Shipwreck was an ever-present possibility in 1912. - Steve Turner

For those out on the water it provided a bizarre soundtrack to a sight that so many would only be able to describe as “like watching a moving picture.”

The band played marching from deck to deck, and as the ship went under I could still hear the music.

As the screams in the water multiplied, another sound was heard, strong and clear at first, then fainter in the distance. It was the melody of the hymn “Nearer, My God, To Thee,” played by the string orchestra in the dining saloon.