On April 15th, 1912- 113 years ago today- the RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles east of Newfoundland at 2am. After the hull was breached, the ship began taking on water and eventually broke into two pieces.

For a ship of 2,200 passengers, only 20 lifeboats were available. Over 1,500 people died in the icy waters, with the most casualties coming from third class passengers who received lifeboat access last as well as first and second class men who obeyed the “women and children first” policy.

Captain Edward Smith, a British naval officer and veteran of International Mercantile Marine, stayed aboard as the ship sank and died.

The Titanic’s wireless radio operator sent out distress calls that were received by nearby ships. About two hours later, the RMS Carpathia arrived, rescuing whatever passengers they could find and bringing them to New York City.

At least that’s the official story.

Here’s three alternative theories involving what happened that night- one involving JP Morgan and the Federal Reserve, one involving International Mercantile Marine and insurance fraud, and another with German U-Boats, each supported by evidence and the historical record at the time.

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Before you start conspiring…

On the anniversary of one the worst maritime disasters in history, the Ticker History Shop is offering International Mercantile Marine stock certificates from 1917, five years after the Titanic’s sinking.

Every stock has a story, and every certificate is history in your hands.

Now, let’s get to the conspiracies.

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Conspiracy Theory #1: JP Morgan Wanted To Kill His Rivals

In 1907, the U.S. economy almost collapsed due to a massive banking panic. Already in a recession, the country was hit hard when United Copper Company was exposed for massive fraud. Stocks crashed, banks failed, and millions lost their jobs after investors lost confidence in the system and started a nationwide bank run. Without a central bank, with government was in trouble.

Enter John Pierpont Morgan.

Morgan, using personal funds along with those of other financiers he recruited, organized the largest private sector bailout in history. Larger banks absorbed smaller ones, others were bailed out, and the system was saved. When the New York Stock Exchange was about to close, he deposited $25 million into their reserves to keep it in operation.

Congress created the National Monetary Commission, the precursor to the Federal Reserve, to figure out how to prevent similar problems in the future. Morgan supported the creation- as he would be its first ever Chairman- but his rivals, mainly Benjamin Guggenheim, Isidor Straus, and John Jacob Astor IV, did not, resentful of Morgan's special status and fearful of the competitive advantage he would have over their businesses.

Fast forward five years.

J.P. Morgan financed the Titanic through his company, the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM), which owned White Star Lines, the company that operated transatlantic passenger routes.

Morgan had a luxury suite reserved on Titanic, as did Guggenheim, Straus, Astor, and several other prominent industrialists at the time. However, Morgan canceled at the last minute, allegedly to stay in France longer with his mistress.

Morgan's change of plans saved his life; his rivals weren't so lucky. They died that night, which sparked conspiracy theories that he wanted them gone to avoid his confirmation as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

In all fairness…

While the motive was there, there are other ways to eliminate business rivals that don’t involve the murder of thousands of innocent civilians. Guggenheim, Straus, and Astor were bitter rivals and vehemently opposed Morgan’s appointment as Chairman, but either supported the Federal Reserve or had no opinion on the record at all.

In the end, Morgan was a businessman, and spending millions of dollars and political capital to build a ship meant to sink wouldn’t make political sense.

But wait…

It is extremely suspicious that Morgan made a last minute change of plans to avoid going on the maiden voyage of the crown jewel of his fleet.

Conspiracy Theory #2: It Wasn’t Actually The Titanic

The RMS Titanic was one of three sister ships built by White Star Lines. There was the RMS Olympic, built in 1911, the RMS Titanic in 1912, and the HMHS Britannic in 1915, originally named the “Gigantic” but changed after the disaster.

The Olympic and Titanic were often confused by the public due to their nearly identical appearance. The ships shared construction resources at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with workers moving between projects.

In 1911, the Olympic was severely damaged in a collision with HMS Hawke while in port. Conflicting reports give different accounts of the extent of the damage, but an irreparable hull breach was reported.

In what became known as the “Olympic Switch Theory”, JP Morgan and International Mercantile Marine swapped the Olympic and Titanic as part of the biggest insurance fraud scheme in history. Knowing that the broken ship would be too costly to repair and unwilling to write o millions in construction fees, Morgan fixed the Olympic as much as needed and sent it out on its doomed maiden voyage to recoup his losses.

In all fairness…

This one’s a little like the “Fake Moon Landing” theory. The sheer number of people, from Morgan, to his associates, to the construction crew, to the port workers, to the ship’s staff, that would have had to have been in on the scheme is staggering. For everyone to have kept quiet in the years that followed is extremely unlikely.

While the two ships were similar, there were some significant differences, like the Titanic’s enclosed promenade versus the Olympic’s open version.

But wait…

In looking at the construction timelines of the two ships, there is a brief window where the two were close enough that a switch could have been possible which aligns with the damage done in the Olympic’s collision with the Hawke. And if that damage was impossible to repair…

Conspiracy Theory #3: It Was A German U-Boat

A small fast forward after the Titanic to another maritime disaster.

In 1915, the RMS Lusitania was en route from New York to Liverpool. The passenger ship carried close to 1,200 passengers- along with 4,500 rifle cartridges, 2,000 shrapnel shell casings, and other munitions to support the British military in what would become World War I. A German U-Boat fired a torpedo at the ship off the coast of Ireland, and everyone aboard sank along with the war supplies.

Reports of the weapons aboard the ship were suppressed, and the disaster was portrayed as a senseless attack on a civilian vessel, giving the U.S. public support enter the war.

Both the U.S. and British government used the passengers aboard as human shields to protect the shipment. Passenger ships were allowed to carry weapons, but doing so did make them a military target under under maritime law.

This is all part of established historical record. The conspiracy is that the Titanic was engaged in the same Transatlantic weapons exchange as the Lusitania, with one ally supplying another, and a German U-Boat sinking the ship to prevent the shipment.

In all fairness…

The timeline and logistics are murky here. World War I wouldn’t start until two years after the Titanic launched, and the nations weren’t in direct conflict yet. Also, the front of World War I was in Europe, and munitions would need to be transported east across the Atlantic, the direction the Lusitania was traveling. The Titanic, if carrying weapons, would be taking them out of Europe, departing from Southampton, England.

Prior to the sinking of the Lusitania, the German embassy published warnings in U.S. newspapers, telling Americans not to travel on British ships because they could be legitimate targets. This was evidence they had intelligence that the U.S. and England were using passenger ships to transport weapons and wanted to avoid disaster.

But wait…

While WWI wouldn’t start for years later, the U.S. was heavily involved in military actions in Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. The United States was aiming to expand its footprint in Latin America and the Caribbean and establish a foothold in the region. Had the Titanic been carrying British supplies meant for the U.S., its sinking would have been a major blow.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

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