Mistake of Titanic proportions

Dubai: Was the Titanic going too fast and its crew didn't see the iceberg?

Or did the ill-fated liner turn the wrong way into the iceberg because the helmsman mistook his left from his right?

The latter is the latest theory being floated over the sinking of the passenger ship on the cold night of April 14, 1912.

The family of Second Officer Charles Lightoller, the most senior officer to survive the sinking that claimed 1,517 lives, says he kept the secret from two official inquiries to protect the White Star Line and avoid its bankruptcy. He died in 1952 and his family now believe it's safe to reveal his life-long secret.

According to his granddaughter's book, Good as Gold, the error on the maiden voyage happened because there were two steering systems with different commands for each.

When the iceberg was seen, First Officer William Murdoch's "hard a-starboard" order was misinterpreted by Quartermaster Richard Hitchins, who turned the Titanic right instead of left. By the time he was told to correct the mistake, it was too late.