A Cunard liner, the Carpathia, receives the Titanic’s call for help. She sends the first of eight distress rockets. Lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg ahead of the Titanic. First Officer Murdoch orders the ship turned hard a-starboard. Captain Smith orders lifeboats loaded—women and children first. Second Officer Lightoller disagrees with the order, insisting men go first.
1. The Ship’s Construction
The titanic timeline was one of the largest ships ever built at its time. It was also one of the most luxurious ships at sea, designed to cater to the elite of society. Its construction was so large that it created a revolution in shipbuilding techniques and required the use of the world’s largest dry dock to hold her massive hull. Its completion was a source of pride for its designers and builders. An enormous crowd gathered to watch the Titanic glide into the water in May of 1911, but it would be several months before the ship was ready for its maiden voyage.
During its initial stages of construction, the ship’s crew spent much of their time testing her systems and ensuring that they were in working order. This process was extremely time-consuming, and it delayed the Titanic’s expected completion date by several months.
On February 3, 1912, the Titanic is dry-docked at Belfast’s Thompson Graving Dock. Her hull is divided into 16 watertight compartments, which gave her the reputation of being virtually unsinkable. In addition to these compartments, the ship was fitted with numerous lifeboats—20 in all. However, the number of lifeboats was a compromise between safety and economics. The original designer, Alexander Carlisle, had suggested that the Titanic be able to carry more lifeboats than she actually did have, but this idea was ultimately rejected in favor of a more cost-effective solution.
Despite receiving multiple iceberg warnings, the Titanic’s captain, Edward Smith, decided to continue full-steam ahead. This was a deadly decision that would ultimately lead to the ship’s sinking off the coast of Newfoundland. The Titanic began to sink from the front first, with her stern following two minutes later. The wreckage of the Titanic is still located on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to this day.
2. The Ship’s Maiden Voyage
The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, to make its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to New York City. It’s carrying a mixture of first-, second-, and third-class passengers, as well as many wealthy industrialists, dignitaries, and celebrities.
The ship runs through sea trials, with all of her equipment tested, including the wireless system. A number of speed and handling tests are conducted, and the crew also performs a major stopping test.
At around 1:00 p.m., the Titanic stops at Cherbourg, France, to pick up more passengers. 103 people disembark, including White Star Line chairman J. Bruce Ismay and his family, who are traveling in first class.
Throughout the day, seven iceberg warnings are received, but none reach the bridge. Captain Edward Smith cancels a scheduled lifeboat drill and orders the ship to change course, heading slightly south. However, he does not order the ship’s speed lowered. SS Mesaba sends a warning about an ice field that includes “heavy pack ice and [a] great number of large icebergs.” But because it is not prefixed with MSG — the signal for messages addressed to the captain — wireless operator Jack Phillips treats it as non-urgent and fails to pass it on to the Titanic’s bridge.
Lookout Frederick Fleet notices a large iceberg, probably about 100 feet wide, ahead of the ship. He calls the bridge, and First Officer William Murdoch takes over shift duty from Second Officer Charles Lightoller.
About half an hour before midnight, the Titanic hits the iceberg and scrapes the bottom of the ocean. The front section of the ship sinks first, followed two minutes later by the stern.
The last lifeboat is lowered, but it is only partially full and holds just 27 people — the maximum capacity is 65. The Carpathia, which heard the distress call, is about 58 miles away and begins to head toward the Titanic. A few hours later, the lifeboat reaches shore and drops off its final survivors. In all, 1,517 died and 706 were rescued from the sinking. After the tragedy, legends sprung up about heroes and heroines, such as American Molly Brown, who helped command a lifeboat, and Captain Arthur Henry Rostron of the Carpathia, who saved hundreds of survivors.
3. The Sinking
The RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, sinking with the loss of over 2,200 lives. The disaster remains one of the most famous maritime tragedies in history and has inspired numerous books, films, and songs. Learn more about the ship and her final moments through this timeline.
