It has not gone unnoticed that we are boarding a cruise liner tomorrow, on the centenary anniversary of RMS Titanic’s foundering in the North Atlantic. That ship, greatly remembered in the media and on television at the moment, was considered “unsinkable”. Such a moniker was indicative of the the times: the confidence of the British Empire, the complacency, the arrogance, the unimaginable failure.
One thinks also of other recent high profile cruise-ship disasters such as the Costa Concordia. Once again, under the public gaze and it’s inevitable forensic scrutiny, we are presented with a disaster scenario that could have been averted but for the apparent foolishness of the captain, despite his overwhelming responsibility for nearly three thousand souls.
Two thirds of the earths surface is water. At any time there are countless boats of all sizes remaining afloat, and going about their business. Anything can happen, especially at sea! And yet what of those whose lives are totally dependent on the sea: sailors, fisherfolk, etc? I have always considered the Mission to Seamen as being a most worthy cause, helping to bring support and friendship to people of all nationalities whose lives are closely tied to the sea. A cruise, automatically associated with luxury, is time spent with three thousand other people, a third of which are staff. They take care of the ship and the “hotel”. They come from all over the world, for long periods of service, to serve food and drinks, make our beds, maintain an enormous vessel and keep us safe in the busy shipping lanes of whichever ocean we are hoping to enjoy a few weeks of sunshine.
For the next two weeks we shall commend ourselves to a dedicated team of people, from all over the world, who will work hard spending many months away from their homes and families. Like the crew of Titanic, or any other ship, they will do their best hoping beyond hope that the ship will remain afloat, with sufficient lifeboats and a decent chain of command.
God speed to all who sail upon the sea, for whatever reason.
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
William Whiting, 1860