Among the nearby ships which might have been able to help save some of the 2,240 passengers and crew was the SS Californian, which failed to communicate with the Titanic and spot that it was ...

It was overshadowed by the 990-foot SS United States that set sail in July 1952, which was as tall as a skyscraper in New York City if stood on its end. The Titanic? 882.75-feet long.

Compounding this, the wireless radio operator of the SS Californian, a merchant vessel about 10 miles away from the Titanic, had gone to bed, so the sinking liner's urgent calls for help went ...