RMS Titanic before departing Southampton, England. photo taken Good Friday 5 April 1912
Career
Name:	RMS Titanic
Owner:	White Star Line
Port of Registry:	Liverpool, United Kingdom
Route:	Southampton to New York City
Builder:	Harland and Wolff yards in Belfast, Ireland
Yard number:	401
Laid down:	31 March 1909
Launched:	31 May 1911
Christened:	Not christened
Maiden voyage:	10 April 1912
Fate:	Sank after hitting an iceberg on 15 April 1912
General characteristics
Class and type:	Olympic-class ocean liner
Tonnage:	46,328 gross register tons (GRT)
Displacement:	52,310 tons
Length:	882 ft 9 in (269. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England The City of New York Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Fatalities An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule Gross Register Tonnage (abbreviated variously as GRT, grt, gr A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 1 m)
Beam:	92 ft 6 in (28. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 2 m)
Draught:	34 ft 7 in (10. 5 m)
Installed power:	24 double-ended (six furnace) and 5 single-ended (three furnace) Scotch boilers. A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases from the fire pass through one or more tubes within the boiler Two four-cylinder reciprocating triple-expansion steam engines each producing 15,000 hp for the two outboard wing propellers at 75 revolutions per minute. A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid. One low-pressure turbine producing 16,000 hp. 59,000 hp was produced at maximum revolutions. [1]
Propulsion:	Two bronze triple-blade wing propellers. One bronze quadruple-blade centre propeller.
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h/24 mph) maximum 23 knots
Capacity:	3,547 passengers and crew, fully loaded

RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by the White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that Fatalities A superliner is an Ocean liner of over 10000 gross tons The term was coined in the late 19th century when ocean liners were rapidly increasing in size and speed The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction On the night of 14 April 1912, during her maiden voyage, Titanic struck an iceberg, and sank two hours and forty minutes later in early 15 April 1912. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Maiden Voyage is the fifth Album led by Jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1965 for Blue Note An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater Ice that has broken off from a snow-formed Glacier or Ice shelf and is floating in open water Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting At the time of her launching in 1912, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world. This article is about passengers in commercial transportation for other uses see Passenger (disambiguation A passenger is a term broadly used A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller

The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people, ranking it as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history and by far the most infamous. This article is about the body of water For other uses see SEA and Seas. A disaster is the impact of a natural or human-made hazard that negatively affects society or environment. The Titanic used some of the most advanced technology available at the time and was popularly believed to be “unsinkable” - indeed, in a 1910 White Star Line brochure advertising the Titanic, it was claimed that she was "designed to be unsinkable". It was a great shock to many that despite the advanced technology and experienced crew, the Titanic still sank with a great loss of life. The media frenzy about Titanic's famous victims, the legends about what happened on board the ship, the resulting changes to maritime law, and the discovery of the wreck in 1985 by a team led by Robert Ballard have made Titanic persistently famous in the years since. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" A legend ( Latin, legenda, "things to be read" is a Narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to Admiralty law (also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of Law which governs maritime questions and offenses A shipwreck can refer to a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink the stranding of the ship on rocks Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942 in Wichita Kansas) is an oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater Archaeology

Construction

The first-class Grand Staircase aboard the Titanic

The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner, built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, designed to compete with rival company Cunard Line's Lusitania and Mauretania. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( Construction and trials Owned by the Cunard Steamship Company built by John Brown and Company Lusitania was named for the ancient Roman province of Beginning In 1897 the German liner became the largest and fastest ship in the world The Titanic, along with her Olympic-class sisters, the Olympic and the soon to be built Britannic (originally named Gigantic), were intended to be the largest, most luxurious ships ever to operate. History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining Construction of the RMS Titanic, funded by the American J.P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co., began on 31 March 1909. John Pierpont Morgan ( April 17, 1837 &ndash March 31, 1913) was an American financier banker and art collector who The International Mercantile Marine Co, originally the International Navigation Co Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Titanic's hull was launched on 31 May 1911, and her outfitting was completed by 31 March the following year. A hull is the body of a Ship or Boat. It is a central concept in floating vessels as it provides the Buoyancy that keeps the vessel from sinking Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Titanic was 882 ft 9 in (269 m) long and 92 ft 6 in (28 m) wide, had a gross register tonnage of 46,328 tons, and a height from the water line to the boat deck of 60 ft (18 m). Gross Register Tonnage (abbreviated variously as GRT, grt, gr Titanic contained two reciprocating four-cylinder, triple expansion, inverted steam engines and one low pressure Parsons turbine which powered three propellers. A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert A cylinder is the central working part of a Reciprocating engine, the space in which a Piston travels A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid. A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts Thermal energy from pressurized Steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an There were 29 boilers fired by 159 coal burning furnaces that made possible a top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h). A boiler is a closed vessel in which Water or other Fluid is heated A furnace is a device used for Heating The name derives from Latin fornax, Oven. Only three of the four 63 feet (19 m) tall funnels were functional; the fourth funnel, which only served as a vent, was added to make the ship look more impressive. A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside The ship could hold a total of 3,547 passengers and crew and, because she carried mail, her name was given the prefix RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) as well as SS (Steam Ship). Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that There were insufficient lifeboats on the Titanic for all passengers, though the legal requirements of the day were met.

