History of the R.M.S. Titanic

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The Titanic was owned by White Star Line, and cost more than $7.5 million to build. It was the largest ship of its time. Titanic’s voyage was from Southampton, England to New York. People thought the ship was unsinkable. The Titanic had four huge smokestacks and 16 watertight compartments.


FEATURES OF THE TITANIC:

• Gymnasium

• Turkish baths, electric baths, steam room

• Private massage room

• Swimming pool

• Squash court

• Barber

THE PASSENGERS

Passengers were divided into first, second, and third class on board. First class passengers were the wealthiest and had access to all the amenities the Titanic offered. Third class was the poorest and had the worst living conditions. All the classes were served different food in their own dining rooms.

Iceberg, Right Ahead!

The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 on April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean. It sunk two and half hours later at 2:20am on April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 passengers died in the disaster. Women and children went in lifeboats first. Third class passengers had to find their way through a maze of hallways and staircases to reach the boat deck.

The Titanic received 6 warnings of icebergs before the collision. It took the Titanic 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink. Two dogs survived the sinking that were taken on lifeboats.

It is possible the Titanic was traveling too fast, and that they were too few lifeboats on board. There were only 20 lifeboats on board which could only help less than half of the 2,208 passengers and crewmembers on board. Many lifeboats left the Titanic not even half full. A nearby ship, the California, did not respond to the Titanic’s distress calls. The Carpathia did respond to their call and saved many lives. The Titanic remains the worst ship disaster in history.

The sunken Titanic was located in 1985 by a team of researchers that were using a remotely operated vehicle. They were able to take pictures of the outside and inside of the Titanic.