Story highlights Author claims newly-revealed pictures shed light on Titanic tragedy

Senan Molony says a coal bunker fire weakened the ship

(CNN) Did an intense fire on board R.M.S. Titanic lead to one of the worst disasters in maritime history?

A black mark can be seen on the side of Titanic in this newly-revealed photograph. Picture courtesy of Steve Raffield.

A new documentary by author and journalist Senan Molony suggests the emergence of pictures hidden in a forgotten album for a century prove that the supposedly unsinkable passenger ship was weakened by a smoldering coal fire even before it left on its catastrophic maiden voyage.

Titanic, which at the time of its sinking in 1912 was the biggest ship afloat, hit an iceberg in the north Atlantic on the night of April 14 and went down with the loss of about 1,500 lives. Some 700 people survived.

Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic's maiden voyage – The White Star ocean liner Titanic on her first and last voyage in 1912. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic survivors – The ship struck an iceberg near midnight on April 14, 1912 and sank into the Atlantic Ocean a little less than four hours later. Survivors of the Titanic disaster crowded into lifeboats. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic news – Newspaper boy Ned Parfett sells copies of the Evening News on April 16, 1912 outside the White Star Line offices in London. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic news – The April 16,1912 front page of The New York Times announces the sinking of the Titanic. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic victim – This circa 1910 photos shows banking and mining millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim with his wife Florette Seligman. Guggenheim died in the Titanic disaster. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic survivors – Survivors of the Titanic sinking arrive May 11, 1912, at the Liverpool docks. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic survivors – Survivors gather at Millbay Docks in Plymouth on May 1, 1912. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Tragedy at sea Titanic souvenir – A woman buys a souvenir print of the Titanic shortly after the disaster. Hide Caption 8 of 8

Molony said the existence of a fire inside one of the coal bunkers is well documented -- but its significance underplayed.

In the documentary Titanic: The New Evidence, broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 on New Year's Day, Molony reveals pictures taken in early April 1912 shortly before Titanic started its trans-Atlantic voyage. They show a mark on the White Star ocean liner's starboard side near the seat of the fire, and the point of the collision.

Read More