Ever since the RMS Titanic   sunk en route to New York from Southampton in April 1912 , we ’ve always thought it was do by the ship traveling too tight and ( what later became ) the human beings ’s most hated iceberg . However , unexampled grounds and some sharp - eyed investigating suggests this is far from the whole story .

Senan Molony , an Irish author who ’s write extensively about the history of the Titanic , point out that unexampled pieces of grounds hint that the much - famed death was in reality start by a attack , not ice .

The new possibility was put forward in the documentary " Titanic : The New Evidence",which aired on the UK ’s Channel 4 on January 1 .

“ The official Titanic query branded [ the sinking ] as an act of God , " Molony toldThe Times . “This is n’t a unproblematic story of colliding with an berg and sink . It ’s a perfect storm of extraordinary broker coming together : fire , frappe , and criminal negligence . "

He argue that a fire break out in the coal bunker of the rarefied ship before it even leave its home of construction at a shipyard in Belfast . latterly hold photographs let on that the ship had a 9 - beat - longsighted ( 30 - metrical unit - long ) dark mark along its hull before it   left the interface of Southampton , England . The new theory says that the firing warp the steel of the Isaac Hull and made this field brittle .

This area is also believed to be where the iceberg hit the ship . Molony say the fire   price could have weakened the ship ’s Isaac Hull , making it considerably more susceptible to military unit   when it later hit the crisphead lettuce .

He added that he believes the ardor was known about , but was hidden for fear it could jeopardise the much - foreknow maiden voyage , which had already suffered two delays .

This novel theory draws on a antecedently set up idea by professor Robert Essenhigh , as reported in 2004 byScience Daily . He argue that a severe fire might have forced the crew to clean up the ship ’s pace , eventually leading them into a panic collision with the crisphead lettuce .

Most historians nowadays agree a fire occurred at some point of the sinking feeling . At what point exactly come along to be brought into interrogative by this new photographic grounds . Otherscontendthat despite legal injury from a   fire , the forcefulness of the hit was still too great to withstand .

Perhapsafter more investigation and deeper probing , we might someday know   the whole story that remains lost at sea .