That, and there were survivors to tell the tale. Ships sinking with all on board lost was a reality. There was always the chance that one who went out to sea might not return. The Titanic's survivors made the story known and memorable.

The Titanic was thought to be unsinkable, so "there was always a chance" didn't apply in people's minds to this case.

The Titanic was the largest ship at the time, "unsinkable", on its maiden voyage, carrying some of the richest people in the world, greatest maritime disaster at the time, still basically at #2 after more than a century, and the wreck lost for 70 years. The story is definitely more sensational and mysterious than other sinkings.

The 'Wilhelm Gustloff' had at least 4000 casualties in 1945. I believe the memorability of the Titanic is only loosely coupled to the number of casualties .

I included the casualty count as a response to the article quote in OP's comment:

> So why did the Empress tragedy, which claimed even more passenger lives a little over two years later, fail to embed itself in our collective national consciousness?

The Titanic sinking caused ~50-60% more casualties. But casualty numbers alone are probably not enough to make either of them memorable. But an "unsinkable" ship, biggest ever, carrying the worlds richest, inexplicably sinking on maiden voyage and disappearing for decades is a very powerful story.

Titanic happened in peace time. In WW2 many ships went under with thousands on board.

And after 1945 people were encouraged to forget about everything and not ask any uncomfortable questions.

And popular media grabbed the story. Fame for shipwrecks is hugely dependent on that - if it’s going to live past its time.

Gordon Lightfoot ensured that people a hundred years from now will know the Edmund Fitzgerald but the thousands of other wrecks in those lakes will be known to locals and researchers only.

I understand 30,000 have died on the Great Lakes as a result of shipwrecks.

Also, the author could read himself and notice that final paragraph where he tells that "Empress" sunk right before the WWI. Which obviously made all other news mostly irrelevant

It was the biggest ship of its time, but we have much bigger ones now (both on tonnage and passenger capacity).

That's why I wrote it was the biggest ship ever, not that it is the biggest ship ever.