The history of the [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Titanic.]Titanic[/url] began at a dinner party in a London mansion in 1907. Then, [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=%22J%20Bruce%20Ismay%22]J. Bruce Ismay[/url], managing officer of the [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=%22White%20Star%20Line%22]White Star Line[/url],
a prominent ship operating company, and Lord James Pirrie devised plans
to build three magnificent ships that would set a new standard for
luxury and elegance. The first two would be named [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Olympic]Olympic[/url] and Titanic while the third, to be built later, would be the [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Britannic]Britannic[/url].
The White Star Line started production on the Olympic in December of
1908, while work on the Titanic started the following March. The
Titanic included amenities that many of its passengers had never
enjoyed in their own homes, such as electric light and heat in every
room. The size and splendor of the Titanic quickly established the ship
as a legend, even before the first voyage.
The Titanic was officially launched from [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Southampton%20England]Southampton, England[/url], on April 10, 1912. While the ship carried more than 2,200 passengers and crew, Titanic was equipped with only [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=16%20lifeboats]16 lifeboats[/url],
with a capacity of 1,708. The White Star Line had decided to use only
half the number of boats the Titanic could carry in order to alleviate
what was referred to as a "cluttered" feeling on the main deck of the
ship.
The Titanic sailed first to Cherbourg, France, to pick up additional
passengers, and then to Queenstown, Ireland, before setting out to sea
for the transatlantic voyage to New York. The first three days of the
voyage passed without incident, while the fourth did not. Although the
Titanic had received five ice warnings throughout the day on April 14, [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Captain%20Edward%20Smith]Captain Edward Smith[/url] decided not to slow down and continued on at 21 knots (25 mph). At 11:40 PM, lookout [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Fred%20Fleet]Fred Fleet[/url] spotted an iceberg and notified the bridge. First Officer [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=William%20Murdoch]William Murdoch[/url]
then ordered the ship turned hard to port and the engine room was
signaled to reverse direction. The ship did move slightly, but could
not avoid the iceberg, which tore a 300 feet-long hole in the ship,
causing compartments to begin filling with water.
Twenty-five minutes after the crash, the ships officers ordered the
lifeboats uncovered and began preparing the passengers and crew for
evacuation. The first lifeboat was launched twenty minutes after the
orders were given. Despite having a carrying capacity of 68, the first
lifeboat launched with only 28 passengers. When the last boat launched,
there were more than 1,500 passengers left on board. The lifeboats
contained mostly women and children. However, J. Bruce Ismay managed to
escape by sneaking onto one of the last lifeboats.
At approximately 2:10 AM, the stern, or rear of the ship, rose
out of the water and shortly thereafter the weight of the raised stern
caused the ship to split in two. The bow, or front of the ship, slowly
sunk as the stern settled back into the water. Then, the stern filled
with water until it disappeared into the ocean. More than 1,500 souls
were lost in the "greatest maritime disaster in history".
Many attempts have been made to find the wreck of the Titanic,
yet it wasn't until 1985, when an expedition combining teams from [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=IFREMER]IFREMER[/url] and [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Woods%20Hole%20Oceanographic%20Institute]Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute[/url] discovered the famous ship. The team, led by [url=http://www.titanicarchive.com/search.aspx?search=Robert%20Ballard]Robert Ballard[/url] and Jean-Luis Martin, took the first photographs of the Titanic in 73 years.
More than 90 years later, people continue to be fascinated with the
Titanic. The disaster and its survivors have been the subject of four
movies, a Broadway musical and countless books. The movie [i]Titanic[/i],
written and directed by James Cameron, is the most expensive film ever
made and in 1998 it won 11 Academy Awards. The Titanic recently made
headlines again in 2001, when a New York couple announced they would be
wed in a deep-sea submersible at the Titanic gravesite.
Home 
Calendar