April 11, 1912: The Titanic leaves Southampton for its fateful voyage across the Atlantic to New York City. Among the first to board are a family of four from America, who are traveling on the invitation of wealthy American businessman Thomas Andrews. Also on board are two officers, six crew members, and a number of first class and second class passengers.
Just after midnight on April 14, 1912, lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg in the path of Titanic. He immediately reports it to the bridge via the ship’s wireless telegraph system. First Officer William Murdoch orders a hard starboard turn, but the ship scrapes against the iceberg’s right side.
Water soon enters the ship, starting in the forward section. At the same time, the iceberg pushes Titanic toward it at nearly full speed. The ship’s momentum is such that it reaches a nearly vertical position before the collision.
In the aftermath of the crash, Captain Smith learns that only two hours will pass before the ship is expected to sink. He orders his passengers to begin preparing for the worst. He also asks a second officer and a ship carpenter to “sound the ship” (inspect the damage).
At 11:30 p.m., the Titanic receives the last of seven ice warnings. The ship is traveling at 22.5 knots, just a little below its top speed of 23 knots.
Lifeboats are lowered into the water. Second Officer Lightoller strictly enforces the rule that women and children must go into the lifeboats before men. The wife of billionaire John Jacob Astor, Madeleine Astor, requests to join her husband in a lifeboat. But Lightoller refuses to allow her to do so.
Hundreds of human dramas play out between the order to load the lifeboats and the ship’s final plunge. Many people lose their loved ones, and selfless individuals give up their spots on the lifeboats to stay with or help others escape. In the end, only 706 of Titanic’s 2,229 passengers and crew survive the tragedy.
4. The Rescue
Despite the disaster, many people on board the Titanic survived. Survivors’ stories have inspired people throughout the world to engage more fully in their lives and pursue their dreams. Their experiences also teach us that miracles do occur, even in the most trying of circumstances.
April 14, 1912: The lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg in the ship’s path and rings the bridge’s bell. Captain Smith learns that the ship will only stay afloat for a couple of hours and gives orders to make radio calls for help. He also tells his officers to close the watertight doors. Ship’s first officer William Murdoch immediately orders a hard starboard (to the left) turn, but the ship scrapes against the iceberg. Water soon enters five of the ship’s hull compartments.
The crew begins to lower lifeboats, with women and children in the first boats. But the 20 lifeboats could only hold 1,178 passengers if they were filled to capacity — far less than the 2,227 people on the Titanic. Plus, the davits that supported the lifeboats were supposedly not capable of holding more than one boat at a time.
As the Titanic takes on water, a woman named Violet Jessop helps non-English speaking passengers onto lifeboats. She later retires as a model and is nicknamed Miss Unsinkable.
Meanwhile, some of the passengers in collapsible A, which is swept away by the water, are rescued from the ocean floor by another boat. Some of the survivors in this lifeboat will end up being the first to arrive in New York.
Other lifeboats are lowered, but they quickly fill with water. The crew lowers lifeboat number 7, which is crowded with 28 people, even though it had the capacity for 65. After a long wait, the RMS Carpathia, a passenger liner that was headed to New York, hears the distress call and changes course to come to the rescue.
At about 4:10 a.m., the Carpathia picks up lifeboat number 7. It contains just 28 people, but they are alive and safe. The rest of the passengers in this lifeboat and in others will be rescued by other ships, including the Mackay-Bennett and the Oceanic.
Conclusion:
The Titanic’s ill-fated journey began on April 10, 1912, and tragically ended on April 15, 1912, when it struck an iceberg and sank, resulting in the loss of over 1,500 lives. The disaster highlighted the importance of safety regulations at sea and remains a haunting reminder of the consequences of human hubris and inadequate preparedness.
FAQs:
- What caused the sinking of the Titanic? The Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, which caused severe damage to its hull, leading to flooding in several compartments. As a result, the ship became structurally compromised and eventually sank in the early hours of April 15.
- How many survivors were there? Out of approximately 2,224 passengers and crew aboard the Titanic, around 710 survived the disaster. The majority of the survivors were women and children, as they were given priority during the evacuation in accordance with the “women and children first” protocol.