Features

In her time, Titanic surpassed all rivals in luxury and opulence. She offered an on-board swimming pool, a gymnasium, a Turkish bath, libraries in both the first and second-class, and a squash court. The Turkish bath (hamam from حمّام) is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the Squash is a racquet sport that was formerly called squash racquets, a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the ^[2] First-class common rooms were adorned with elaborate wood panelling, expensive furniture and other decorations. First class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a Train, Passenger ship, Airplane, or other conveyance ^[3] In addition, the Café Parisien offered cuisine for the first-class passengers, with a sunlit veranda fitted with trellis decorations. First class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a Train, Passenger ship, Airplane, or other conveyance ^[4]

6 March 1912: Titanic (right) had to be moved out of the drydock so her sister Olympic, which had lost a propeller, could have it replaced. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting On the left Olympic is about to enter the drydock with the help of the tugs

The ship incorporated technologically advanced features for the period. She had an extensive electrical subsystem with steam-powered generators and ship-wide electrical wiring feeding electric lights. In Electricity generation, an electrical generator is a device that converts Mechanical energy to Electrical energy, generally using Electromagnetic She also boasted two wireless Marconi sets, including a powerful 1,500-watt radio manned by operators who worked in shifts, allowing constant contact and the transmission of many passenger messages. A spark-gap transmitter is a device for generating Radio frequency electromagnetic waves. ^[5]

Comparisons with the Olympic

The Titanic closely resembled her older sister Olympic. History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard Although she enclosed more space and therefore had a larger gross register tonnage, the hull was exactly the same length as the Olympic. But there were a few differences. Two of the most noticeable were that half of the Titanic's forward promenade A-Deck (below the boat deck) was enclosed against outside weather, and her B-Deck configuration was different from the Olympic. The Titanic had a speciality restaurant called Café Parisien, a feature that the Olympic did not have until 1913. Some of the flaws found on the Olympic, such as the creaking of the aft expansion joint, were corrected on the Titanic. The skid lights that provided natural illumination on A-deck were round; while on Olympic they were oval. The Titanic's wheelhouse was made narrower and longer than the Olympic's. The bridge of a Ship is an area or room from which the ship can be commanded ^[6] These, and other modifications, made the Titanic 1,004 gross register tons larger than the Olympic and thus the biggest active ship in the world during her maiden voyage in April 1912.

Maiden voyage

Titanic on her way. On the left can be seen the Oceanic and the New York. Beginning The Keel was laid in 1897, and the ship was built under the supervision of its designer Thomas Ismay, the shipwright and owner of the History When the Inman Line was purchased by the International Navigation Company, who already owned the Red Star Line and the American Line, they

The ship began her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, bound for New York City, New York, on Wednesday, 10 April 1912, with Captain Edward J. Smith in command. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Captain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR ( 27 January 1850 &ndash 15 April 1912) was the captain of the RMS ''Titanic'' As the Titanic left her berth, her wake caused the liner New York, which was docked nearby, to break away from her moorings and was drawn dangerously close (about four feet) to the Titanic before a tugboat towed the New York away. History When the Inman Line was purchased by the International Navigation Company, who already owned the Red Star Line and the American Line, they The near accident delayed departure for one hour. After crossing the English Channel, the Titanic stopped at Cherbourg, France, to board additional passengers and stopped again the next day at Queenstown (known today as Cobh), Ireland, before continuing towards New York with 2,240 people aboard. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world ^[7]

Some of the most prominent people in the world were travelling in first–class. These included millionaire John Jacob Astor and his wife Madeleine Force Astor; industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim; Macy's owner Isidor Straus and his wife Ida; Denver millionairess Margaret "Molly" Brown; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife couturiere Lady Lucille Duff-Gordon; George Elkins Widener and his wife Eleanor; John Borland Thayer, his wife Marian and their seventeen-year-old son, Jack; journalist William Thomas Stead; the Countess of Rothes; U. John Jacob Astor IV ( July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American millionaire businessman real estate builder inventor writer Madeleine Force Astor Talmage-Force, previously Astor and Fiermonte)--> ( June 19, 1893 – March 27, Benjamin Guggenheim ( October 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman Macy's is a chain of mid-range American Department stores Its Flagship store in Herald Square, New York City has been billed Isidor Straus ( February 6, 1845 &ndash April 15, 1912)—also known as Isadore Strauss — a German Jewish American Ida Straus, née Rosalie Ida Blun ( February 6, 1849 - April 15, 1912) was an American homemaker and wife of the co-owner of the The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States Margaret Brown, born Margaret Tobin ( July 18, 1867 &ndash October 26, 1932) more widely known as Maggie Brown or Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff-Gordon 5th Baronet (July 22 1862 - April 20 1931 the son of the Hon Lucy Christiana Lady Duff Gordon (née Sutherland) (13 June 1863 – 20 April 1935 was a leading Fashion designer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries William Thomas Stead ( 5 July 1849 - 15 April 1912) was an English Journalist. S. presidential aide Archibald Butt; author and socialite Helen Churchill Candee; author Jacques Futrelle, his wife May, and their friends, Broadway producers Henry and Irene Harris; silent film actress Dorothy Gibson; and others. Major Archibald Willingham Butt ( September 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an influential military aide to U Jacques Heath Futrelle ( April 9, 1875 - April 15, 1912) was an American journalist and mystery writer. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Dorothy Gibson (nee Dorothy Winifred Brown, May 17, 1889 – February 17, 1946) was a pioneering actress in American Silent Also travelling in first–class were White Star Line's managing director J. Bruce Ismay who came up with the idea for Titanic and the ship's builder Thomas Andrews, who was on board to observe any problems and assess the general performance of the new ship. Joseph Bruce Ismay ( 12 December 1862 &ndash 17 October 1937) was an English businessman who served as Managing Director of the Thomas Andrews Jr ( 7 February 1873 – 15 April 1912) was an Irish Businessman and shipbuilder managing director

Disaster

Main article: Sinking of the RMS Titanic

The Titanic reported her location at 41° 46′ N, 50° 14′ W. The wreck was found at 41° 43′ N, 49° 56′ W.

On the night of Sunday, 14 April, the temperature had dropped to near freezing and the ocean was absolutely calm. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in There was no moon and the sky was clear. Captain Smith, in response to iceberg warnings received via wireless over the last few days, altered the Titanic's course slightly to the south. An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater Ice that has broken off from a snow-formed Glacier or Ice shelf and is floating in open water Wireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of electrical conductors or " Wires quot That Sunday at 1:45 PM, a message from the steamer Amerika warned that large icebergs lay in the Titanic's path, but inexplicably, the warning was never relayed to the bridge. The bridge of a Ship is an area or room from which the ship can be commanded Later that evening, another report of numerous large icebergs, this time from the Mesaba, also failed to reach the bridge.

