The Unseen Aquitania: The Ship in Rare
Illustrations
https://www.tadfitchsauthorpage.com/
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A page for providing information about Tad's writing projects past and present, as well as news and updates.
About Me
Tad was born in Northeast Ohio and still lives in the region. He has worked both in the fields of psychology and school administration. He has had a life-long interest in history, and enjoys writing and research.
A member of both Titanic Historical
Society and Titanic International Society (where he serves as a
member of the publication team), Tad has written numerous
articles that have been published in the Titanic Historical
Society and Titanic International Society's quarterly journals,
The Titanic Commutator and Voyage, respectively, and online at
Bill Wormstedt’s Titanic and Encyclopedia-Titanica. His works
have been cited or referenced in many publications.
Having coauthored seven books to date, Tad is always keeping his eyes out for new projects to work on. While his works have been nonfiction, he has also begun working on some fiction stories. Research interests include the Titanic disaster and maritime history, the American Civil War, World War I & II, and family genealogy.
Tad's other interests include traveling, scuba diving and home brewing.
Report Into the Loss of
SS Titanic, A Centennial Reappraisal This reference volume is the result of a collective undertaking by eleven authors from all parts of the world who have spent many years evaluating and analyzing the wealth of evidence that has come to light in the hundred years since 1912. Each of the book’s co-authors is a recognized specialist in his or her chosen area of study, and each chapter has been exhaustively researched, analyzed and referenced utilizing the very best evidence that is currently available.
Following the basic layout of the 1912 British Board of Trade inquiry report, this modern-day report provides fascinating insights into the ship itself, the American and British disaster inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, protocol and process of rescue, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications that followed the disaster.
Visit the official website for the book for
more specifics and details about the
content: http://centennial.titanicology.com/
On a Sea of
Glass, The Life & Loss of RMS TitanicCritically acclaimed, On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic was nominated for the 2012 Mountbatten Award by the Maritime Foundation of Britain, and remains one of the most noteworthy books ever released on the history of the legendary Titanic.
In the early morning hours of Monday, April 15, 1912, the brand-new, supposedly unsinkable Titanic sank on her maiden voyage after ramming an iceberg. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The remaining 1,496 either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. The disaster became the most infamous tragedy in maritime history. Yet a century after the liner's sinking, the history of the Titanic is still shrouded in misinformation and mystery.
The authors bring the tragedy to life through a thrilling narrative. They follow the ship’s life from design and construction through to the maiden voyage, using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking from passengers of all classes and crew alike to place the reader in that time and place. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia and of the aftermath of the sinking. The narrative is supported through scholarly research, and hundreds of end notes cite original source material. Numerous appendices focus on some of the most controversial aspects of the disaster and presents rarely-considered evidence on the subjects. The book also features an introduction by George Behe, a former Vice-President of the Titanic Historical Society.
Profusely illustrated with over 300 images (50 in color), including many rare and unique views of the ship, this is as accurate and gripping a telling of the story of the White Star Line's Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere.
Visit the official website for the book for
more specifics and details about the content, as well as page
previews: http://atlanticliners.com/atlantic_liners_books_-_by_j_kent_layton/onaseaofglassbook/
Into
the Danger Zone, The Lusitania, First Battle of the
Atlantic, and Liners During the Great War
Into the Danger Zone recounts what it was like for both military personnel and civilians alike to experience a sea voyage during a time of unprecedented war, when they could encounter dangers from U-boats, mines, and enemy surface vessels. Attacks were frequent and tragedy all too common. This engaging oral history, now in a revised and expanded second edition, helps readers to experience this little explored chapter of the twentieth century through the use of a large quantity of unpublished or rare first-hand accounts, illustrations, and photographs.
Visit the official website for the book for
more specifics and details about the content: http://wormstedt.com/TadFitch/Into_the_Danger_Zone.html
Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/intothedangerzone
Available through the publisher at: https://www.blurb.com/b/10958089-into-the-danger-zone
The Unseen Aquitania: The Ship in Rare
Illustrations
By: J. Kent Layton and Tad Fitch, Foreword by Mark Chirnside The History Press, November 2016
Showcasing a large quantity of rare and previously-unpublished photographs and illustrations, The Unseen Aquitania reveals the Cunard company’s most successful and beloved ocean liner of the early twentieth century as you have never known her before.
