_ It doesn’t matter if SOLAS standards have been updated. The standards on the Lusitania had been updated compared to the Titanic. For example, they had MORE lifeboats. On May 1, 1915 a representative of the Cunard line stood on the Cunard dock in NYC telling everyone that the Lusitania could beat a torpedo any day. It could even outrun it. He listed all the reasons why the ship was so sophisticated. See the first chapters of Those Who Dream By Day, my book on the subject.
This sort of bravado reminds of of the bravado you hear today about various ships. Whether I should sail or not sail is not the issue. It is whether cruise lines will wake up and use common sense. For instance, the Lusitania should obviously NOT have sailed especially in the face of the German warning. In the case of the Costa Concordia, they should have had more crew members who spoke English. They should also have more competent captains. One of the guidebook writers says that crew members nowadays aren’t as well trained. This makes me think that the improvements in the past 100 years are superficial at best. When real disaster strikes, people revert to savagery: i.e. The Lusitania passengers brought out guns and fought over life jackets and lifeboats. Apparently Costa Concordia passengers fought over the same things, though I haven’t heard about guns.
This sort of bravado reminds of of the bravado you hear today about various ships. Whether I should sail or not sail is not the issue. It is whether cruise lines will wake up and use common sense. For instance, the Lusitania should obviously NOT have sailed especially in the face of the German warning. In the case of the Costa Concordia, they should have had more crew members who spoke English. They should also have more competent captains. One of the guidebook writers says that crew members nowadays aren’t as well trained. This makes me think that the improvements in the past 100 years are superficial at best. When real disaster strikes, people revert to savagery: i.e. The Lusitania passengers brought out guns and fought over life jackets and lifeboats. Apparently Costa Concordia passengers fought over the same things, though I haven’t heard about guns.