At 11:40 PM while sailing south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, lookouts Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee spotted a large iceberg directly ahead of the ship. Frederick Fleet ( October 15 1887 – January 10 1965) was the lookout aboard the RMS ''Titanic'' who first sighted the fatal iceberg Reginald Robinson Lee ( May 19, 1870 &ndash August 6, 1913) was a Lookout stationed in the Crow's nest of the RMS Fleet sounded the ship's bell three times and telephoned the bridge exclaiming, "Iceberg, right ahead!" First Officer Murdoch ordered an abrupt turn to port (left) and full speed astern, which stopped and then reversed the ship's engines. See also William Murdoch (disambiguation. Lieutenant William McMaster Murdoch RNR ( 28 February 1873 Port is the nautical term (used on Boats and Ships) that refers to the left side of a ship as perceived by a person on board the ship and A collision was inevitable and the iceberg brushed the ship's starboard (right) side, buckling the hull in several places and popping out rivets below the waterline over a length of 300 ft (91 m). Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board a vessel and facing the bow (front A rivet is a mechanical Fastener. Before it is installed it consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end As seawater filled the forward compartments, the watertight doors shut. However, while the ship could stay afloat with four flooded compartments, five were filling with water. The five water-filled compartments weighed down the ship so that the tops of the forward watertight bulkheads fell below the ship's waterline, allowing water to pour into additional compartments. Captain Smith, alerted by the jolt of the impact, arrived on the bridge and ordered a full stop. Following an inspection by the ship's officers and Thomas Andrews, and shortly after midnight on 15 April, lifeboats were ordered to be readied and a distress call sent out. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English

The first lifeboat launched, boat 7, despite popular belief of a 12:40 AM time, was lowered at 12:27 AM on the starboard side with 12 people on board. Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board a vessel and facing the bow (front Boat 5 was launched two to three minutes later. The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats with a total capacity of 1,178 persons. While not enough to hold all of the passengers and crew, the Titanic carried more boats than required by the British Board of Regulations. At the time, the number of lifeboats required was determined by a ship's gross register tonnage, rather than her human capacity.

Photograph of an iceberg in the vicinity of the RMS Titanic’s sinking taken on 15 April 1912 by the chief steward of the liner Prinz Adelbert. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting

Wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were busy sending out CQD, the international distress signal. John George "Jack" Phillips ( 11 April 1887 &ndash 15 April 1912) was a British wireless telegraphist who died while Harold Sydney Bride ( 11 January 1890 – 29 April 1956) was born in London, England, and later became the Junior CQD, transmitted in Morse code as  - · - ·    - - · -    - · ·  Several ships responded, including Mount Temple, Frankfurt and Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, but none were close enough to make it in time. The closest ship was Cunard Line's RMS Carpathia 58 miles (93 km) away, which arrived in about four hours—too late to rescue all of Titanic's passengers. Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( History The RMS Carpathia was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at their Newcastle upon Tyne, England shipyard The only land–based location that received the distress call from Titanic was a wireless station at Cape Race, Newfoundland. Wireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of electrical conductors or " Wires quot Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of

From the bridge, the lights of a nearby ship could be seen off the port side. Not responding to wireless, Fourth Officer Boxhall and Quartermaster Rowe attempted signalling the ship with a Morse lamp and later with distress rockets, but the ship never appeared to respond. Signal lamp, also called Aldis lamp, is a visual signaling device for Optical communication (typically using Morse code) &ndash essentially a focused lamp The SS Californian, which was nearby and stopped for the night because of ice, also saw lights in the distance. History Californian was a British steamship owned by the Leyland Line part of J The Californian's wireless was turned off, and the wireless operator had gone to bed for the night. Just before he went to bed at around 11:00 PM the Californian's radio operator attempted to warn the Titanic that there was ice ahead, but he was cut off by an exhausted Jack Phillips, who snapped, "Shut up, shut up, I am working Cape Race". When the Californian's officers first saw the ship, they tried signalling her with their Morse lamp, but also never appeared to receive a response. Later, they noticed the Titanic's distress signals over the lights and informed Captain Stanley Lord. Stanley Lord ( 13 September 1877 - 24 January 1962) was captain of the SS ''Californian'', a ship that was in the vicinity Even though there was much discussion about the mysterious ship, which to the officers on duty appeared to be moving away, the Californian did not wake her wireless operator until morning.

The Titanic showed no outward signs of being in imminent danger, and passengers were reluctant to leave the apparent safety of the ship to board small lifeboats. As a result, most of the boats were launched partially empty; one boat meant to hold 40 people left the Titanic with only 12 people on board. With "Women and children first" the imperative for loading lifeboats, Second Officer Lightoller, who was loading boats on the port side, allowed men to board only if oarsmen were needed, even if there was room. Commander Charles Herbert Lightoller DSC & Bar RD RNR ( 30 March 1874 &ndash 8 December 1952) was First Officer Murdoch, who was loading boats on the starboard side, let men on board if women were absent. As the ship's list increased people started to become nervous, and some lifeboats began leaving fully loaded. By 2:05 AM, the entire bow was under water, and all the lifeboats, save for two, had been launched. The bow (pronounced &mdashrhymes with how) is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a Ship or Boat,

Around 2:10 AM, the stern rose out of the water exposing the propellers, and by 2:17 the waterline had reached the boat deck. The stern is the rear or aft part of a Ship or Boat, technically defined as the area built up over the Sternpost, extending upwards from the Counter A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an The last two lifeboats floated off the deck, one upside down, the other half filled with water. Shortly afterwards, the forward funnel collapsed, crushing part of the bridge and people in the water. On deck, people were scrambling towards the stern or jumping overboard in hopes of reaching a lifeboat. The ship's stern slowly rose into the air, and everything not secured crashed towards the water. While the stern rose the electrical system finally failed and the lights went out. Shortly afterwards, the stress on the hull caused Titanic to break apart between the last two funnels, and the bow went completely under. The stern righted itself slightly and then rose vertically. After a few moments, at 2:20 AM, this too sank into the ocean.

