1912 : TITANIC SINKS:
At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the British ocean liner Titanic sinks
into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland,
Canada. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had
struck an iceberg two and half hours before.
On April 10, the RMS Titanic, one of the largest and most luxurious
ocean liners ever built, departed Southampton, England, on its maiden
voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The Titanic was designed by the
Irish shipbuilder William Pirrie and built in Belfast, and was thought
to be the world's fastest ship. It spanned 883 feet from stern to bow,
and its hull was divided into 16 compartments that were presumed to be
watertight. Because four of these compartments could be flooded
without causing a critical loss of buoyancy, the Titanic was
considered unsinkable. While leaving port, the ship came within a
couple of feet of the steamer New York but passed safely by, causing a
general sigh of relief from the passengers massed on the Titanic's
decks. On its first journey across the highly competitive Atlantic
ferry route, the ship carried some 2,200 passengers and crew.
After stopping at Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland, to pick
up some final passengers, the massive vessel set out at full speed for
New York City. However, just before midnight on April 14, the RMS
Titanic failed to divert its course from an iceberg and ruptured at
least five of its hull compartments. These compartments filled with
water and pulled down the bow of the ship. Because the Titanic's
compartments were not capped at the top, water from the ruptured
compartments filled each succeeding compartment, causing the bow to
sink and the stern to be raised up to an almost vertical position
above the water. Then the Titanic broke in half, and, at about 2:20
a.m. on April 15, stern and bow sank to the ocean floor.
Because of a shortage of lifeboats and the lack of satisfactory
emergency procedures, more than 1,500 people went down in the sinking
ship or froze to death in the icy North Atlantic waters. Most of the
700 or so survivors were women and children. A number of notable
American and British citizens died in the tragedy, including the noted
British journalist William Thomas Stead and heirs to the Straus,
Astor, and Guggenheim fortunes.
One hour and 20 minutes after Titanic went down, the Cunard liner
Carpathia arrived. The survivors in the lifeboats were brought aboard,
and a handful of others were pulled out of the water. It was later
discovered that the Leyland liner Californian had been less than 20
miles away at the time of the accident but had failed to hear the
Titanic's distress signals because its radio operator was off duty.
Announcement of details of the tragedy led to outrage on both sides of
the Atlantic. In the disaster's aftermath, the first International
Convention for Safety of Life at Sea was held in 1913. Rules were
adopted requiring that every ship have lifeboat space for each person
on board, and that lifeboat drills be held. An International Ice
Patrol was established to monitor icebergs in the North Atlantic
shipping lanes. It was also required that ships maintain a 24-hour
radio watch.
On September 1, 1985, a joint U.S.-French expedition located the wreck
of the Titanic lying on the ocean floor at a depth of about 13,000
feet. The ship was explored by manned and unmanned submersibles, which
shed new light on the details of its sinking.
history.com/tdih.do
into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland,
Canada. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had
struck an iceberg two and half hours before.
On April 10, the RMS Titanic, one of the largest and most luxurious
ocean liners ever built, departed Southampton, England, on its maiden
voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The Titanic was designed by the
Irish shipbuilder William Pirrie and built in Belfast, and was thought
to be the world's fastest ship. It spanned 883 feet from stern to bow,
and its hull was divided into 16 compartments that were presumed to be
watertight. Because four of these compartments could be flooded
without causing a critical loss of buoyancy, the Titanic was
considered unsinkable. While leaving port, the ship came within a
couple of feet of the steamer New York but passed safely by, causing a
general sigh of relief from the passengers massed on the Titanic's
decks. On its first journey across the highly competitive Atlantic
ferry route, the ship carried some 2,200 passengers and crew.
After stopping at Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland, to pick
up some final passengers, the massive vessel set out at full speed for
New York City. However, just before midnight on April 14, the RMS
Titanic failed to divert its course from an iceberg and ruptured at
least five of its hull compartments. These compartments filled with
water and pulled down the bow of the ship. Because the Titanic's
compartments were not capped at the top, water from the ruptured
compartments filled each succeeding compartment, causing the bow to
sink and the stern to be raised up to an almost vertical position
above the water. Then the Titanic broke in half, and, at about 2:20
a.m. on April 15, stern and bow sank to the ocean floor.
Because of a shortage of lifeboats and the lack of satisfactory
emergency procedures, more than 1,500 people went down in the sinking
ship or froze to death in the icy North Atlantic waters. Most of the
700 or so survivors were women and children. A number of notable
American and British citizens died in the tragedy, including the noted
British journalist William Thomas Stead and heirs to the Straus,
Astor, and Guggenheim fortunes.
One hour and 20 minutes after Titanic went down, the Cunard liner
Carpathia arrived. The survivors in the lifeboats were brought aboard,
and a handful of others were pulled out of the water. It was later
discovered that the Leyland liner Californian had been less than 20
miles away at the time of the accident but had failed to hear the
Titanic's distress signals because its radio operator was off duty.
Announcement of details of the tragedy led to outrage on both sides of
the Atlantic. In the disaster's aftermath, the first International
Convention for Safety of Life at Sea was held in 1913. Rules were
adopted requiring that every ship have lifeboat space for each person
on board, and that lifeboat drills be held. An International Ice
Patrol was established to monitor icebergs in the North Atlantic
shipping lanes. It was also required that ships maintain a 24-hour
radio watch.
On September 1, 1985, a joint U.S.-French expedition located the wreck
of the Titanic lying on the ocean floor at a depth of about 13,000
feet. The ship was explored by manned and unmanned submersibles, which
shed new light on the details of its sinking.
history.com/tdih.do
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