Titanic was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in existence at the time. It was on its maiden voyage when it crashed into an iceberg and sunk. Here is a look at some of the key events that took place on that fateful night.
A final warning about icebergs is received in the ship’s wireless room but never makes it to the bridge. Lifeboats are lowered; women and children go in first.
The Construction Of The Ship
Titanic, a massive passenger ship, was supposed to be “unsinkable” due to its many watertight compartments and doors. But the luxury liner’s maiden voyage turned disastrous when it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank in less than three hours. This timeline traces the story of Titanic, from its construction through its tragic end.
April 11, 1912: The RMS Titanic leaves the port at Southampton, England for its fateful crossing of the Atlantic to New York City. The ship is carrying more than 2,000 passengers and crew members, including many of Europe’s rich and famous. It is the largest ship ever built.
A few hours into the voyage, lookout Frederick Fleet hears a call from the bridge and reports an iceberg in sight. The bridge orders the ship to turn hard a-starboard. The ship is unable to change course before hitting the iceberg.
The impact is severe and the titanic timeline is damaged. The first four of the ship’s 16 watertight compartments are flooded, but the fifth compartment is not. The ship was designed to remain afloat with only four of the compartments flooded, and designer Thomas Andrews estimates that the Titanic will stay afloat for about two hours.
At 2:10 a.m., First Officer William Murdoch tells Captain Smith that the ship has hit an iceberg. The iceberg is a large piece of ice that broke off from a larger berg and caused a gash in the hull.
Boxhall inspects the damage and finds that Orlop deck was flooded forward of the fourth watertight bulkhead. The crew prepares to escort passengers into lifeboats.
The captain orders the lifeboats lowered. The 20 boats have enough space for 1,178 people, but only a few are filled at first. Women and children go into the lifeboats first. The rest of the passengers wait until more lifeboats are lowered.
As the Titanic sinks, it sends out a distress signal. The signal uses the Morse code letters CQD, which stands for “come quick, danger, distress.” By this time, the rescue ship Carpathia is on its way to the area.
The Launch Of The Ship
The construction of the Titanic begins in March 1909 with the building of the keel, which is the backbone of the ship. Ten months later, the ship is ready for its maiden voyage from Belfast to Southampton. A crowd of about 100,000 people watch the Titanic sail away. People cheer, wave handkerchiefs and sing “Rule Britannia!” The Titanic is the largest passenger ship to have ever been built.
At 12 pm the ship leaves Southampton. During the trip, a band plays ragtime music in the first-class lounge on A Deck. Then it moves to the Boat Deck, near the port entrance to the Grand Staircase. A few hours after the ship’s departure, senior wireless operator Jack Phillips starts to receive warnings about icebergs from other ships further west. These messages are passed on to Captain Edward J Smith.
Phillips advises the captain that he may have to change course in order to avoid the icebergs. But the captain decides not to alter course and continues on his course toward New York.
About 4:00 am, the Titanic reaches Cherbourg in France. The cross-Channel passengers disembark. Then the ship resumes its journey down the English Channel to Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland. During the voyage, the iceberg warnings continue to come in, but they are not acted upon by the captain.
On the morning of April 15, the iceberg hits the ship. It causes the bow to sink, and the stern rises. The lifeboats are lowered, but they are not fully loaded. The captain orders that women and children should board first. Then the men and boys will follow.
After a few minutes, the number 3 lifeboat is lowered. It carries seven second-class women and four children. But the women are too upset to board it. Two male passengers jump into the boat, injuring one of them. Then they threaten to throw the man overboard. The lookouts also refuse to go into the lifeboats, saying they will only find drunks in them.
About 1:15 am, water is seen at the base of the Grand Staircase. The last distress signals are sent. Then the radio room loses power. Philips and Bride leave the radio room.
The Ship’s Maiden Voyage
The Titanic’s maiden voyage starts out well with fine weather, calm seas, and a comfortable pace. The captain is proud of the ship’s performance and confident of its safety. He even runs some steering trials, which go well. The Titanic’s length (883 feet) made it a challenge to turn quickly, but the crew eventually got the hang of it.
