Titanic was one of the world’s largest and most luxurious ocean liners. It was supposedly nearly unsinkable when it was built.
Lookout Frederick Fleet spots a large, floating piece of ice and calls the bridge. First Officer Murdoch reports that the ship has struck an iceberg. Captain Smith orders Boxhall to inspect the damage.
March 31, 1909
Construction of the massive titanic timeline begins at Harland and Wolff’s shipyard on Queen’s Island in Belfast, Ireland. The keel is laid down, and the hull is launched into the River Lagan in an event that draws more than 100,000 spectators.
The day after Titanic’s launch, passengers board the ship with great fanfare. Carpets are still being laid and interior decorators are finishing up last-minute details. Local Southampton florist Frank Bealing and his son bring aboard elaborate floral arrangements for the maiden voyage.
At 12:05 a.m., the captain orders that crewmen begin preparing lifeboats. Officers are dispatched to stations around the ship to oversee the process, which will be tough: the ocean liner only carried enough lifeboats for half of its passengers. Passengers are roused from their rooms and told to report to the decks. They are entertained by the ship’s musicians, who attempt to maintain a sliver of normalcy.
Nine minutes later, the giant liner runs into an iceberg. Fleet rings the lookout bell and phones the bridge. “Iceberg, right ahead!” he shouts. Officer Murdoch turns the wheel hard a-starboard, but it’s too late. The iceberg collides with the Titanic’s bow, and an underwater tongue of ice gashes its hull.
The Titanic’s port propeller churns up so much water that it pulls a number of small ships unmoored along the docks to its side. To avoid a collision, Captain Edward Smith reverses the propeller. The SS New York’s colossal propeller, however, will soon collide with Titanic’s port side. Smith’s quick thinking (and a tugboat that helps restrain the New York) saves both ships from a disastrous crash.
In the lifeboat station, Second Officer Lightoller prepares to launch boat number 4. Madeleine Astor, five months pregnant, asks to join him, but he refuses her request. He is following the strict order of women and children first, and Astor understands.
The Carpathia receives the distress call and heads toward the Titanic’s position. On board are 705 survivors, most of them women and children. Despite the grim situation, most passengers remain calm. The public’s fascination with the Titanic is born, and it grows even stronger in the years that follow her three-day lifespan as an operational ocean liner.
April 10, 1912
The Titanic is nearly finished and is ready to leave the shipyard. She will spend just a day on display in her port of registry, Liverpool, before departing Southampton to begin its maiden voyage. Before she sets sail, journalists are allowed to inspect her. The hull is painted a deep blue, and a white star is mounted on each of her two forward funnels.
Titanic sails from Southampton, bound for New York City. The ship passes through calm Atlantic waters until it approaches Cherbourg, France. During this time, White Star’s Southampton Marine Superintendent, Captain Maurice Clarke boards the Titanic to oversee the crew muster and lifeboat drill. The Titanic then stops at Queenstown, Ireland, where seven people disembark.
Throughout the day, Titanic receives several iceberg warnings from the Mesaba. Although Captain Edward John Smith orders a change of course, the speed is not lowered.
On the bridge, a shakeup occurs. Henry Wilde, the most senior surviving officer from Olympic, is promoted to chief mate on Titanic. William Murdoch is demoted to first officer and Charles Lightoller is moved to second officer, a position that had been assigned to David Blair.
At 10:30 pm, the Titanic enters the North Atlantic Ocean. After a few hours, the ship encounters a large patch of ice. Captain Smith is alerted to the ice, and he alters the Titanic’s course slightly and reduces the ship’s speed.
A short time later, the ship collides with an iceberg. The impact causes the ship to take on water, and the stern section begins to sink. The rest of the Titanic sinks two hours and forty minutes later at 02:20 ship’s time, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people.
Hundreds of human dramas unfold between the order to load lifeboats and the moment the Titanic plunges into the sea. Men saw off wives and children, and selfless individuals gave up their seats in the boats to allow other passengers to escape. The disaster captured the public imagination, and the story of the Titanic has since become a legend. Over the years, countless books and movies have recounted its tragic end. In addition, the wreck has been excavated, preserved, and explored, and numerous memorials have been dedicated to it.
