Disaster Inquiry

A disaster inquiry is the formal investigation convened after a major ship loss to establish cause and recommend reform. The British Wreck Commissioner’s inquiry into RMS Titanic (lost 15 April 1912) reported July 1912 and drove the first SOLAS Convention of 1914; the parallel inquiry into RMS Lusitania (sunk 7 May 1915) followed. The modern equivalent is the flag-state casualty investigation under SOLAS regulation I/21 and the IMO Casualty Investigation Code, IMO resolution MSC.255(84), which requires a marine safety investigation into every very serious casualty.