On April 12, the ship stops in Queenstown harbor. There are 114 third-class and seven second-class passengers aboard who disembark from tenders. The ship then leaves for Cherbourg, France, where the passengers will spend the night before continuing to Southampton, England.
During the voyage, several ships report ice to Titanic. But the captain decides to continue on.
At 9:10 PM, Titanic spots an iceberg that appears to be moving toward her. He orders the lifeboats to be lowered. But the order is changed to women and children first. This decision will have catastrophic consequences.
The last boat to be lowered is number 8. It’s loaded with 28 people, including Isidor and Ida Straus. Isidor offers to take a seat in the boat, but Second Officer Lightoller insists on following the order of women and children first. Isidor refuses to leave her husband, stating, “Where you go, I go.”
Hundreds of dramas play out between the moment the lifeboats are ordered to be lowered and the moment they finally plunge into the water. Husbands see off wives and children, mothers give up their seats to allow pregnant women to board, and selfless individuals sacrifice themselves to ensure that their loved ones have the best chance of survival.
Aboard the ship were a group of foreign-born immigrants who had hoped to begin new lives in the United States. Many of them would not survive the tragedy, but their well-preserved belongings were recovered and are now on display at the Museum of Natural History. Lillian Asplund, the last surviving American survivor of the Titanic, died in 2006 at age 99. A powerful reminder of the human cost of the disaster. The United States Senate holds hearings to investigate the disaster, and questions are raised as to why there were not enough lifeboats on the ship.
The Sinking Of The Ship
The Titanic is a famous ship that became legendary for its unfortunate sinking. It was a huge luxury liner that was supposed to be unsinkable but it ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along with most of its passengers and crew members. There were many reasons for this tragic event including human errors, lack of lifeboats, and inadequate emergency procedures. This article will explore the events that took place on April 14 and 15 when the Titanic collided with an iceberg and eventually sank.
On the morning of April 14, Titanic was sailing through some practice turns to test its maneuverability. At about 11:30 AM the ship stopped at Queenstown Harbor. 114 third-class and seven second-class passengers disembarked. Later that day, Captain Edward Smith ordered the ship to leave for Southampton.
At about 9:40 PM the Titanic left Queenstown and sailed across the Irish Sea. During this time, the passengers were enjoying their vacation. Then at about 11:40 PM, lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg directly ahead of the ship. He immediately calls down to the bridge and Sixth Officer Moody shouts back, “Iceberg right ahead!”. The helmsman immediately signals, “Hard Starboard”. First Officer Murdoch closes the watertight doors and Fourth Officer Boxhall comes up to the bridge.
Boxhall inspects the damage and finds that the forward area of the hull was flooded by the iceberg. He reports this to Captain Smith and he asks Thomas Andrews, the ship carpenter, to sound the ship.
The iceberg hits the ship at 12:05 AM. The front half of the ship disappears underwater followed two minutes later by the back of the boat. The boat is then split in half and sinks in the North Atlantic.
The surviving passengers and crew were rescued by the Carpathia which arrived at about 2:20 AM. The ship was carrying 705 people including more than 1,500 women and children. Hundreds of bodies were recovered from the area where the Titanic sank. An American inquiry was held to determine the cause of the disaster. The investigation revealed that there were many errors on board the Titanic.
Conclusion
The Titanic’s ill-fated voyage, which began on April 10, 1912, ended tragically when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 15. This maritime disaster claimed over 1,500 lives, leaving an indelible mark on history. The incident spurred significant improvements in maritime safety and continues to captivate the world with its enduring legacy.
FAQs:
- How many people survived the sinking of the Titanic? Out of approximately 2,224 passengers and crew onboard, around 710 people survived the sinking of the Titanic. The majority of survivors were women, children, and first-class passengers, as they were given priority during the evacuation process.
- What were some lasting impacts of the Titanic disaster? The sinking of the Titanic led to significant changes in maritime regulations, including the establishment of the International Ice Patrol and the requirement for sufficient lifeboats on ships. It also raised awareness about safety at sea and sparked advancements in maritime technology and rescue procedures, ensuring safer voyages in the future.