Survivors aboard a lifeboat

Of a total of 2,223 people, only 706 survived; 1,517 perished. ^[8] The majority of deaths were caused by hypothermia in the 28 °F (−2 °C) water. Hypothermia is a condition in which an organism's temperature drops below that required for normal Metabolism and bodily functions Only two of the 18 launched lifeboats rescued people after the ship sank. Lifeboat 4 was close by and picked up five people, two of whom later died. Close to an hour later lifeboat 14 went back and rescued four people, one of whom died afterwards. Other people managed to climb onto the lifeboats that floated off the deck. There were some arguments in some of the other lifeboats about going back, but many survivors were afraid of being swamped by people trying to climb into the lifeboat or getting pulled down by the suction from the sinking Titanic, though it turned out that there had been very little suction. In the disaster, first class men were four times as likely to survive as second class men, and twice as likely to survive as third class men. Nearly every first-class woman survived, compared to 86 percent of those in second class and less than half of those in third class. ^[9]

As the ship fell into the depths, the two sections behaved very differently. The streamlined bow planed off approximately 2,000 feet (609 m) below the surface and slowed somewhat, landing relatively gently. The stern, however, plunged violently to the ocean floor, the hull being torn apart along the way from massive implosions caused by compression of the air still trapped inside. The stern smashed into the bottom at considerable speed, grinding the hull deep into the silt.

Long-term implications

The sinking of the RMS Titanic was a factor that influenced later maritime practices, ship design, and the seafaring culture. Changes included the establishment of the International Ice Patrol, a requirement for twenty-four-hour radio watch keeping on foreign-going passenger ships, and new regulations related to lifeboats. Since 1914 the International Ice Patrol has been monitoring the presence of Icebergs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and reports their movements for safety purposes

International Ice Patrol

Main article: International Ice Patrol

The Titanic disaster led to the convening of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in London, on 12 November 1913. Since 1914 the International Ice Patrol has been monitoring the presence of Icebergs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and reports their movements for safety purposes The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS is the most important treaty protecting the safety of merchant ships London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common On 30 January 1914, a treaty was signed by the conference that resulted in the formation and international funding of the International Ice Patrol, an agency of the United States Coast Guard that to the present day monitors and reports on the location of North Atlantic Ocean icebergs that could pose a threat to transatlantic sea lane traffic. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Since 1914 the International Ice Patrol has been monitoring the presence of Icebergs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and reports their movements for safety purposes It was also agreed in the new regulations that all passenger vessels would have sufficient lifeboats for everyone on board, that appropriate safety drills would be conducted, and that radio communications on passenger ships would be operated 24 hours along with a secondary power supply, so as not to miss distress calls. In addition, it was agreed that the firing of red rockets from a ship must be interpreted as a distress signal (red rockets launched from the Titanic prior to sinking were mistaken by nearby vessels as celebratory fireworks, delaying rescue). This treaty was scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 1915 but was upstaged by World War I. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Ship design changes

The sinking of Titanic changed the way passenger ships were designed. Many existing ships, such as the Olympic, were refitted for increased safety. History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard Besides increasing the number of lifeboats on board, improvements included reinforcing the hull and increasing the height of the watertight bulkheads. A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a Ship. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and Deckheads Etymology The bulkheads on Titanic extended 10 feet (3 ;m) above the waterline; after Titanic sank, the bulkheads on other ships were extended higher to make compartments fully watertight. Waterline refers to an imaginary line marking the level at which Ship or Boat floats in the Water. While Titanic had a double bottom, she did not have a double hull; after her sinking, new ships were designed with double hulls; also, the double bottoms of other ships, including the Olympic,^[10] were extended up the sides of their hulls, above their waterlines, to give them double hulls. A double bottom is a Ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface one outer layer forming A double hull is a Ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface one outer layer

Rediscovery

Titanic's bow as seen from the Russian MIR I submersible

The idea of finding the wreck of Titanic, and even raising the ship from the ocean floor, had been around since shortly after the ship sank. No attempts were successful until September 1, 1985, when a joint American-French expedition, led by Jean-Louis Michel (Ifremer) and Dr. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Ifremer is the "Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer" an oceanographic institution in France, whose name translates Robert Ballard (WHOI), located the wreck. Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942 in Wichita Kansas) is an oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater Archaeology The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI is a private nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and A shipwreck can refer to a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink the stranding of the ship on rocks It was found at a depth of 2 miles (3,800 m), slightly more than 600 km south-east of Mistaken Point, Newfoundland at 41°43′55″N, 49°56′45″W, 13 miles (22 km) from fourth officer Joseph Boxhall's last position reading where Titanic was originally thought to rest. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Commander Joseph Groves Boxhall RD RNR ( 23 March 1884 &ndash 25 April 1967) was the Fourth Officer on the Ballard had in 1982 requested funding for the project from the US Navy, but this was provided only on the condition that the first priority was the search for the sunken US submarines Thresher and Scorpion. Early career Thresher conducted lengthy sea trials in the western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea areas in 1961 and 1962 Service history Scorpion's keel was laid 20 August 1958 by the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation in Only when these had been discovered and photographed was the search for the Titanic started. ^[11]

The most notable discovery the team made was that the ship had split apart, the stern section lying 1,970 feet (600 m) from the bow section and facing opposite directions. There had been conflicting witness accounts of whether the ship broke apart or not, and both the American and British inquires found that the ship sank intact. Up until the discovery of the wreck, it was generally assumed the ship did not break apart.

The bow section had embedded itself 60 feet (18 m) into the silt on the ocean floor. Although parts of the hull had buckled, the bow was mostly intact. The stern section was in much worse condition. As the stern section sank the increasing water pressure in turn pressurized the air trapped within the hull to such a point that it exploded. The speed at which the stern hit the ocean floor caused even more damage. Surrounding the wreck is a large debris field with pieces of the ship, furniture, dinnerware and personal items scattered over one square mile (2. 6 km²). Softer materials, like wood, carpet and human remains were devoured by undersea organisms.

