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The Titanic Disaster

The sinking of the ocean liner Titanic on April 15, THE HISTORY OF THE TITANIC
1912, in the north Atlantic ranks as one of the worst
peacetime maritime disasters in history. It is also LEAVING SOUTHAMPTON At the time of its launch, the Titanic
was the world’s largest passenger liner and also the most opulent.
arguably the most famous sinking of all time, partly
When the ship left Southampton docks on April 10, 1912, it was
because the ship had been considered unsinkable. carrying about 900 crew and 1,300 passengers, including some
of the world’s richest and most prominent people.
A total of more than 1,500 people died in the
disaster, while just over 700 survived.
The exact sequence of blunders by which the
Titanic came to collide with an iceberg has never
been fully explained. It is known that during the
12 hours preceding the disaster, messages were sent
from other ships that large icebergs lay in the Titanic’s SETTING SAIL
path. However, these messages may not have reached
the ship’s bridge. When the collision occurred, the
iceberg did not hit the Titanic head-on, but brushed
the starboard side. However, this was enough to MEDIA SENSATION The sinking
of the Titanic caused shock
buckle the hull and dislodge rivets below the
around the world. This
waterline, creating leaks into five of the ship’s hull Chicago newspaper dates
from April 16, 1912.
compartments. Although lifeboats were deployed,
there were not enough to hold everyone.
Furthermore, some were launched before they were
full. As a result, about 1,500 people were still on the
ship when it sank. Most are thought to have died
of hypothermia in the ice-cold waters.
In 1985, the wreck of the Titanic was located by an THE UNSINKABLE SINKS
In the early morning of April
American–French team, by means of an underwater 15, about 2.5 hours after
vehicle with a video camera and lights attached. A DISASTER colliding with an iceberg, the
notable discovery was that the ship had split in two Titanic’s stern rose out of
the water as the ship sank.
before sinking—the bow and stern were found lying
2,000 ft (600 m) apart, facing in opposite directions. BOB BALLARD Along with
French scientist Jean-Louis
Michel, American oceanographer
Bob Ballard led the team that
First and Last Voyage discovered the wreck of the
Titanic on September 1, 1985,
The Titanic left England on April 10, 1912, bound for New York. at a depth of 12,500 ft (3,800 m).
After crossing the English Channel, the ship took on additional
passengers in France, and also stopped in Ireland the next day,
before continuing on its journey. Three days later, on April 14,
the ship’s captain altered course slightly to the south, possibly in
response to iceberg warnings received over the radio. However,
at 11:40 pm, lookouts spotted a large iceberg directly in front LIFEBOAT WINDLASS This
of the ship. Despite a frantic avoiding maneuver, the Titanic DISCOVERY OF THE WRECK piece of deck machinery was
hit the iceberg, and by 2:20 am, the ship had sunk. barely recognizable under a

WAS THIS THE ICEBERG? covering of rusticles (nodules
containing a mixture of iron
This photograph, taken six days later compounds and microbes
in the vicinity of the disaster, shows that feed on wrought iron).
an iceberg that closely accorded with
descriptions provided by survivors.
BANKNOTES
Banknotes in
surprisingly good
condition have been
retrieved, including
this $5 bill found
departs Southampton 10th April
in the purser’s bag. OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS
CANADA Queenstown
CHINA DISHES Rows of
dishes were found lying on
Cherbourg
the seafloor. Such diverse
ARTIFACTS also been retrieved, along
sinks 15th April items as books, watches,
and wireless messages have
New York
ATLANTIC OCEAN with a bronze cherub and
hundreds of other objects.