The Titanic’s concept was conceived in 1907. It was then
built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, between March of 1909 and May of 1911 as a
passenger ship. It was built by Harland and Wolff Company and operated by the White
Star Line. The chief architect of the ship was Thomas Andrews. The ship cost 7.5 pounds to make, which was a
massive sum of money in those days.
Even before its fateful maiden voyage, there were deaths due to the Titanic. 8 people were killed during construction, and 28 people reported severe injuries. In total, 240 people had some level of injury during the construction of the Titanic.
The ship was 882 feet long and 92.5 feet tall. It weighed
46,328 gross tons. At that time, it was the largest ship ever built. It was
also the first ship to have a swimming pool on board. E.J. Smith was the ship’s
captain.
The Titanic was nicknamed “The Ship of Dreams.” It boasted
more than 800 staterooms and eleven decks. Even the third-class accommodations
were luxurious compared to other ships of its time.
First-class passengers had accommodations that were equivalent
to a grand five-star hotel. They could play squash, go swimming in the pool,
exercise in the gym, or utilize the Turkish Baths, which resemble today’s
saunas. Gentlemen could enjoy a smoking room, a dark room consisted of mahogany
décor and a bar. Women were welcome to the reading and writing room, which was bright
and airy. Both genders were free to mingle in the first-class lounge.
The White Star Line knew that even though the first-class price
was out of reach for most people, they still wanted an elegant travel
experience. Because of this, even second and third-class passengers had elegant
accommodations, though they were nowhere near the elegance of the first-class
rooms. Second-class passengers also had elegant accommodations, but they were
not as fancy as the first-class rooms. Some second-class rooms had single beds,
but most had bunk beds to accommodate families. This class was able to use the
library and the smoking room.
Third-class passengers had stark differences in their
accommodations, though they were still luxurious compared to third-class
accommodations on other ships of the day. This class was primarily made up of
immigrants and laborers. They had access to communal rooms and could
participate in many of the ship’s activities. Menus in the third-class dining
halls directed passengers in this class to report any poor treatment they may
receive by staff, providing information on how to make such reports. These
passengers had less privacy than other passengers.
While third-class passengers could use the amenities of
second-class passengers and third-class passengers, and second-class passengers
could use the amenities of first-class passengers, there was very little
mingling between the classes. Each class generally opted to stay with their own
class, keeping the ship stratified.
In May of 1911, the ship was launched into the Lagan River
to go to the site where it was to be completed. An early legend states that the
ship was doomed because it was not “christened” before this voyage, even though
White Star Line typically did not christen their ships in this manner.
Before the ship’s voyage, it underwent tests to make sure
the equipment was set and ready to go. Ultimately, these tests only lasted a
day and took place a week before the scheduled departure.
The Titanic’s maiden voyage began on April 12, 1912. It set
sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was bound for New York City. The ship
also picked up passengers in Southampton and in Cobh, Cork. More than 2,200
passengers were on board. Passengers on the ship included businessmen John
Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim.
The first day of sailing was not a smooth one. Before
leaving Southamptonm there was a fire in a coal room. After the damage was
inspected by the ship’s crew, the ship was deemed safe to go without any
delays.
As the ship began to leave the port, the wake caused by the
ship’s size caused a near collision with a smaller ship called the S.S. City of
New York. Those who are superstitious have read into this instance as a bad
omen. The smaller ship’s name was the Titanic’s destination, and the incident
was just seen as a bad omen in general.
The first few days of the journey, beyond Southampton, were
pretty seamless. The weather was mild and nice. However, by the evening of the sinking,
temperatures had plunged, making the waters frigid. This would make things
unbearable for those passengers who jumped into the water to flee for safety.
The ship sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, after
it collided with an iceberg. There were warnings of there being an iceberg on
the route, but these warnings were being ignored. The crew who were assigned as lookouts were
not given binoculars. When the iceberg was spotted, crews attempted to avoid it
by reversing the engines and turning the ship. These efforts were ultimately
unsuccessful. The ship’s starboard side, the right side, scraped the iceberg.