The iceberg buckled Titanic's hull allowing water to flow into the ship

Dr. Ballard and his team did not bring up any artifacts from the site, considering this to be tantamount to grave robbing. Under international maritime law, however, the recovery of artifacts is necessary to establish salvage rights to a shipwreck. In the years after the find, Titanic has been the object of a number of court cases concerning ownership of artifacts and the wreck site itself. In 1994 RMS Titanic, Inc. was awarded ownership and salvaging rights of the wreck, even though RMS Titanic Inc. and other salvaging expeditions have been criticized for taking items from the wreck.

Approximately 6,000 artifacts have been removed from the wreck. Many of these were put on display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, and later as part of a travelling museum exhibit. The National Maritime Museum (NMM in Greenwich, England is the leading Maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Current condition of the wreck

Many scientists, including Robert Ballard, are concerned that visits by tourists in submersibles and the recovery of artifacts are hastening the decay of the wreck. A submersible, or Bathyscaphe, is a type of Underwater vessel with limited mobility which is typically transported to its area of operation by a surface Underwater microbes have been eating away at Titanic's iron since the ship sank, but because of the extra damage visitors have caused, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that "the hull and structure of the ship may collapse to the ocean floor within the next 50 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the "

Ballard's book Return to Titanic, published by the National Geographic Society, includes photographs depicting the deterioration of the promenade deck and damage caused by submersibles landing on the ship. Overview The NGS's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural historical and natural The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of Passenger ships and Riverboats It usually extends from bow to stern on both sides and includes areas The mast has almost completely deteriorated and has been stripped of its bell and brass light. The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts Other damage includes a gash on the bow section where block letters once spelled Titanic, part of the brass telemotor which once held the ship's wooden wheel is now twisted and the crows nest has now completely deteriorated. The wheel of a Ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the Rudder, in turn changing the direction of the Boat or Ship.

Ownership and litigation

Titanic Memorial, grounds of Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland. Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

Titanic's rediscovery in 1985 launched a debate over ownership of the wreck and the valuable items inside. On 7 June 1994, RMS Titanic Inc. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) , a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions Inc. , was awarded ownership and salvaging rights by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. ^[12] (See Admiralty law)^[13] Since 1987, RMS Titanic Inc. Admiralty law (also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of Law which governs maritime questions and offenses Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) and its predecessors have conducted seven expeditions and salvaged over 5,500 historic objects. The biggest single recovered object was a 17-ton section of the hull, recovered in 1998. ^[14] Many of these items are part of travelling museum exhibitions.

In 1993, a French administrator in the Office of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Equipment, Transportation, and Tourism awarded RMS Titanic Inc's predecessor title to the relics recovered in 1987. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

In a motion filed on 12 February 2004 RMS Titanic Inc. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " requested that the district court enter an order awarding it "title to all the artifacts (including portions of the hull) which are the subject of this action pursuant to the Law of Finds" or, in the alternative, a salvage award in the amount of $225 million. The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system. RMS Titanic Inc. excluded from its motion any claim for an award of title to the objects recovered in 1987, but it did request that the district court declare that, based on the French administrative action, "the artifacts raised during the 1987 expedition are independently owned by RMST. " Following a hearing, the district court entered an order dated 2 July 2004, in which it refused to grant comity and recognize the 1993 decision of the French administrator, and rejected RMS Titanic Inc's claim that it should be awarded title to the items recovered since 1993 under the Maritime Law of Finds. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Comity, in Law, refers to legal Reciprocity &mdashthe principle that one Jurisdiction will extend certain courtesies to other nations (or other jurisdictions

RMS Titanic Inc. appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond Virginia with Appellate jurisdiction over the In its decision of 31 January 2006^[15] the court recognized "explicitly the appropriateness of applying maritime salvage law to historic wrecks such as that of Titanic" and denied the application of the Maritime Law of Finds. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The court also ruled that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the "1987 artifacts", and therefore vacated that part of the court's 2 July 2004 order. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " In other words, according to this decision, RMS Titanic Inc. has ownership title to the objects awarded in the French decision (valued $16. 5 million earlier) and continues to be salvor-in-possession of Titanic wreck. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the District Court to determine the salvage award ($225 million requested by RMS Titanic Inc. ). ^[16]

Possible factors in the sinking

Originally, historians thought the iceberg had cut a gash into Titanic's hull. Since the part of the ship which the iceberg damaged is now buried, scientists used sonar to examine the area and discovered the iceberg had caused the hull to buckle, allowing water to enter Titanic between her steel plates. Sonar (which started as an Acronym for sound navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses Sound propagation (usually underwater to navigate

Steel plates and iron rivets

A detailed analysis of small pieces of the steel plating from the Titanic's wreck hull found that it was of a metallurgy that loses its elasticity and becomes brittle in cold or icy water, leaving it vulnerable to dent-induced ruptures. The pieces of steel were found to have very high content of phosphorus and sulfur (4x and 2x respectively, compared to modern steel), with manganese-sulfur ratio of 6. Phosphorus, (ˈfɒsfərəs is the Chemical element that has the symbol P and Atomic number 15 Sulfur or sulphur (ˈsʌlfɚ see spelling below) is the Chemical element that has the Atomic number 16 Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. 8:1 (compare with over 200:1 ratio for modern steels). High content of phosphorus initiates fractures, sulfur forms grains of iron sulfide that facilitate propagation of cracks, and lack of manganese makes the steel less ductile. The recovered samples were found to be undergoing ductile-brittle transition in temperatures of 32 °C (for longitudinal samples) and 56 °C (for transversal samples—compare with transition temperature of -27 °C common for modern steels—modern steel would became so brittle in between -60 and -70 °C). The anisotropy was likely caused by hot rolling influencing the orientation of the sulfide stringer inclusions. Anisotropy (pronounced with stress on the third syllable ˌænaɪˈsɒtrəpi is the property of being directionally dependent as opposed to Isotropy, which means homogeneity Hot rolling is a Metalworking process where large pieces of Metal, such as slabs or billets are heated above their Recrystallization temperature and The steel was probably produced in the acid-lined, open-hearth furnaces in Glasgow, which would explain the high content of P and S, even for the times. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom ^[17]

