Using expert knowledge from his lifetime of ship handling, David Brown has pieced together key first-hand accounts to create his version of the ship's logbook and confront existing controversies surrounding the topic. (The real logbook remains untouched on the bottom of the North Atlantic.) He concludes that the ship did not in fact strike the iceberg; instead, it grounded on a protruding shelf below the waterline. Had the captain not insisted on forging ahead, countless lives might have been saved. Brown also sheds new light on actions taken by the crew, which have up to now baffled us, and exposes lies told by surviving officers and British Admiralty during official inquiries, aimed at protecting careers and political interests.

These findings are generated from a keen insight never before put in this format. The result is not only a fascinating chronicle that puts the reader in the captain's seat, but a fresh look that may change how we view this controversial subject.