Blessed with remarkable longevity, Aquitania's storied career spanned from 1914-1950. Surviving service in two world wars and decades of change to become the last of the four-funnel liners, Aquitania enjoyed a very successful career, and was a favorite of both those who traveled on her, and the public alike.
This engaging visual history by maritime experts J. Kent Layton and Tad Fitch follows her glorious career, which reached parts of four decades of the twentieth century.
Visit the official website for the book for
more specifics and details about the content, including page
previews: http://atlanticliners.com/atlantic_liners_books_-_by_j_kent_layton/#TheUnseenAquitania
Reviews/comments regarding the book:
Titanic: Solving the Mysteries
By: Mark Chirnside, Tad Fitch, Ioannis Georgiou, Steve Hall, Samuel Halpern, J. Kent Layton and Bill Wormstedt. Blurb.com, November 2019
The sinking of the RMS Titanic on April
15, 1912 is one of the best-remembered, and most-scrutinised,
moments of the twentieth century. Yet ever since the disaster,
there have been lingering mysteries, questions that seemed
utterly impossible to answer.
In recent years, a string of allegations
have also been made to the effect that the Titanic was suffering
from a fire in one of her coal bunkers during the maiden voyage.
Televised programs, media broadcasts, and even a new book would
have the public believe that Titanic was all but a blazing
inferno before she even struck the iceberg, and that it was the
fire that actually doomed the ship.
Then there is the question of the time
difference between ship’s time and time on shore on the night of
the disaster – a complex navigational mystery that has a direct
bearing on understanding key aspects of how events played out on
that fateful night.
Now follow an international and world-renowned team of Titanic and maritime historians and researchers as we attempt to solve two of the most important, and most publicized, mysteries of the Titanic disaster.
Available through the publisher at: https://www.blurb.com/b/9788580-titanic-solving-the-mysteries
Recreating
Titanic & Her Sisters: A Visual History
By: Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton and Bill Wormstedt, Foreword by Ken Marschall. The History Press, 2022
In this book, Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton
and Bill Wormstedt collaborated with a group of very talented
up-and-coming artists who work in a variety of mediums, physical
and digital, to tell the story of Titanic and her sisters
through words and pictures. This book will tell the history of
the Olympic-class ships in one volume that is absolutely packed
full of exciting art and other recreations that bring the ships
to life as never before.
Recreating Titanic is a book you will not
want to miss. It is designed to take all of the research and
writing that we have done on the Olympic-class ships over many
years — which is spread across a number of books, original
articles, monograms, and even real-time sinking animations that
we have worked on — and present it in one succinct and
informative place. The book has a primary narrative punctuated
by numerous informative boxes covering oft-asked questions or
frequently-misunderstood details regarding the liners.
Those of you who are familiar with our work
over the years know that we have been at this for a very long
time, and that we work with a larger team of experts in a
variety of fields that touch upon everything connected with
these liners. We take pains to make our works stand out as
authoritative and as accurate as we can make them. We also feel
a commitment to retelling the stories of Titanic and her sisters
with as much accuracy as possible. Indeed, while today’s media
and would-be historians offer many sensational headlines and
dangle juicy conspiracy theories to sell copy or to book
commercial space in their next documentary, we work just as hard
to tell the stories without distortion.
Illustrated with full color throughout.
Visit the official website for the book for
more specifics and details about the content, as well as page
previews: http://atlanticliners.com/recreatingtitanic/
Official Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/RecreatingTitanicAndHerSisters
Lusitania:
An Illustrated Biography (Volume One): Life of a Greyhound
By: J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, Michael
Poirier, Thomas Lynskey and Levi Rourke, Foreword by Stuart
Williamson. The History Press, coming June 13, 2024.