Another factor was the rivets holding the hull together, which were much more fragile than once thought. ^[18] From 48 rivets recovered from the hulk of the Titanic, scientists found many to be riddled with high concentrations of slag. A glassy residue of smelting, slag can make rivets brittle and prone to fracture. Records from the archive of the builder show that the ship's builder ordered No. 3 iron bar, known as “best” — not No. 4, known as “best-best,” for its rivets, although shipbuilders at that time typically used No. 4 iron for rivets. The company also had shortages of skilled riveters, particularly important for hand riveting, which took great skill: the iron had to be heated to a precise colour and shaped by the right combination of hammer blows. The company used steel rivets, which were stronger and could be installed by machine, on the central hull, where stresses were expected to be greatest, using Iron rivets for the stern and bow. ^[17]

Rudder and turning ability

The memorial to the Titanic's engineers in Southampton

Although Titanic's rudder was not legally too small for a ship her size, the rudder's design was hardly state-of-the-art. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England A rudder is a device used to steer a Ship, Boat, Submarine, Hovercraft, or other conveyance that move through a fluid (generally air or According to researchers with the Titanic Historical Society: "Her stern, with its high graceful counter and long thin rudder was, in fact, a copy of an 18th-century steel sailing ship. The Titanic Historical Society Inc ( THS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1963 Compared with the rudder design of the Cunard's Mauretania or Lusitania, Titanic's was a fraction of the size. Apparently no account was made for advances in scale, and little thought given to how a ship 852 feet in length, might turn in an emergency, or avoid a collision with an iceberg. "^[19]

Perhaps more fatal to the design of the Titanic was her triple screw engine configuration, which had reciprocating steam engines driving her wing propellers, and a steam turbine driving her centre propeller. The reciprocating engines were reversible, while the turbine was not. When First Officer Murdoch gave the order to reverse engines to avoid the iceberg, he inadvertently handicapped the turning ability of the ship. Since the centre turbine could not reverse during the "full speed astern" manoeuvre, it simply stopped turning. Furthermore, since the centre propeller was positioned forward of the ship's rudder, the effectiveness of that rudder would have been greatly reduced. Had Murdoch simply turned the ship while maintaining her forward speed, the Titanic might have missed the iceberg with metres to spare.

Iceberg impact

It has been speculated that the ship could have been saved if she had rammed the iceberg head on. It is hypothesised that if Titanic had not altered her course at all and had collided head first with the iceberg, the damage would only have affected the first or, at most, first two compartments. This would have disabled her severely, but would not likely have resulted in sinking since Titanic was designed to float with the first four compartments flooded. Instead the glancing blow to the starboard side of the ship opened a gash along five compartments, more than the ship's designers had allowed for.

Legends and myths

Use of SOS

Despite popular belief, the sinking of Titanic was not the first time the internationally recognised Morse code distress signal "SOS" was used. Morse code is a Character encoding for transmitting telegraphic information using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters numerals Early developments Before the development of radio communication in the early 1890s seagoing vessels had already adopted a wide variety of visual and audio distress signals using The SOS signal was first proposed at the International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea in Berlin in 1906. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. It was ratified by the international community in 1908 and had been in widespread use since then. The SOS signal was, however, rarely used by British wireless operators, who preferred the older CQD code. First Wireless Operator Jack Phillips began transmitting CQD until Second Wireless Operator Harold Bride suggested half jokingly, "Send SOS; it's the new call, and this may be your last chance to send it. " Phillips, who later died, then began to intersperse SOS with the traditional CQD call.

Titanic's band

One of the most famous stories of Titanic is of the band. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. On April 15, Titanic's eight-member band, led by Wallace Hartley, had assembled in the first-class lounge in an effort to keep passengers calm and upbeat. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Wallace Henry Hartley ( 2 June 1878 - 15 April 1912) was a Violinist and bandleader on the RMS ''Titanic'' on its maiden Later they moved on to the forward half of the boat deck. The band continued playing music even when it became apparent the ship was going to sink.

None of the band members survived the sinking, and there has been much speculation about what their last song was. Some witnesses said the final song played was the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities " Nearer My God to Thee " is a 19th century Christian hymn based loosely on Genesis 2811-19 the story of Jacob's dream. " Hartley reportedly said to a friend if he was on a sinking ship "Nearer, My God, to Thee" would be one of the songs he would play. Walter Lord's book A Night to Remember popularised wireless operator Harold Bride’s account that he heard the song "Autumn" before the ship sank. Walter Lord ( October 8 1917 – May 19 2002) was an American Author, best known for his documentary-style non-fiction account A Night to Remember is a 1955 non-fiction book by Walter Lord about the sinking of the ocean liner R It is considered Bride either meant the hymn called "Autumn" or "Songe d'Automne," a popular song at the time.

The "Titanic curse"

When Titanic sank, claims were made that a curse existed on the ship. One of the most widely spread legends linked directly into the sectarianism of the city of Belfast, where the ship was built. Sectarianism is Bigotry, Discrimination, Prejudice or Hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. It was suggested that the ship was given the number 390904 which, when read backwards as reflected by the water's surface, was claimed to spell 'no pope', a sectarian slogan attacking Roman Catholics that was (and is) widely used provocatively by extreme Protestants in Northern Ireland, where the ship was built. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of In the extreme sectarianism of north-east Ireland (Northern Ireland itself did not exist until 1920), the ship's sinking, though mourned, was alleged to be on account of the sectarian anti-Catholicism of her manufacturers, the Harland and Wolff company, which had an almost exclusively Protestant workforce and an alleged record of hostility towards Catholics. (Harland and Wolff did have a record of hiring few Catholics; whether that was through policy or because the company's shipyard in Belfast's bay was located in almost exclusively Protestant East Belfast — through which few Catholics would dare to travel — or a mixture of both, is a matter of dispute. )^[20]

The 'no pope' story is in fact an urban legend, with no basis in fact. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them RMS Olympic and Titanic were assigned the yard numbers 400 and 401 respectively. The source of the story may have been from reports by dock workers in Queenstown (Cobh) of anti-Catholic graffiti that they found on Titanic's coal bunkers when they were loading coal. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for Discrimination, hostility or Prejudice directed at the Roman Catholic Church or its followers Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property