At first, passengers were slow to respond. If they were tight
sleepers, they initially slept through the disturbance. Those who were light
sleepers or were awake felt something, but many attributed it to the natural
forces of the sea.
Before sinking, the ship broke into two pieces. The way it broke
caused some relief for those still on the boat, who thought they still had more
time to escape. In total, it took about two hours for the Titanic to sink. Only
705 of the people on board survived the sinking.
1,500 people died during the sinking of the Titanic. While
it is not the shipwreck with the highest amount of casualties, what made the
Titanic unique was the amount of wealth that was present on the ship. Many
people believed that the Titanic was unsinkable, even though the builders of
the ship never said anything of the like.
While there were 2,223 passengers on board the Titanic, the
ship was not at its maximum passenger capacity. There were more people
scheduled to be on the ship, but there was a coal strike in the United Kingdom
in the months leading up to the Titanic’s voyage. This caused several people to
postpone their journey, potentially saving their lives.
There were several factors that contributed to the disaster
of the Titanic. There were not enough lifeboats on board the Titanic to
adequately help all of the passengers and crew. If each lifeboat had been used
properly, only 1,200 would have benefited from them. However, the lifeboats
were not filled to capacity. However, the lifeboat actually exceeded the regulations
set forth by the government. The Titanic disaster led to these regulations being
changed. It also took an hour for the first lifeboat to be lowered into the
water.
Another issue that arose was the lack of watertight doors,
which the Titanic builders and crew boasted about. The waters were able to get
into the rooms because the doors were not watertight, causing the entire ship
to flood and sink.
There were parts of the ship that were locked, as these
areas were only for upper-class passengers. Ultimately, this delayed
lower-class passengers' access to lifeboat in emergencies, which caused issues
during the sinking of the Titanic.
It is also said that the Titanic was moving really fast to
try to break speed records. As such, the ship was speeding through areas that
had been known to have icebergs. The speed at which the ship was moving made it
difficult to stop or even turn the boat away from the iceberg as it approached,
causing the disaster.
It took more than 70 years to find the remains of the shipwreck,
and it was eventually found in 1985 by Robert Ballard. The Titanic’s remains
were located farther away than was initially thought, which hindered the ship’s
rediscovery. The ship retains much of its structure, and several artifacts have
been retrieved from the wreckage.
Although several people died, there were many notable
survivors of the disaster. Margaret Tobin Brown was the daughter of Irish
immigrants. She married James Joseph Brown, who became wealthy from developing
mining technology. She became famous for her philanthropic efforts throughout Colorado
and the United States, especially in her work with women’s rights, children’s welfare,
and humanity at large. Her survival of the sinking of the Titanic landed her
the nickname of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
Another survivor was Sir Cosmo of Scotland. He was known for
his title as well as being the Olympic fencing silver medalist in 1906.
However, his actions during the sinking of the Titanic tarnished his
reputation. Instead of letting women and children get in the lifeboats first,
he insisted that he have a seat on the lifeboat. To make matters worse, the
lifeboat he was on was not filled to capacity. It is said that he also bribed
the lifeboat’s crew not go back to pick up passengers. He was exonerated of
these charges, but his reputation was permanently damaged.
There are many museums that commemorate the sinking of the
Titanic. In Cobh, Cork, which was the last port where passengers were picked up,
the Titanic Experience Cobh allows visitors to retrace the steps of the
passengers while taking a guided tour. The experience features real passenger
stories. There is also a museum in Belfast and in other cities around the world.
The Titanic has also captivated media attention. One of the
most popular movies about the Titanic was the movie “Titanic” starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The movie tells the story of Jack, a third-class
passenger, and Rose, a first-class passenger, who meet on the ship and fall in
love. While Jack and Rose are fictional characters, other aspects of the movie
demonstrate the dynamics of what took place on the Titanic, even before the
sinking.
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