On 7 May 1915, one of the most legendary
liners of the North Atlantic met a terrible end via a German
submarine, taking 1,200 passengers and crew to an untimely
demise. The ship’s memory quickly became mired in a firestorm of
international politics, accusations over blame overshadowing
both the human tragedy and pre-tragedy triumph of this beautiful
ship,filled with technical wonders and firsts. This volume, the
first in a two-volume set, tells how Lusitania came to
be built, shows her construction, discusses her technical
marvels, and reveals her incredible 7½-year career, revealing
why passengers traveled on her again and again, even after
larger and more comfortable liners like Olympic and Titanic
came on the scene.
Illustrated with full color throughout.
The following is a list of research articles and other items that Tad has authored or co-authored, and which appeared in print.
• Book Review
A review of Mark Chirnside's book, RMS Olympic, Titanic's
Sister. Published in the Titanic Historical Society’s
journal, The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 41, No. 216, 2017.
• Book Review
A review of Eugene Nesmeyanov's
book, The Titanic Expeditions: Diving to the Queen of the
Deep. Published in the Titanic Historical Society’s
journal, The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 43, No. 222, 2018.
• Book Review
A review of Mark Chirnside's book,
Oceanic, White Star's Ship of the Century. Published in
the Titanic Historical Society’s journal, The Titanic
Commutator, Vol. 44, No. 225, 2019.
• Book Review
• Book Review A review of Samuel
Halpern's book, Strangers on the Horizon, Titanic and
Californian - A Forensic Approach. Published in the Titanic
Historical Society’s journal, The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 45,
No. 229, 2020.
• Book Review
A review of Brian Duncan's book, The Ice Punch.
Published in the Titanic International Society’s journal,
Voyage, No. 114, Winter 2021.
• Book Review
A review of Tomasz Stachura's book, Route of Death.
Published in the Titanic International Society’s journal,
Voyage, No. 119, Spring 2022.
• Did an Officer Commit Suicide on
Titanic? Shedding Light on the Controversy
Published in the Titanic Historical Society’s journal, The
Titanic Commutator, Vol. 30, No. 173, 2006. This is an article
that I co-authored with Bill Wormstedt, and which was an
expanded version of the Shots in the Dark (listed below)
web article as it appeared back in 2006. Like the website, this
article explored whether the rumors and tales of one of Titanic’s
officers having committed suicide were true. We examined as many
eyewitness accounts as possible, and took into account a wide
range of evidence beyond that. The research that went into this
article was years in the making and has since continued, leading
to additions and revisions to the original web article, as well
as the inclusion of a revised and expanded version of this
article and the website as an appendix in our book, On a Sea
of Glass.
• Down With the Ship, The Fate of Captain
Smith (Parts I and II)
Published in The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 32, No. 183 & 184,
2008. This article is based on years of research that I
conducted, examining eyewitness accounts and statements, as well
as forensic evidence, in order to determine whether Captain
Edward J. Smith, Titanic’s master, actually went down
with the ship as the legend holds. Several possible
versions of Smith’s end are examined objectively, and
ultimately, it is left up to the readers to determine which
version of history is most strongly supported by the evidence. A
revised and expanded version of both parts of this article was
completed as an appendix for On a Sea of Glass.
• The First Distress Rockets and the Launch
of the First Lifeboat
Published in The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 33, No. 188, 2009.
Co-authored with Bill Wormstedt and George Behe, this article
examines several controversial issues relating to the chronology
and timeline of Titanic’s sinking. These issues include
the timing of the launch of the first distress rocket, and when
the first lifeboat was lowered. A detailed study of these issues
leads to some surprising conclusions that are well-supported by
a number of lines of evidence.
• HMHS Glenart Castle
A nurse’s photographs provide a window into the past Published
in Voyage, No. 124, Summer 2023. A study of a book of negatives
taken by an unnamed nurse who served aboard the Glenart Castle
reveals rare images of the hospital ship and those aboard her,
prior to its tragic loss to a U-boat during World War I in
February 1918. Research reveals the story of those in the
nurse’s photographs, several of whom were subsequently lost in
the sinking. The identity of the nurse who took the pictures is
narrowed down to three possibilities.
