Anglotopia Podcast: Episode 62 – The Untold Tragic Story of Titanic’s Sister Ship with Owner and Author Simon Mills

In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, host Jonathan Thomas interviews Simon Mills, a deep-sea explorer and maritime historian who owns the wreck of the HMHS Britannic, Titanic's lesser-known sister ship. They discuss the history of the Britannic, its sinking during World War I, and the unique aspects of its design that aimed to make it more unsinkable than the Titanic. Simon shares his journey from working in the film industry to becoming a maritime historian, his experiences diving to the wreck, and the challenges posed by COVID-19 on his research. The conversation also touches on the ownership of shipwrecks, the importance of preserving maritime history, and the ongoing exploration of the Britannic wreck.

Links

• Inside the Britannic: Uncovering the wreck of the Titanic's sister ship
• HMHS Britannic - Wikipedia
• The Wreck of the Britannic - Titanic Connections
• PBS Online - Lost Liners - Britannic

Takeaways

• The Britannic was designed to be more unsinkable than the Titanic.
• Simon Mills transitioned from film technician to maritime historian.
• The Britannic sank in 55 minutes, unlike the Titanic.
• Ownership of shipwrecks involves legal complexities.
• COVID-19 significantly delayed research on the Britannic.
• Watertight doors on the Britannic were found open during dives.
• The Greek government has strict laws regarding underwater archaeology.
• Artifacts from the Britannic are now being retrieved for display.
• Every shipwreck has a unique story to tell.
• The Britannic project aims to educate and preserve maritime history.

Sound Bites

1. The Ownership Revelation

"It's actually not as complicated as you think. Everything in the world has got an owner. Doesn't matter where it is. It could be top of the mountain or down at the bottom of the sea... So they will take the money, a very small amount of money in the overall scheme of things. But that's exactly how you do it."

2. The Forgotten Sister Ship

"I always get little bit frustrated with this mostly forgotten or forgotten sister or whatever. Titanic has a big place in history, obviously, because of what happened... Britannic was really supposed to be the answer to all the things that went wrong on the Titanic."

3. The Fatal Flaw Discovery

"The key sixth compartment when we saw that watertight door open on down on F deck, it was opened by about that much, about six or seven inches... you could argue that the Titanic was less well protected from the flooding than the Titanic."

4. The Timing That Saved Lives

"Britannic was on her way out and therefore she was empty. So on board you had little over a thousand crew and medical staff, but there were no patients on board... had it happened on the way back and you had a full ship, a ship full of patients, the death toll could have been humongous."

5. The Unique Access

"The only person who's got permit to go inside is me, basically. And that's because of my rather unique legal position... But it still doesn't mean that I go in just because I want to. I have to have a sort of proper plan to go in there."

6. The Human Element

"He said, for the first time ever, I felt the presence of people... swimming along that