The
Unseen Aquitania: The Ship in Rare IllustrationsA 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.