• Lifeboat Launch Sequence, A Fresh Look at
the Timing of Titanic’s Lifeboats
Published in The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 25, No. 155,
2001. This is the original research article based on George
Behe, Bill Wormstedt and my years of research into establishing
what the actual lifeboat launch sequence was during the Titanic’s
sinking, as a framework for an accurate chronology of events
which can be used to anchor events described by eyewitnesses,
etc. This work is considered groundbreaking by many, having
corrected various errors and misconceptions in the historical
record dating back to 1912. It has been cited in many books and
articles since its publication, as well as being used as one of
many references for a computer simulation of the sinking in one
of James Cameron’s documentaries that appeared on National
Geographic. This original article has since been published
online in revised and expanded form, where our work continues to
be revised and tightened up as the evidence dictates.
• Readers Express Concern Over Californian
Coverage
Published in the “Letter to the Editor” section of Voyage, No.
119, Spring 2022. Bill Wormstedt, Tad Fitch, Mike Poirier and
Brandon Whited write a rebuttal to claims about the Californian
and the so-called "mystery ship" that were made in articles in
the previous issue of Voyage, by Senan Molony. The purpose was
to encourage readers to investigate the evidence around the case
for themselves, rather than relying on assertions made in the
articles in question.
• Reply to the Departure Time of
Collapsible C
Published in the “Sea Poste” section of The Titanic Commutator,
Vol. 28, No. 168, 2004. A short letter rather than a full-blown
article, this served as a rebuttal by George Behe, Bill
Wormstedt and myself to a short article by researcher David
Gleicher that appeared in the previous issue of the journal,
challenging our conclusion as to the launch time of Collapsible
C during the Titanic sinking. It provided a summary of
evidence contrary to Gleicher’s conclusion.
• Titanic's Coal Bunker Fire
Senan Molony’s claims in the documentary "Titanic Fire and Ice"
elicited a lot of feedback. Bill Wormstedt, Bruce Beveridge,
Mark Chirnside Tad Fitch, Ioannis Georgiou, Steve Hall, and J.
Kent Layton posted a very lengthy, detailed article online
refuting and disproving these claims, and submitted a synopsis
of their article. Published in the Titanic Historical Society's
journal, The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 42, No. 220, 2018.
• Time and Again - Titanic's Final Hours
Published in the “Sea Poste” section of The Titanic Commutator,
Vol. 28, No. 168, 2004. A short letter rather than a full-blown
article, this served as a rebuttal by George Behe, Bill
Wormstedt and myself to a short article by researcher David
Gleicher that appeared in the previous issue of the journal,
challenging our conclusion as to the launch time of Collapsible
C during the Titanic sinking. It provided a summary of
evidence contrary to Gleicher’s conclusion.
• A Titanic Survivor Story: Coosan Coleen,
Bertha Mulvihill
Published in The Titanic Commutator, Vol. 28, No. 167, 2004.
Written with the assistance of her relatives, this biographical
article reveals the untold tale of a third class Titanic
survivor from Ireland, Bertha Mulvihill. She lived an
interesting life, and this article’s focus is not just on what
she experienced during the disaster, but also on her life before
and after the sinking, which in some ways is even more
fascinating.
The following is a list of articles that Tad has authored or co-authored and which were published on-line. You can view the articles by clicking on their titles, which contain a link:
• Abandoning the Titanic',
Abandoning Reality: The Truth About the SS Mount
Temple:
In November 2020, a new programme
aired on PBS in the United States. Aired as an episode of the
Secrets of the Dead series, it was entitled Abandoning the
Titanic. In certain other countries, the programme aired
under the title Titanic: A Dead Reckoning. The show
featured a number of major historical errors; indeed, its very
premise was historically flawed. This article, co-authored by
Mark Chirnside, Tad Fitch, Samuel Halpern, J. Kent Layton and
Bill Wormstedt, details these many historical errors.
• An Examination of David Gleicher’s Lifeboat
Launch Sequence
Following David Gleicher’s critique of our lifeboat launch
sequence findings in his 2006 book, The Rescue of the Third
Class on the Titanic: A Revisionist History, we examined
his findings in detail in order to determine whether they stand
up to scrutiny. While he makes many good points regarding the
third class passengers in his book, we conclude that the
evidence does not support his findings on the lifeboat timeline
itself.
