwa ngokuthi i-Gigantic. Lo mzila wawuklama kabusha umkhumbi ukuze ulungise izici ezazinendima enkulu ekucwiliseni i-Titanic, ngo-1912. Kwamenyezelwa ukuthi i-Britannic yayizohamba ngomkhumbi isuka eSouthampton iye eNew York ithwele izinkulungwane zabafuduki ababeya ezweni elisha. Kodwa impi yezwe yokuqala yangenela futhi, ngokufunwa yibutho lasolwandle laseBrithani, iBritannic esikhundleni salokho yaqala ukuthwala abalimele isuka emkhankasweni waseGallipoli neminye imingcele eMpumalanga Ephakathi. Wayesohambweni lwakhe lwangaphandle lwesithupha ngesikhathi kwehla inhlekelele ngoNovemba 21 1916 futhi umkhumbi wacwila eKea, isiqhingi esiseduze ne-Athens. Ingxabano ibilokhu ishubile mayelana nokuthi umkhumbi ushayiswe imayini noma i-torpedo. Abanye osomlando bakholelwa ukuthi ihlaselwe ngoba ibiphethe izikhali futhi igqokiswe okomkhumbi wasesibhedlela kuphela.
