Shipping Casualties - Loss of the Steamship "Titanic" : Report of a Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Attending the Foundering on the 15th April, 1912, of the British Steamship "Titanic", of Liverpool, After Striking Ice In or Near Latitude 41 46' N., Longitude 50 14' W., North Atlantic Ocean, whereby loss of life ensued by Lord Mersey et al - 1912.

London. His Majesty's Stationery Office. Printed by J. Truscott and Son. 1912. Bound in imprinted blue wrappers. Housed in archival clamshell box. Tall 8vo. The First Edition. The British inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic was headed by a former judge, Lord Mersey, and, although some have suggested it was a whitewash, his report is described by the British historian Richard Howells as "the most sober and detailed documentary account available" and by American writer Stephen Cox as "a monument of intelligent and well-grounded diversity of judgment." Mersey found that the entire passage had been made at high speed but not maximum speed and that the Captain had not been ordered by the owners to break the transatlantic record as was being alleged. He acquitted Captain Smith of negligence. He regretted that there had been no proper boat drill (because the law did not require it) and that some of the half-empty lifeboats had not sought to save the passengers in the water. He regretted that the Leyland liner Californian, under Captain Lord, stopped by ice between five and ten miles away, had failed to respond to the distress rockets. Had it done so, it might have saved lives. The Board of Trade required sixteen lifeboats for all vessels over 10,000 tons and the Titanic had twenty but still not enough for the number of passengers. The inquiry recommended that in future there should be sufficient lifeboats for all those on board all ships, watertight bulkheads, a twenty-four-hour wireless service on all ships, regular boat, fire and watertight door drills, and the reduction of speed on the receipt of ice warnings. (Jeffrey Richards) Various usual chipping to thin paper covers at edges and spine.Small coloured smudge to front cover. Previous owners ink inscription to top of Title Page. Internals nicely preserved, alebit some usual dog-earing throughout. A delicate but extremely sound, clean copy of this extremely rare relic of the Titanic disaster.