Ubwato bwa Titanic​—“Ni bwo bwato buzwi cyane kurusha ubundi bwose”

 KU ITARIKI YA 10 MATA 1912: Ubwato bwa Titanic bwahagurutse mu mugi wa Southampton wo mu Bwongereza, bwerekeza i New York muri Amerika.

 KU YA 11 MATA: Bumaze gufata abagenzi ku cyambu cya Cherbourg mu Bufaransa no ku cya Queenstown muri Irilande, bwahise bwinjira mu nyanja ya Atalantika.

 KU YA 14 MATA: Ahagana saa tanu n’iminota 40 z’ijoro, ubwo bwato bwasekuye ikibuye cya barafu.

KU YA 15 MATA: Ahagana saa munani n’iminota 20 z’igicuku, ubwato bwa Titanic bwararohamye, abantu bagera ku 1.500 bahasiga ubuzima.

UBWATO bwa Titanic bwari bumeze bute? Ni iki cyatumye ubwo bwato burohama? Ni ayahe masomo abantu bakuyemo? Gusura Inzu Ndangamurage (Ulster Folk and Transport Museum) iri hafi y’umugi wa Belfast muri Irilande y’Amajyaruguru, bidufasha kubona ibisubizo by’ibyo bibazo.

Kuki ubwato bwa Titanic bwari bwihariye?

Michael McCaughan wahoze akora mu Nzu Ndangamurage iri hafi y’i Belfast (Folk and Transport Museum), yavuze ko ubwato bwa Titanic “ari bwo bwato buzwi cyane kurusha ubundi.” Ariko nanone, nta wavuga ko ari bwo bwato bwonyine bwari bwihariye. Ni ubwato bwa kabiri mu mato manini cyane atatu yakorewe mu ruganda rwitiriwe Harland na Wolff ruri mu mugi wa Belfast. * Bwari bumwe mu bwato bunini bwariho icyo gihe, bukaba bwari bufite metero 269 z’uburebure na metero 28 z’ubugari.

Isosiyete itwara abantu mu mato (White Star) yakoreshaga ayo mato manini cyane, kugira ngo yiharire isoko ryayiheshaga amafaranga menshi ryo gutwara abantu mu mato mu majyaruguru y’inyanja ya Atalantika. Iyo sosiyete ntiyashoboraga guhiganwa n’indi byari bihanganye yari ifite amato yihuta cyane (Cunard). Ibyo byatumye yibanda ku gukoresha amato manini cyane kandi agezweho, kugira ngo ireshye abagenzi b’abakire n’abandi b’ibirangirire.

Ariko hari abandi bakiriya ubwato bwa Titanic bwashoboraga kubona. William Blair, umuyobozi w’Amazu Ndangamurage yo muri Irilande y’Amajyaruguru, yaravuze ati “hagati y’umwaka wa 1900 na 1914, muri Amerika hinjiraga abimukira bagera hafi ku 900.000 buri mwaka.” Amasosiyete y’amato yabavanaga mu Burayi akabajyana muri Amerika yarungukaga cyane, kandi ubwato bwa Titanic bwari kujya bukora ako kazi.

Haba impanuka

E. J. Smith, wari umusare mukuru w’ubwato bwa Titanic, yari azi ko ibibuye bya barafu byabaga mu majyaruguru y’inyanja ya Atalantika byatezaga impanuka. Yari yaranyuze muri iyo nyanja kenshi agitwara ubwato bwa Olympic. Nanone, abasare b’andi mato baburiraga bagenzi babo ko ibyo bibuye biteje akaga, ariko imwe muri iyo miburo yarirengagizwaga cyangwa ntibagereho.

Bidatinze, abari bashinzwe kurinda ubwo bwato babonye ko bugiye kugonga ikibuye cya barafu, ariko amazi yari yarenze inkombe. Umusare wari uyoboye ubwo bwato yagerageje gukwepa icyo kibuye, ariko ntibyamubujije kukigonga ahagana mu rubavu. Igice kinini cy’ubwo bwato cyarangiritse maze amazi atangira kwinjira mu bice byabwo by’imbere. Smith, umusare mukuru w’ubwo bwato, yahise amenya ko bwagize impanuka, maze aratabaza kandi asaba bagenzi be gutegura amato mato y’ubutabazi.

Ubwato bwa Titanic bwari bufite amato 16 y’ubutabazi n’andi ane ashobora kuzingwa. Ayo mato yose yashoboraga gutabara abantu bagera hafi ku 1.170. Icyakora, abagenzi n’abakozi b’ubwo bwato bose bageraga ku 2.200. Ikibabaje kurushaho ni uko amenshi muri ayo mato y’ubutabazi yagendaga atuzuye, kandi hafi ya yose ntashakishe abantu bari bijugunye mu nyanja bashoboraga kuba bakiri bazima. Ibyo byatumye harokoka abantu 705 gusa!

Ingaruka z’iyo mpanuka

Nyuma y’impanuka y’ubwo bwato, abashinzwe iby’ingendo zo mu mazi bashyizeho amategeko yatumye impanuka z’amato zigabanuka. Rimwe muri ayo mategeko ni irivuga ko mbere y’uko amato manini yose akora ingendo, agomba kuba afite amato mato y’ubutabazi ahagije, abagenzi bose bashobora kujyamo mu gihe habaye impanuka.

Abantu bamaze imyaka myinshi bumva ko icyatumye ubwato bwa Titanic buhita burohama, ari uko bwari bufite ahantu hanini hiyashije igihe bwagiraga impanuka. Icyakora mu mwaka wa 1985, ubwo abashakashatsi bari bamaze kuvumbura ibisigazwa by’ubwo bwato hasi mu nyanja, bageze ku mwanzuro utandukanye n’uwo. Bavumbuye ko amazi yari yahindutse barafu yari yangije icyuma ubwo bwato bwari bukozemo, maze kikavunika. Nyuma y’amasaha atageze kuri atatu iyo mpanuka ibaye, ubwo bwato bwacitsemo kabiri maze burarohama. Ibyo byatumye iyo mpanuka iba imwe mu mpanuka z’amato zikomeye cyane zabayeho. *

[Ibisobanuro ahagana hasi ku ipaji]

[Ikarita yo ku ipaji ya 14]

(Niba wifuza kureba uko bimeze, reba mu igazeti ya Nimukanguke!)

Southampton

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Cherbourg

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Queenstown (Cobh)

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Aho ubwato bwa Titanic bwagiriye impanuka

New York

INYANJA YA ATALANTIKA

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 12 n’iya 13]

Ubwato bwa “Titanic” bwubakwa

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 13

Ingashya zikoreshwa na moteri z’ubwato bwa “Titanic”

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 13]

Abakozi barimo bava aho uruganda rwitiriwe Harland na Wolff rukorera amato mu mugi wa Belfast muri Irilande

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 14]

E. J. Smith, kapiteni w’ubwato bwa “Titanic” (iburyo) ari kumwe na Herbert McElroy wari ushinzwe abagenzi

[Aho ifoto yavuye]

© Courtesy CSU Archive/age fotostock

[Aho amafoto yo ku ipaji ya 12 yavuye]

Ipaji ya 12 na 13: Leaving Southampton, under construction, and shipyard: © National Museums Northern Ireland; propellers: © The Bridgeman Art Library

[Aho ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 15 yavuye]

© SZ Photo/Knorr & Hirth/Bridgeman Art Library