RMS Titanic

"I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern ship building has gone beyond that." �-Captain Smith

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April 10, 1912-April 15, 1912

Construction

• The Titanic had ambitions to be the largest luxury liner at sea. She was made for the most elite of passengers, and no expenses were spared.

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• The Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland.

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• The Titanic took three years to build and cost over $7.5 million (about $123 million today)

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• Over 15,000 people worked on the Titanic and its sister ship, the Olympic. The average worker earned about $10 per week.

A Marvel of her time

• The ship had 16 water tight compartments as an added safety feature. The ship was built to stay afloat with any two of the middle compartments or four of the first compartments flooded. The Titanic was considered unsinkable.
• The Titanic was made of steel plates, 1 inch thick, fastened together by over 3 million rivets.
• When it was moved from Belfast, Ireland to Southampton, England, it was considered to be the largest object ever moved at the time.

Stunning Features

• It took nearly ten months for the interior features (everything from adding the top decks to making sure there were enough pots and pans) to be completed.

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• Cosmetic appeal was largely valued during this time; the fourth funnel on the Titanic was fake, but it made the ship look grander.

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• The Titanic had 64 lifeboats in the original plans. This was not aesthetically pleasing, so the final number of lifeboats on board the ship was 20.

Bad Omens?

• When the Titanic was embarking on its maiden voyage, it nearly collided with another ship. The ships came within four feet of colliding.
• There was a fire burning in a boiler room that had started several days earlier. It was distinguished on the third day of the voyage.
• Published in 1898, a book Futility chronicled the fictional sinking (after striking an ice berg) of a large luxury liner sailing in the North Atlantic in the month of April. The name of the ship was the TITAN.

The Crew of the Titanic

The Titanic had over eight hundred and ninety-two crew members including seamen, firemen, engineers, stewards, and chefs. Only twenty-three women worked on the ship.

Sailing on the Titanic

There were three classes of passengers on the ship: First, Second, and Third.

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First Class Passengers

• A typical first-class stateroom had a bed, sofa, wardrobe, dressing table, and washbasin. Many first-class passengers shared a washroom.

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• Two parlor suites with private decks were the most luxuriously decorated staterooms ever build on an ocean liner.

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• First class passengers had access to most of the boat and were served fine meals at every sitting.

For Fun?

Play games

Attend a concert

Went swimming

Relax in the gymnasium

Second Class Passengers

• Although not as luxurious, many reputable families stayed in second class. A twelve year old later described her second-class cabin: “just like a hotel room, it was so big. Everything was new. New!”
• Second class passengers were not to mingle with the first class passengers.

For Fun?

Skip and play games on deck

Read books in the library

Played Cards

Walked around on the decks

Third Class Passengers

• The class with the most passengers, third class cabins could house up to ten people with bunk beds.
• Third class had only two bathtubs for more than 700 passengers!
• Third class was also called “steerage” because it was usually in the stern of the ship near the steering equipment. It was least expensive, but also the least comfortable.

For Fun?

Played Cards

Danced or played instruments

Walked and sat on benches

Her True Purpose

Mail Room on a similar ship

Titanic was not only a passenger vessel, but also a Royal Mail Ship, designated to carry mail for the British Royal Mail Service.

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R.M.S Titanic lost over 7 million pieces of mail when it foundered.

No one could have guessed her fate…

• The Titanic had received many wireless messages warning her of icebergs. At one point, frustrated, the wireless operator told the Californian, another ship nearby, to “shut up” and stop talking about icebergs.

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• At 11:40 pm, the lookout in the crow’s nest, Frederick Fleet, spotted an iceberg right ahead of Titanic and alerted the bridge. (The crews binoculars had been lost days before.)

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Too Much, Too Late

First Office William Murdoch was in charge of the ship and ordered the ship “hard to starboard,” hoping to steer around the iceberg. The engines were put into reverse.

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The starboard side of Titanic struck the iceberg. A series of holes was created below the waterline of the ship.

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The holes were so widely separated, five of the watertight compartments were flooded. Titanic could only stay afloat with 4 compartments breached.

The Fatal Errors

• Some speculate that if the Titanic would have hit the iceberg head on, it either would have stayed afloat, or there would have been enough time to get everyone safely off the boat before sinking.

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• Some also speculate that if Mr. Murdoch would not have reversed the engines, which slowed down the speed at which the Titanic could turn away from the iceberg, the ship may have missed the iceberg.

William Murdoch

• A mere 2 hours and 40 minutes after the Titanic struck the iceberg, her forward deck dipped underwater.

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• Cracking under the weight of the water, the Titanic snapped between the third and fourth tunnel. After bobbing in the water for several minutes, the stern disappeared into the vast depths of the ocean.

The trauma of the event caused many differing eye witness accounts, making it difficult to say with certainty exactly what happened.

The survivors were left to wait for rescue until 4am, when the Carpathia arrived.