Titanic in popular culture

Willy Stöwer: Untergang der Titanic (Sinking of the Titanic)

The sinking of Titanic has been the basis for many novels describing fictionalized events on board the ship. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Many reference books about the disaster have also been written since the Titanic sank, the first of these appearing within months of the sinking. Survivors like Second Officer Lightoller and passenger Jack Thayer have written books describing their experiences. Some like Walter Lord, who wrote the popular A Night to Remember, did independent research and interviews to describe the events that happened on board the ship. Walter Lord ( October 8 1917 – May 19 2002) was an American Author, best known for his documentary-style non-fiction account

Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan, which was written 14 years before RMS Titanic's ill-fated voyage, was found to have many parallels with the Titanic disaster; Robertson's work concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York. Morgan Robertson ( September 30 1861 &ndash March 24 1915) was a well-known American Author of short stories and Futility or the Wreck of the Titan was an 1898 Novella written by Morgan Robertson. Huge amounts of people died because of the lack of lifeboats. Both Titan herself and the manner of her demise bore many striking similarities to the eventual fate of Titanic, and Robertson's novella remains in print today as an unnerving curiosity.

Titanic has been featured in a large number of movies and TV movies, most notably:

• Saved from the Titanic (1912)
• In Nacht und Eis (1912)
• Atlantic (1929)
• Titanic (1943)
• Titanic (1953)
• A Night to Remember (1958)
• S.O.S. Titanic, TV movie (1979)
• Raise the Titanic! (1980)
• Titanic, TV mini-series (1996)
• Titanic (1997)

The most widely-viewed is the 1997 film Titanic, directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Saved From the Titanic (Known as A Survivor From the Titanic in the UK ( 1912) was a Silent film starring Dorothy Gibson In Nacht und Eis (English title In Night and Ice) is a 1912 German Film about the story of the sinking of Titanic Atlantic is a 1929 British black and white film directed and produced by Ewald André Dupont and starring Franklin Dyall and Titanic was a 1943 Nazi Propaganda Film made during World War II in Berlin by Tobis Productions for UFA Titanic is a 1953 Drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. The film is not to be confused with the other movies with the same title A Night to Remember is a 1955 non-fiction book by Walter Lord about the sinking of the ocean liner R SOS Titanic is a 1979 Television movie that depicts the doomed 1912 voyage from the perspective of three distinct groups of passengers in First Second and Raise the Titanic! is an Adventure novel by Clive Cussler published in the United States by the Viking Press in 1976 Titanic was a made-for-TV movie that premiered in 1996. Titanic follows several characters on board the RMS ''Titanic'' when she sinks on Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974 is a three-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning American film actor. Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born 5 October 1975 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -nominated Emmy Award -nominated It became the highest-grossing film in history. The following is a non-definitive list of the all-time highest-grossing films. It also won 11 out of 14 Academy Awards, tying with Ben-Hur (1959) and later, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) for the most awards won. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Ben-Hur (or Benhur is a 1959 Movie directed by William Wyler, and is the third film version of Lew Wallace 's novel Ben-Hur

The story was also made into a Broadway musical, Titanic, written by Peter Stone with music by Maury Yeston. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Peter Stone ( February 27, 1930 – April 26, 2003) was a writer for theater television and movies Maury Yeston (born October 23, 1945) is an American composer lyricist educator and musicologist Titanic ran from 1998 to 2000. The 1960 Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown tells survivor Margaret Brown's life story, which included the events on Titanic. The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a 1964 musical film based on the 1960 stage musical by Meredith Willson. The musical was written by Richard Morris with music by Meredith Willson. Robert Meredith Willson ( 18 May 1902 – 15 June 1984) was an American composer songwriter conductor and playwright A film version starring Debbie Reynolds was released in 1964. Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (born April 1, 1932) is an Academy Award -nominated American actress, Singer

Other media includes Titanic: Adventure Out of Time which was a 1996 computer game that took place on the Titanic. Titanic Adventure Out of Time is a Video game for the Personal computer. Starship Titanic was another computer game that takes place in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy universe and was a parody of the Titanic disaster. Starship Titanic is a Computer game designed by Douglas Adams and made by The Digital Village. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series Many television shows have also referenced the Titanic disaster. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The show The Time Tunnel featured a visit to the ship on its first episode and the animated series Futurama had the cast boarding a space-faring vessel called Titanic. The Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 US color Science fiction TV series. Futurama is an Emmy Award -winning animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and The spaceship was torn in half by a black hole on the maiden voyage. A black hole is a theoretical region of space in which the Gravitational field is so powerful that nothing not even Electromagnetic radiation (e Other shows have also had minor references to the Titanic, for example in the show Doctor Who, the title character claimed to have been on board the ship when she sank. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. There was later an episode of the same popular British show, Voyage of the Damned, its 2007 Christmas special, in which the doctor was on board a re-made Space Ship Titanic. " Voyage of the Damned " is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In movies like Time Bandits, Cavalcade and Ghostbusters II the Titanic has had brief appearances. Time Bandits is a 1981 Fantasy film, produced and directed by Terry Gilliam. A cavalcade is a Procession or Parade (of sorts on Horseback, or a mass Trail ride by a company of riders. Ghostbusters II is the 1989 Sequel to Ghostbusters (1984 produced and directed by Ivan Reitman.

On the television drama Upstairs, Downstairs, the characters of Lady Marjorie Bellamy and her seamstress, Maude Roberts, were passengers on board the Titanic when she sank. Upstairs Downstairs is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British Drama set in a large Townhouse in Edwardian Roberts was placed in a lifeboat and saved; while Lady Marjorie went down with the ship.

