April 14th / 15th 1912
Titanic had received several ice warnings during that Sunday afternoon.
Speed was maintained but lookouts Murdoch, Boxhall, and Moody watched
over the sea.
At 11:40 pm Titanic collided with an iceberg.
The collision was fatal and the icy water soon poured through the
An urgent meeting was called with Captain E.J Smith, Thomas Andrews
and Bruce Ismay. Andrews explained that the Titanic was designed
to stay afloat with her first 2 compartments flooded but not six.
Titanic would flounder in an hour, two at the most.
Captain Smith gives the order for a radio signal to be transmitted
CQD (Come Quickly Distress).
life boats were filled by order of class, Women and children were
loaded on the life boats first, then the men.
The first lifeboat was loaded with only 28 people in it. But the
lifeboats were tested in Belfast and could carry the weight of up
to 70 men!
It became obvious that many would not find safety in the lifeboats
as there was not enough to save more than half the passengers aboard.
Each passenger was issued a life jacket but life expectancy would
be short, especially when exposed to water four degrees below freezing.
As the forward portion of the ship sank deeper, passengers scrambled
to the stern, trying to escape the suction that would inevitably
suck them in to the cold icy sea.
As the angle of Titanic became steeper the passengers who were
fighting their way to the stern fell one by one, unable to keep
a tight grip.
Titanic disappeared below the Atlantic ocean and hundreds of people
perished at sea.
A few hours later in to the morning the liner Carpathia rescued
713 survivors. In total 1516 lives were lost to the Titanic.
This number could have been radically reduced if more lifeboats
were fitted and style was not put before safety.
The After Math
Thousands of people flooded the streets to find out
information on loved ones and family members. Memorials of Titanic
and all the lives lost can be found around the country. Titanic
artifacts and memorabilia can be found in many museums around the