The Sinking Unsinkable

On Wednesday, April 10, 1912, the British shipping company White Star Line launched the maiden voyage of its largest passenger steamship to sail on the Atlantic: The RMS Titanic. The Titanic was deemed unsinkable, built in Ireland with the greatest technology of the time and equipped with two four-cylinder steam engines and one Parsons Turbine which powered three propellers. Fired by 159 furnaces, 29 boilers allowed for a maximum speed of 23 knots, a speed unheard of before the Titanic’s creation. The most luxurious of its kind, the Titanic carried the wealthiest of England, including millionaire businessman John Jacob Aster IV, millionaire activist Margaret “Molly” Brown and others, along with the White Star Line’s managing director Bruce J. Ismay and the ship’s builder Thomas Andrews. A total of 2,240 people were on board as the ship set sail on its journey from Southampton to New York.
On the fourth night of the voyage, despite receiving ice warnings from wireless radio operators and other ships, the Titanic failed to slow down and change direction in time to avoid an iceberg in its path. Travelling at approximately 20 knots, the Titanic struck the iceberg. Water poured into the bottom of the ship, filling five flood compartments—the ship only able to stay afloat with four flooded. The weight of the water caused the flooding of further compartments, giving the Titanic only two hours until it would be completely underwater. Passengers remained uninformed of the imminent danger that they were facing, and lifeboats left the ship at only half of their capacity with only women and children. Men made it into the lifeboats only if oarsmen were needed or in the absence of women.
At approximately 2:05a.m. April 15th, the entire bow of the ship was underwater, and within only five minutes, the stern of the ship rose into the air, the stress of it virtually tearing the ship in half. The Titanic had completely slipped beneath the water’s surface and fell to the ocean floor by 2:20a.m., leaving 1500 in the icy water, most dying of hypothermia within 15 minutes of exposure to the water. Only two of the 18 launched lifeboats rescued people after the ship sank, most afraid of being swarmed with people wanting to be saved and of any possible suction from the sinking ship. Of all 2,240 people on board the Titanic, there were only 706 survivors, who were later rescued by the Capathia and taken to New York.
The tragedy of the Titanic held a tremendous impact. According to the Hampshire Chronicle, approximately 1000 local families were directly affected, every street in the town losing around one member and approximately 500 households losing one resident. Memorials for those lost during the sinking can be found in Southampton, England and Washington D.C.

Alison J.
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