Page 6 - The Local Eye - Issue 126 - April 2016

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April 2016 History Spotlights...

RMS Titanic 15th April 1912
In the icy waters off Newfoundland, the luxury liner
Titanic with 2,224 persons on board sank at 2:27 a.m.
after striking an iceberg just before midnight. Over
1,500 persons drowned while 700 were rescued by the
liner Carpathia which arrived about two hours after
Titanic went down.
The RMS Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in
Belfast and was designed to compete with rival company Cunard Line’s Lusitania and
Mauretania, luxurious ships and the fastest liners on the Atlantic. The Titanic and her Olympic
class sisters, Olympic and the upcoming Gigantic, were intended to be the largest, most
luxurious ships ever to operate. (The planned name Gigantic was changed to Britannic after
the disaster.) Titanic could carry 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).

The Titanic was considered a pinnacle of naval architecture and technological achievement,
and was thought by The Shipbuilder magazine to be “practically unsinkable.” Only three of the
four 63 foot (19 m) tall funnels were functional; the fourth, which served only as a vent, was
added to make the ship look more impressive.
For her time, the Titanic was unsurpassed in luxury and opulence. She offered an onboard
swimming pool, a gymnasium, a Turkish bath, libraries for each passenger class, and a squash
court. First-class common rooms were adorned with elaborate wood paneling, expensive
furniture and other elegant decorations. In addition, the Café Parisienne offered superb cuisine
for the first-class passengers with a delightful sunlit veranda fitted with trellis decorations.
The crown jewel of the ship’s interior was undoubtedly her forward first class grand staircase,
between the forward and second funnels. Extending
down to E-Deck and decorated with oak paneling
and gilded balustrades, it was topped by an ornate
wrought-iron and glass dome which brought in
natural light. On the uppermost landing was a large
panel containing a clock flanked by the allegori-
cal figures of Honour and Glory crowning Time.
A similar but less ornate staircase, complete with
matching dome, was located between the third and
fourth funnels.

Birthdays This Month Include... Jenna Coleman
27th April
Kristen Stewart Glenn Campbell
1986
9th April 22nd April
1990 1936

Leigh Francis
Tim Curry Channing Tatum (aka Keith Lemmon)
19th April 26th April 30th April
1946 1980 1973
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