4
Revelations about the Titanic Disaster
Written for BBC History Magazine's online supplement, History
Extra, and published November 6, 2015, On A Sea of
Glass co-authors J. Kent Layton, Bill Wormstedt and Tad
Fitch present evidence that leads to surprising conclusions
relating to Captain Smith and Bruce Ismay's role in the
disaster, the fate of shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, whether one of
the ship's officers committed suicide, and relating to the
breakup of the ship.
• Plucked from the Sea, Survivor’s Claims
Reconsidered
An oldie but a goodie, co-authored with researcher Peter Engberg
back in 1999, based on our respective research into the claims
of Titanic survivors to have been rescued from the
water, rather than simply boarding a lifeboat from the deck.
Back in 1912, society unfairly judged male survivors for having
lived when so many women perished, so many falsely claimed to
have been saved from the water. This study, while somewhat
outdated due to its age, provides an objective look at some of
the survivor claims, and whether they stand up to scrutiny.
• Setting the Record Straight
This article by Sam Halpern, Bill Wormstedt and myself served as
a rebuttal to researcher Senan Molony’s contention that Titanic
first class passenger Hugh Woolner’s accounts of the sinking are
unreliable. By sifting through the evidence, we conclude that
Woolner’s version of events is actually heavily supported by
other witnesses and evidence.
• The Record Speaks!
This article by Sam Halpern, Bill Wormstedt and myself serves as
a response to Senan Molony’s rebuttal to our article Setting
the Record Straight. It details the evidence in support of
our position that Titanic survivor Hugh Woolner’s
testimony is indeed reliable, in relation to Molony's claims
that it isn’t.
• Shots in the Dark
This article is an objective study of eyewitness statements as
to whether one of Titanic’s officers really committed
suicide during the sinking, as some survivors and rumors
suggest. We originally published our findings online, followed
by revised and expanded versions in The Titanic Commutator and
later, an appendix in On a Sea of Glass. The website is
updated to reflect new evidence as it is uncovered.
• Time and Again - Titanic's Final Hours
How much time separated the Titanic's clocks from New York Time
on the night of the disaster? This article, co-authored
by Mark Chirnside, Tad Fitch, Ioannis Georgiou, Steve Hall,
Sam Halpern, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt, tackles this
question, reveals previously unknown details about the ship's
Magneta clock system, the practices of keeping time on ships in
1912, as well as claims related to a chronometer recovered from
the wreck of the ship. How all of this impacts the
timeline of the sinking is explored, with surprising
ramifications and results. This article was incorporated into
the book "Titanic: Solving the Mysteries", above.
• Titanic: The Lifeboat Launch Sequence
Re-Examined
This article was the result of many years of research by George
Behe, Bill Wormstedt and myself. Our research corrects many
errors in the historic record relating to the chronology of the
lifeboat lowering and sinking, and has been cited and referenced
in many books and works. It provides many insights into the
disaster that were unexpected. We update the article
periodically as new evidence is uncovered. This is the expanded
version of the THS article Lifeboat Launch Sequence, A Fresh
Look at the Timing of Titanic’s Lifeboats mentioned above.
• Titanic Lifeboat Occupancy Totals
This article is a study of eyewitness statements by Bill
Wormstedt and myself, in an attempt to determine the rough
number of survivors in each of Titanic’s lifeboats. Our aim was
to produce a more specific and closer value of the number of
people in each boat. We hope that this will provide a foundation
and skeleton for a future evidence-based study of the individual
identities of the lifeboat in which each individual survived.
Such a work could potentially provide fresh insights into the
events of the sinking, particularly when linked to the accurate
chronology of events.
Titanic: Fire & Ice (Or What You
Will) by Bruce Beveridge, Mark Chirnside, Tad Fitch, Ioannis
Georgiou, Steve Hall, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. An
analysis and rebuttal to the new Channel 4 British TV program,
Titanic Fire and Ice, which repackages the old, disproven theory
that a coal bunker fire played a major role in the disaster. The
facts and evidence present a powerful case counter to the latest
revisionist claims. This article was incorporated into the
book "Titanic: Solving the Mysteries", above.
Tad Fitch is available to conduct
presentations and book signings. Please contact him at
[email protected] if interested.