Was Titanic really considered unsinkable BEFORE her maiden voyage? Newly-unearthed document from 1911 reveals the truth

Ever since it sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, RMS Titanic has been described as the ship that was meant to be 'unsinkable'.

In fact, the 10-letter word has been cruelly synonymous with Titanic folklore since the vessel – owned and operated by British firm White Star Line – tragically foundered.

A day after the disaster, The New York Times proclaimed on its front page: 'Manager of [White Star] Line Insisted Titanic Was Unsinkable Even After She Had Gone Down'. 

More than 80 years later, in her book 'Every Man for Himself', English writer Beryl Bainbridge referred to Titanic as the 'unsinkable vessel'. 

Meanwhile, in James Cameron's 1997 film, the heroine's mother says just before she boards: 'So this is the ship they say is unsinkable?'

But was Titanic really described as such before it set off from Southampton on its maiden voyage?

Now, a little-known document dating to 1911 – a year before the disaster – has been unearthed. 

And it may finally reveal the truth, more than a century later. 

Back in 1999, Richard Howells, lecturer in communications studies at Leeds University, claimed Titanic was 'never publicised as being an unsinkable ship' before it set off on April 10, 1912. 

Howells said at the time: 'The population as a whole was unlikely to have thought of the Titanic as a unique, unsinkable ship before its maiden voyage.' 

He continued: 'Once the news of the disaster broke, however, it was an entirely different story – it was as though the Titanic had been universally hailed as unsinkable all along.' 

Similarly, Royal Museums Greenwich, an authority on maritime history, says on its website: 'Titanic was never actually described as ‘unsinkable’.'

Wikipedia also tells us: 'Contrary to popular mythology, Titanic was never described as "unsinkable" without qualification until after she sank.' 

In fact, multiple Google search results tell us that Titanic was not officially described as unsinkable prior to the voyage. 

But if we look at the historic document from 1911, we can see this is simply not true. 

A passage describes Titanic and its almost identical sister ship Olympic as follows: '...these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable'.

Of course, Titanic wasn't unsinkable at all – it tragically foundered just two hours and 40 minutes after hitting the iceberg, killing more than 1,500 souls on-board. But a belief that Titanic was unsinkable was probably widespread among the public prior to April 1912, despite what we're commonly told today. 

Joshua Allen Milford, a Titanic historian, thinks the public would have described both Olympic and the marginally larger Titanic as 'unsinkable' before their maiden voyages (in June 1911 and April 1912, respectively). 

'When Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke [in September 1911] and didn’t sink, the unsinkable theory was solidified for the upcoming Titanic,' he told MailOnline. 

'Despite their size and amenities, it was one of the reasons why anticipations for Olympic and Titanic were so high and may have even boosted ticket sales.' 

Harland & Wolff, the company that built Titanic, took 'took great pride in their designs' and also referred to the two ships as 'practically unsinkable' early on, according to Milford.

'In turn, the trade journal “The Shipbuilder” also used the term “practically unsinkable”,' he told MailOnline.

'All of this took place while the ships were in the early stages of construction and before either were launched from the slips.' 

According to Milford, the 1911 document describing the 'two wonderful vessels designed to be unsinkable' is likely from The Shipbuilder too. 

Other sources also described Titanic as unsinkable, including a report in June 1911 by the Irish News and Belfast Morning News. 

The report, covering the launching of Titanic’s hull, described the system of watertight compartments and electronic watertight doors and concluded that Titanic was 'practically unsinkable'. 

Titanic's captain, Edward Smith, himself had also reinforced the idea that no modern passenger ship would be able to sink. 

In 1907, he said: 'I cannot imagine any condition which could cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster... modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.'

So the claim that 'Titanic wasn't considered unsinkable before it sunk' has far less credence than we've been led to believe.