April 10, 1912: Titanic sets sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. The massive ship is touted as nearly unsinkable. April 14, 1912: The last of several warnings about icebergs is received in the wireless room but never reaches the bridge. Lifeboat Number 8 is readied for launch. Madeleine Astor is offered a seat, but refuses to disobey the order of women and children first.
Sailing Day
On April 10, 1912, the RMS titanic timeline departed Southampton, England on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic to New York City. She stopped at Cherbourg, France and Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland before heading out to sea. During the first two days of her journey, passengers savored their luxurious accommodations and enjoyed their meals in opulent public rooms. Many strolled on the pristine outside decks to take in the brilliant canopy of stars overhead.
The temperature falls and the crew begins to prepare for the colder weather ahead. Lookout Frederick Fleet calls down to the bridge, alerting officers of an iceberg in his direction. Sixth Officer Moody responds with a call for the bridge to turn “Hard-a-starboard”. Quartermaster Robert Hitchins orders the ship to change course, but it’s too late – Titanic is on a collision course with the huge iceberg.
In the crow’s nest, lookout Reginald Lee also spots the iceberg. He calls down to the bridge and alerts officers, but they still don’t change course in time to avoid the collision. Several more ice warnings are received by the Titanic’s radio operators, but the last one does not reach the bridge in time to alter the ship’s course.
The crew muster and lifeboat drill begin. Boats Nos. 11 and 13 – under the command of 5/O Lowe and 6/O Moody, respectively – are manned for the drill. While it’s going on, Captain Smith receives a wireless message from the steamship Baltic reporting large numbers of icebergs in the area ahead. He decides to change course slightly to the south in an attempt to avoid the area. It’s too late, however, and Titanic collides with the iceberg less than an hour later.
Iceberg Warning
Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee begin their watch in the crow’s nest, focusing on “growlers” rather than large icebergs. The night is unusually calm, making it harder to spot icebergs than usual. Captain Smith alters his ship’s course slightly south and west of its normal course as a precaution to avoid ice. At about 11:40 pm, Lookout Fleet spots an iceberg dead ahead. The iceberg crashes into Titanic’s starboard bow, causing at least five of the ship’s watertight compartments to flood. Water begins slowly filling the stern section, raising it to an almost vertical position.
At 12:05 am, First Officer Murdoch orders the helmsman to “hard-a-starboard,” in an attempt to turn Titanic’s right side away from the iceberg. The move fails to prevent the collision, however, and the liner’s stern scrapes against the iceberg.
The last of several warnings about icebergs is received in the wireless room, this one from the SS Mesaba. Because the message is not prefixed with MSG – a signal that it is an emergency call for the captain – Phillips treats it as non-urgent and fails to transmit it to the bridge.
The first lifeboats are readied, though they will be launched well below capacity. Most passengers are initially unafraid, believing the Titanic to be unsinkable. Phillips and Harold Bride send out a number of distress calls, both using the Morse code signals CQD (CQ for general calls and D for distress) and SOS. The signals do not reach any other ships in the immediate area, however. They are unable to contact the nearest ship, the Californian, either through telegraph or radio. The Californian’s wireless operator has turned off his equipment after receiving a curt response from the captain earlier in the evening.
Lifeboat Drill
Despite her size, the Titanic wasn’t built to be completely invincible. One of the most mind-blowing facts you don’t see in the movie is that on April 14, the day of the ship’s sinking, a lifeboat drill had been planned. But Captain Smith cancelled the drill for reasons that are unclear. Some speculate he canceled it so passengers could attend church services on the Sabbath, but this is just speculation. Whatever the reason, many people believe if the drill had been held as scheduled, more lives would have been saved.
The Titanic’s first leg of its voyage was from Southampton, England to Cherbourg, France. From there, the ship made its way to Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. This is where hundreds of new passengers boarded the ship before it set sail again, this time for the ill-fated trans-Atlantic leg of the trip to New York City.
In addition to a full schedule of first-class amenities, the Titanic also had a daily newspaper called The Atlantic that kept rich guests informed about stock prices and horse races. Unfortunately, no copies of the newspaper survived the sinking.
At about 11 p.m., the Titanic struck an iceberg. It was only a small piece, but it still caused the ship to take on water at an alarming rate. The water filled the bow and then spread backwards, tilting the decks toward the stern.
