Robin Gardiner has died

[Mark Baber]

Obituary: Writer who claimed the Titanic never sank

Credit to Steve Hall, who posted this link to the ET Facebook page.

Mr. Gardiner's work was the subject of much criticism here. Please keep any responses to this message respectful.

 

[Harland Duzen]

May he rest in peace and be remembered for his interest in Titanic and other ships from the golden age of ocean liners such as his co-authored books on Post-cards and the history of the White Star Line.

 

[Henry Sincic]

To all willing to read,

While I personally disagree with his theories, he did bring a lot of public interest back into Titanic, and must be recognized at least for that.

My condolences go out to his family, friends, etc. and may he Rest In Peace.

Sincerely,

Henry

 

[B-rad]

His books are on bookshelves and he will forever be remembered for his contribution to Titanic by all of us. Thank you and may all your questions now be answered.

 

[Andrew]

I wrote to Robin Gardiner in 1998 shortly after his second book ('The Ship That Never Sank?') came out. To his great credit he responded at length, and also to subsequent letters I wrote.
Despite the mass of detailed evidence that irrefutably disproved his theory, he stuck to his guns (bravely or stubbornly, depending on one's view).
He did at least force people to question some of the implausible aspects of the disaster (such as survival times in the water, and how a glancing blow managed to cause ice to fall off the berg) and for that he deserves praise.

 

[Rob Lawes]

This is absolutely pure speculation on my behalf by I always got the impression reading the first book, The Riddle of the Titanic, that Dan Van Der Vat the co author acted as a filter for some of the more radical ideas proposed by Gardiner and that, unhappy with the watering down of his work, Gardiner followed the first book up with Titanic, the ship that never sank? which essentially tells exactly the same story as The Riddle of the Titanic but pushes a few more extreme thoughts. It's been years since I read either book.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Dan Van Der Vat did not believed in the switch fantasy. Gardiner goes into more ridiculous claims in his 3rd book, if my memory is right he even claimed that the Olympic Hawke collision was planned.
I have 3 other books he wrote like Titanic and White Star Line in Postcards of which I was not much impressed especially there are several postcards or pictures which had nothing to do with Titanic or WSL and are wrong captured.

 

[Rob Lawes]

I certainly got that impression about Dan Van Der Vat Ioannis. I'm reasonably certain that the first book even ends with a section where the improbability of the theory of a switch is highlighted. I would imagine that Mr Gardiner would not have taken too kindly to that hence the immediate follow up to the first book.

I haven't read any more of his work.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Yes I forgot that they even had it in the book mentioned.
Mr. Gardiner however seems to go his own way and then come up or better to say his agent always promising to come up with the final proof about that the switch took place.

Regarding his other books, I could have saved the time and money I spend for them for other things.