In 1982, renowned Italian singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori released the album Titanic, featuring three songs (the titular Titanic, I muscoli del capitano and L'abbigliamento di un fuochista) that talk about the ship, as well as her passengers and crew. Francesco De Gregori (born April 4, 1951) is a renowned Italian Singer-songwriter and maker of organic olive oil called "Le Palombe"

Last living survivor

• Millvina Dean, who was only two months old at the time of the sinking, is the only living survivor of the Titanic. Elizabeth Gladys “Millvina” Dean (born 2 February 1912) is at age 96 the last remaining survivor of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' that occurred Currently 96 years old, she has remained active in Titanic-related events and lives in Southampton, England. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England

Recent survivors' deaths

• Barbara Dainton (née West) (May 24, 1911 – October 16, 2007)
• Lillian Asplund (October 21, 1906 – May 6, 2006)^[21]

For more, see Recent survivors' deaths

100th anniversary

On 15 April 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic is planned to be commemorated around the world. Barbara Joyce Dainton (née West; 24 May 1911 &ndash 16 October 2007) was the second to last remaining survivor of the sinking of Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Lillian Gertrud Asplund ( October 21 1906 &ndash May 6 2006) was the last American survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A list of passengers aboard the RMS ''Titanic'', which struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean while en route to New York City on its maiden voyage and sank Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English 2012 ( MMXII) will be a Leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. By that date, the Titanic Quarter in Belfast is planned to have been completed. The Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an area situated on reclaimed land in Belfast city harbour known until recently as Queen's Island The area will be regenerated and a signature memorial project unveiled to celebrate Titanic and her links with Belfast, the city that built the ship. ^[22]

Gallery

RMS Titanic undergoes sea trials on April 2, 1912. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting	Titanic passing through the Belfast Lough en route to the Irish Sea for her trials.	Titanic departing Belfast Lough entering the Irish Sea.	Titanic departing her Southampton pier on her maiden voyage.
Titanic docked in Southampton before her maiden voyage.	View of the stern and rudder of one of the Olympic-class ships in drydock.	The Titanic ready for launch.	Titanic during her fitting out.
The Grand Staircase of one of the Olympic class. [a]	The first-class lounge aboard the Titanic, in the Louis XVI style.	The first-class smoking room aboard the Titanic.	The verandah Café aboard the Titanic.
The Café Parisien aboard the Titanic.	Gymnasium aboard the Titanic.	The sitting room of a first-class parlour suite.	A first-class cabin aboard the Titanic.

See also

• List of crew members on board RMS Titanic
• List of passengers on board RMS Titanic
• List of shipwrecks
• National Geographic Seconds From Disaster Titanic episode, giving a detailed explanation of the poor quality rivet theory

Notes

References

Further reading

• Beesley, Lawrence, The Loss of the SS Titanic: Its Story and Its Lessons, by One of the Survivors (June, 1912)
• Brander, Roy. Lawrence Beesley (born December 31, 1877 &mdash died February 14, 1967) was an English Teacher, Journalist The RMS Titanic and its Times: When Accountants Ruled the Waves. Elias P. Kline Memorial Lecture, October 1998 http://www.cuug.ab.ca/~branderr/risk_essay/Kline_lecture.html
• Butler, Daniel Allen. Unsinkable: The Full Story of RMS Titanic. Stackpole Books, 1998, 292 pages
• Collins, L. M. The Sinking of the Titanic: The Mystery Solved Souvenir Press, 2003 ISBN 0-285-63711-8
• Eaton, John P. and Haas, Charles A. Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (2nd ed. ). W. W. Norton & Company, 1995 ISBN 0-393-03697-9
• Eaton, John P. and Haas, Charles A. Falling Star: The Misadventures of White Star Line Ships, c. 1990 W. W. Norton & Company, 1990 ISBN 0-3930-2873-7
• Gardener, R & van der Vat, D The Riddle of the Titanic Orion 1995
• Kentley, Eric. Discover the Titanic Ed. Claire Bampton and Sue Leonard. 1st ed. New York: DK, Inc. , 1997. 22. ISBN 0-7894-2020-1
• Lord, Walter (1997). A Night to Remember Introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-27827-4
• Lynch, Donald and Marschall, Ken. Titanic: An Illustrated History Hyperion, 1995 ISBN 1-56282-918-1
• McCarty, Jennifer Hooper and Tim Foecke. (2008). What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries. New York: Citadel Press. Kensington Publishing Corp is the largest publisher in the United States that is not considered one of the six "major publishers 10-ISBN 0-806-52895-8; 13-ISBN 978-0-806-52895-3 (cloth)
• O'Donnell, E. E. Father Browne's Titanic Album Wolfhound Press, 1997. ISBN 0-86327-758-6
• Quinn, Paul J. Titanic at Two A. M. : An Illustrated Narrative with Survivor Accounts. Fantail, 1997 ISBN 0-9655209-3-5
• Wade, Wyn Craig, The Titanic: End of a Dream Penguin Books, 1986 ISBN 0-14-016691-2
• US Coast Guard. International Ice Patrol History. Page viewed May 2006. http://www.uscg.mil/LANTAREA/IIP/General/history.shtml
• Beveridge, Bruce. Olympic & Titanic: The Truth Behind the Conspiracy
• Chirnside, Mark. The Olympic-Class Ships
• Layton, J. Kent. Atlantic Liners: A Trio of Trios
• Ballard, Robert B. Lost Liners
• Halpern, Samuel Somewhere About Twelve FeetPDF (170 KiB)
• Pellegrino, Charles R. A kibibyte (a contraction of ki lo bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, established by the International Her Name, Titanic Avon, 1990 ISBN 0-380-70892-2

External links

• The Titanic Research and Modeling Association, A leading Titanic Research information site on the net today. One of the best Titanic research sites on the net. Includes the best Titanic plans in the world.
• BBC Archive: Titanic, Hear the survivors describe a night they could never forget.
• Titanic Historical Society
• Encyclopedia Titanica, an invaluable source of information concerning the sinking of the Titanic.
• RMS Titanic, Inc Corporate information and the official Titanic archive.
• Titanic Inquiry Project Complete transcripts of both the US Senate and British Board of Trade inquiries into the disaster, along with their final reports.
• PBS Online - Lost Liners
• RMS Titanic at the Open Directory Project
• Ulster Folk Transport Museum - Titanic: Built in Belfast