The Titanic had 20 lifeboats, enough room for 1,178 of the 2,200 passengers and crew members. But the boats weren’t filled to capacity because there was an order to let women and children in first, followed by men. Many lifeboats were only partially loaded, with boats leaving with only 40 or so people when they could have fit 65.
Iceberg Collision
The collision between the Titanic and an iceberg that led to her sinking is one of the most well-known maritime disasters in history. In the century since, the story of the unsinkable ship and the block of ice that killed her has been told hundreds of times. But a new study of the iceberg that struck the Titanic is rewriting that history.
The ship was sailing in relatively calm Atlantic waters, but the lookouts had been notified of several iceberg warnings throughout the day. These never made it to the bridge, though. At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, the lookouts spot an iceberg. First Officer Murdoch orders a hard starboard turn, but the Titanic still scrapes the iceberg. Only 37 seconds passed between the sighting and the ship hitting the iceberg.
Testimonies from survivors suggest that the iceberg was about three miles long and had a prominent peak on one side. Photographic evidence suggests that this was also the case. These photos, taken on the morning of April 15, were taken by the SS Prinz Adalbert’s chief steward and appear to show the infamous iceberg with a telltale streak of red paint along its waterline. This evidence, in combination with the fact that the iceberg was likely floating at or near the surface, suggests that the iceberg was not the infamous monster rumored to have lurked in the depths of the North Atlantic. Rather, it was likely a much smaller iceberg that had been adrift for years and had become particularly ragged and rotten after being trapped in warmer seawater for three decades or so. Its ill-health made it even more vulnerable to being struck by the Titanic.
Lifeboat Evacuation
The first ice warnings come through by wireless. By this time senior wireless operator Jack Phillips has already been sent a number of reports by other ships about both bergs and “growlers” (smaller, harder to spot, but equally dangerous) in the area around a day’s sailing away from Titanic.
The ship’s lookouts spot a large iceberg in front of the ship. First Officer William Murdoch orders the ship turned to starboard, and its engines reversed. It is too late, however, and the iceberg hits the ship a glancing blow that compromises five watertight compartments.
Thousands of passengers begin to crowd onto the decks as they hear news that the ship is going down. Some scream in terror, others recite prayers for survival. Still others display a kind of craven cowardice that will later lead to a scathing condemnation by survivors.
At about 12:20 a.m. the captain, Edward Smith, orders lifeboats lowered. In keeping with the law of the sea, women and children are loaded into the boats first. The rest of the passengers then board.
As the Titanic goes down, collapsible A is washed from the Boat Deck and partially filled with water. Some 30 people find safety aboard it, including radioman Bride and second officer Lightoller. They will be taken aboard Lifeboats Numbers 4 and 12. The back half of the Titanic soon joins it on the bottom of the Atlantic. Some of its victims include Anna McGowan, who jumped from the ship and was left with permanent disabilities from her fall and shock as well as frostbite from being in the cold ocean for hours. Others were unable to get into the lifeboats, and they resorted to desperate measures.
Titanic Timeline:
The Titanic, a luxurious British passenger liner, tragically sank on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage. The disaster claimed the lives of over 1,500 people. Despite the devastating loss, the event spurred significant advancements in maritime safety and regulations, leaving an enduring legacy on the world’s maritime industry.
Conclusion
The sinking of the Titanic in 1912, with its profound loss of life, remains one of history’s most poignant maritime disasters. Yet, the tragedy was not in vain. Lessons learned from this catastrophe led to transformative improvements in maritime safety, forever shaping the industry and ensuring that the memory of those lost lives endures through enhanced safety measures.
FAQs:
Were there enough lifeboats on the Titanic?
No, there were not enough lifeboats on the Titanic to accommodate all the passengers and crew. The ship was designed to carry 64 lifeboats, but only 20 lifeboats and 4 collapsible boats were on board, enough to accommodate about 1,178 people. This shortage significantly contributed to the high loss of life during the sinking.
What caused the Titanic to sink?
The Titanic struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912. The impact caused significant damage to the ship’s hull, leading to flooding in several compartments. As the water filled these compartments, the ship’s buoyancy was compromised, causing it to gradually sink into the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The lack of sufficient lifeboats further escalated the tragedy.
