The Titanic is DOOMED!

The Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland, under the direction of J. Bruce Ismay, co-owner of the White Star Line. On July 31, 1908, the final contracts were signed for the construction of Titanic and her sister ships the Olympic and the Britannic. The Titanic as her name implies was enormous. According to the original specifications, she would be 882 feet 9 inches in length, 94 feet wide and 100 feet high to the Bridge level. Construction continued in various phases until the Titanic was ready for her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912.

Let’s take a closer look at the activities of this fateful day.

At about 7:30 a.m., Captain Edward J. Smith boards the Titanic along with his crew. The Titanic is in Southampton, England, having made a short sail from the shipyards in Ireland as a test.

At 8:00 a.m., the crew is summoned and a brief lifeboat drill is conducted using only two starboard boats (number 11 and 15).

Between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., passengers are permitted to board the ship. As depicted in the recent Movie “Titanic”, the boarding for first class passengers is quite a different process than for those destined for steerage. Wealthy people enjoyed lavish accommodations, fine food, recreation and breathtaking views of the Ocean. Second class and steerage passengers were boarded below decks, often in cramped quarters. Many were immigrants hoping to begin a new life in America.

At 11:30 a.m., the First class passengers are escorted to their cabins.

By noon on April 10, 1912, the Titanic sets sail. Casting off from the docks, she is towed by several tugboats and is escorted to the open ocean.

At 5:30 p.m., the Titanic arrives at Cherbourg, France to pick up more passengers. By 8:00 p.m., she takes on 274 additional passengers and sets sail for an overnight trip to Queensland, Ireland. By 11:30 a.m. the next day, 120 more passengers are boarded.

At 1:30 p.m., on April 11, 1912, the Titanic’ anchor is lifted for the final time. Once more several tugboats escort to the open ocean where she will depart on her first transatlantic voyage to New York. Of course, this will be the last time she will ever see port again.

An estimate of 2,227 people was believed to be aboard the Titanic before her ill-fated disaster. The exact number passengers are not known due to various discrepancies in the crew and passenger lists.

The story of Titanic’ final days at sea is legendary and of course, her sinking is one of the most captivating and tragic stories of modern times.

Between April 11 and 12, the Titanic covered 386 miles of open-ocean, the weather is calm and clear.

Between April 12 and 13, the Captain decides to increase her speed, which allows her to cover 519 miles. The crew started to receive ice warnings, but that was expected and was not considered unusual for April.

On Sunday, April 14, 1912, the Titanic began to pick up more frequent iceberg warnings being observed from nearby vessels. For instance, at 1:42 p.m., an iceberg warning from the vessel Baltic is received which tells of large quantities of field ice about 250 miles ahead of the Titanic. The message is given to Captain Smith, who later gives it to Bruce Ismay who was aboard for her maiden voyage. He puts the message in his pocket.

At 5:30 that evening, the captain slightly alters the ship’s course, perhaps to try to avoid the ice.

At 7:30 p.m., three warning messages from the Californian concerning large icebergs are received. The messages are once again relayed to the Captain, who is attending a dinner party. The ice is now only 50 miles ahead.

At 9:20 p.m., the Captain retires for the night, asking only to be wakened if necessary.

At 11:40 p.m., the Titanic is moving at 20 ? knots (23.59 mi/hr). The air temperature is close to 32 degrees under a cloudless sky. The water temperature is 31 degrees. Suddenly, the Titanic’ lookouts spot an iceberg, towering 50-60 feet above the water only 500 yards away. Immediately, the warning bells are sounded and messages relayed to the bridge. Sixth officer Moody is on the bridge at the time and acknowledges the warning. The order to turn the ship “hard-a-starboard” is given along with the order to stop the engines. The levers to close the watertight doors below the waterline are activated. The Titanic begins to veer to port but it is too late. Titanic strikes the iceberg along the starboard bow side of the ship. The iceberg retreats into the night, having inflicted a mortal wound on this great ship. A mere 37 seconds have elapsed from the moment the iceberg was sighted.





In ten minutes, water has risen 14 feet above the keel. The first five compartments are taking on water. Boiler room number 6 is flooded in eight feet of water.

By midnight, the mailroom, 24 feet above the keel, begins taking on water. The captain asks for and receives an assessment of the situation: The Titanic will stay afloat for 1 to 1 ? hours only.

The Captain orders a distress signal sent out over the wireless. The ship’s position: 41 degrees 46 minutes North, 50 degrees 14 minutes West.

By 12:05 a.m., April 15, 1912, the Squash court, 32 feet above the keel, is awash. Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats. The grim reality of the situation is beginning to take shape. There is only enough room for 1,178 passengers in the lifeboats, but there are 2,227 people on board.

Between 12:15 and 2:17 a.m., several ships report having heard the Titanic’ distress signals. These include the Titanic’ sister ship the Olympic, who is 500 miles away. The Mount Temple, Frankfort, Birma, Baltic, Virginian and the Carpathia all attempt to come about and render assistance.

At around 12:15 a.m., the ship’s band begins to play music in the first class lounge on “A deck”…this of course, is a famous and ultimately surrealistic image!

At 12:25 a.m., the order to begin loading lifeboats is given and by 12:45, the first boat is lowered away. It leaves with 28 people, but it has a capacity to hold 68.

The loading of passengers into lifeboats soon degenerates into chaos. More and more lifeboats leave, most of them are less than fully loaded. Panic now grips the passengers as many begin to realize the desperate situation at hand.

At 1:45 a.m., the last words ever heard from the titanic are received by the Carpathia, which is steaming at full speed to try to render assistance. These words are: “Engine room full up to the boilers”

At 2:10 a.m., with water now only ten feet below the promenade deck, Captain Smith relieves the wireless operators from their duties. One of them, a man by the name of Phillips, continues to send messages. The last message was sent at 2:17 a.m.

The Captain finally states that “Its every man for himself” and retreats to the bridge to await the end.

At this time, the Titanic’ bow plunges underwater. By 2:20 a.m., the broken off stern section settles below the water and the ship begins its long, lonely descent into the darkness of the icy Atlantic.




Out of 2,220 that booked passage, 1,500 die as a result of the sinking, with 705 people surviving