April 14, 1912
The Titanic, the largest ocean liner of its day, departs Southampton, England on her maiden voyage with 2,205 passengers and crew. Among the passengers were six with connections to King County, Washington. The ship would meet disaster two days later when it struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic. The disaster was the result of human error and inadequate emergency procedures. The story of the sinking and those who perished has become an icon of the age.
The lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg in the ship’s path. A call is placed on the bridge and sixth officer Robert Hitchins reports, “Iceberg right aft.” First officer William Murdoch closes watertight doors. Captain Smith asks Murdoch, “What have we struck?” and is informed it is an iceberg.
At 11:40 p.m., the iceberg hits the Titanic. Water enters the ship through the forward part of the hull, and by 12:30 a.m., the water level has risen to 14 feet.
Passengers and crew begin transferring to lifeboats. Six messages are received by the Titanic’s radio operators warning of drifting ice. (The ice conditions in the North Atlantic were the worst in 50 years.) However, only one of these is passed on to the ship’s wireless operator, Harold Bride.
The first lifeboat lowered is number 3, which carries a small group of men and women, including nine-week-old Millvina Dean. Several of the occupants are women who refuse to disobey the order for women and children to board boats first. They include Isidor and Ida Straus, whose marriage was arranged by wealthy banker J.P. Morgan, whose International Mercantile Marine shipping trust controlled the White Star Line.
In the next hour, three more boats are lowered, including number 8, which carries 28 people. Many of the occupants are women, but a few men also take refuge in the boat. One man, second officer Charles Lightoller, tries to board with a woman but is turned away by her husband. He will not leave his wife to save himself.
April 15, 1912
Today the Titanic begins her journey across the Atlantic for New York City. She is carrying 2,229 passengers and crew, and it is advertised as being almost unsinkable. This is also recruitment day, when the last few vacancies on the ship are filled.
At 11:30 a.m., the Titanic leaves Queenstown on her first voyage to the United States. It is the largest passenger steamship of its time and boasts luxury accommodations. Many of the passengers are wealthy people from the top classes. The ship is adorned with flags and pennants to celebrate its maiden voyage.
At 2 a.m., the Titanic hits an iceberg. Six of the ship’s watertight compartments are flooded. Designer Thomas Andrews surveys the damage and concludes that the Titanic will sink within two hours, if not sooner.
The lookout Frederick Fleet hears an iceberg alarm and sends a message to the bridge. First Officer William Murdoch closes the watertight doors and asks Fourth Officer Boxhall to turn the ship “Hard a starboard”.
Captain Edward Smith returns to the bridge and hears the report. He orders that the lifeboats be lowered, and he reminds the passengers that it is “every man for himself.”
As the ship’s lifeboats are lowered, there is panic among the passengers. Some men begin to row their own boats, while others are content to wait for their families. In compliance with maritime law, women and children are rescued before the men.
The last boat to be lowered is collapsible D, and it is loaded with 44 women and children. Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller forms a ring around the final lifeboat to prevent it from being overrun by those desperate to save their lives.
2.18 a.m. – The last of the Titanic’s lights blink, and the ship disappears from view. It is descending at about 30 miles per hour.
The rescue ship Carpathia is notified of the distress signal. The crew hurries to the site, but it is too late. The bow section has already disappeared beneath the waves. The rest of the ship will sink in about half an hour.
Conclusion
The Titanic’s tragic voyage in 1912 remains one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters. Despite its advanced design and luxurious amenities, the ship’s collision with an iceberg led to the loss of over 1,500 lives. This catastrophe prompted significant advancements in maritime safety and regulations, forever changing the course of shipbuilding and travel.
FAQs:
- What caused the sinking of the Titanic? The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912. The collision caused significant damage to the ship’s hull, leading to flooding in several compartments. As the water overwhelmed the ship’s watertight compartments, it eventually led to its sinking in the early hours of April 15, 1912.
- How many survivors were there? Of the approximately 2,224 passengers and crew aboard the Titanic, only around 710 survived the disaster. The lack of sufficient lifeboats and inadequate evacuation procedures contributed to the high loss of life. The limited number of lifeboats meant that many people were left stranded on the sinking ship or plunged into the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
