The Titanic Historical Society, Inc. (THS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1963, whose purpose is the preservation of the history of the famous ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on April 15, 1912, in one of the greatest maritime disasters in history.

Headquartered in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, (USA), its founder and president is Edward S. Kamuda. Principal activities of the THS include:

• Quarterly publication of a magazine, The Titanic Commutator.
• The Titanic Museum in Indian Orchard featuring an extensive collection of artifacts donated by Titanic survivors.
• An annual membership convention where experts present in-depth information about various aspects of the Titanic catastrophe and memorabilia is available.

For many years, the remaining survivors of the Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage were honored guests at THS conventions. In April, 1992, the THS commemorated the 80th anniversary of the disaster in Boston, Massachusetts. The event brought together several living survivors, including Eva Hart

Eva Hart

Eva Miriam Hart MBE was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.-Early life:Eva Miriam Hart was born on 31 January , 1905 in Ilford, Essex, England to Benjamin Hart and Esther Bloomfield...

, Louise Pope, Michel Marcel Navratil

Michel Marcel Navratil

Michel Marcel Navratil, Jr. , was one of the last survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Michel, along with his brother, Edmond Navratil , were known as the Titanic Orphans, having been the only children rescued without a parent or guardian...

, and Beatrice Sandstrom, who enthralled those in attendance with their vivid first-person accounts of the night the Titanic foundered in the north Atlantic Ocean. Walter Lord

Walter Lord

John Walter Lord, Jr. , was an American author, best known for his documentary-style non-fiction account A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Early life:...

, author of the seminal Titanic work, A Night to Remember, was another featured guest.

The THS also works to preserve the history of other ocean liners, especially the Titanic 's sister ship, the White Star Line

White Star Line

The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...

's HMHS Britannic

HMHS Britannic

HMHS Britannic was the third and largest of the White Star Line. She was the sister ship of and , and was intended to enter service as a transatlantic passenger liner. She was launched just before the start of the First World War and was laid up at her builders in Belfast for many months before...

, which sank after hitting an enemy mine in World War I, and the Cunard

Cunard Line

Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...

 ship RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...

. The society also publishes articles about various other famous ships, such as the RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...

and SS Normandie

SS Normandie

SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.Her novel...

, in The Titanic Commutator.

The Titanic Historical Society has long been a strong supporter of Dr. Robert Ballard

Robert Ballard

Robert Duane Ballard is a former United States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989,...

's exploration of the Titanic wreckage and he frequently speaks at THS conventions. The THS also participated in the filming of James Cameron

James Cameron

James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...

's hit 1997 movie Titanic

Titanic (1997 film)

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...

and some members even appeared on-screen as extras

Extra (actor)

A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...

.

Although the THS supports exploration of the Titanic wreck site, it opposes salvage of items from the ship, stating in a 2005 Commutator issue, "the wreck is a gravesite to those that died that night and should be treated as a memorial" to the lives lost.

The Titanic Historical Society participates with the U.S. Coast Guard and the International Ice Patrol

International Ice Patrol

The International Ice Patrol is an organization with the purpose of monitoring the presence of icebergs in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and reporting their movements for safety purposes. It is operated by United States Coast Guard but is funded by the 13 nations interested in trans-Atlantic...

 in the annual April 15th wreath-drop ceremony over the Atlantic Ocean where the Titanic now rests.

Commutator magazine

Since its founding in 1963, the Society has regularly distributed a journal to members. Over the years the publication has steadily increased in scope and depth. The Titanic Commutator is now published quarterly as a full-color illustrated magazine reporting on Titanic research and passenger stories, along with other notable ships from the "Golden Age" of transatlantic steamship travel.

At the time of the filming of James Cameron

James Cameron

James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...

's movie, Titanic

Titanic (1997 film)

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...

, for example, the Commutator provided extensive, behind-the-scenes coverage of set construction and details not shown in the final movie release.

External links

• Titanic Historical Society – official website