Little Rivets, Big Disaster Story

Story title: Little Rivets, Big Disaster Story

    Over 1,500 people died in the worst maritime disaster of all time the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage from England to New York. On an April night in 1912, the luxurious 900 foot cruise ship hit an iceberg and sank. At least that's what historians believe, as well as the script writers of the hit movie.

An international team of divers and scientists has chalellenged that theory. Using sound waves to probe through the wreckage lying in mud some two and a half miles below the surface, they discovered that the damage was surprisingly small. Instead of a huge gash, they found six relatively narrow slits across six watertight holds.
   Further, a salvage team recovered several of the rivets which secured the damaged hull. Analysis revealed the rivets were made of a low grade steel. This has led scientist to propose that the titanic sank not because of a collision with the iceberg, but because of a few small rivets of inferior quality. Had these rivets held, the ship may have survived the impact of the collision.