The Titanic and the Indifferent Stranger

Book excerpt: Even the staunchest of landlubbers knows what rockets at sea mean... or do they? A short space of time after the fatal collision with an iceberg, the Titanic's crew sent rockets aloft to attract the attention of a ship seen just a few miles. But that ship never responded ... and 1500 people died in the frigid waters. This book details the scandal of the Californian, blamed by many for being that very unresponsive stranger. Rockets were seen and ignored...but was the Captain guilty of mass murder? Did more than 1000 people needlessly die? Why was the wireless operator not awakened? Could the Californian have saved anyone? And why is this story, neglecting the ethical controversy surrounding salvage, the single most divisive issue in the Titanic research community?