Unfortunately on her maiden voyage, started on 10 April 1912, the largest liner afloat at that time, RMS Titanic ship, collided with an iceberg and sank on the 15 of April 1912.
There were 2224 people, passengers and crew, on Titanic board. The sinking of RMS Titanic ship caused the dead of 1517 people.
RMS Titanic facts – statistics and building history
The name, Titanic, came from the Greek mythology with meaning “gigantic”. Three Olympic-class ocean liners were produced for White Star Line – RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic, all of them with ten decks (excluding the top of the officers’ quarters), eight decks were for passenger use.
RMS Titanic ship building cost was $7,500,000 (£1.5 million), and it took 3 years to be ready. Harland & Wolff put 20% of their workforce in the construction work , approximately 3000 workers, 8 of them died.
The length of Titanic ship was 269.06 m, maximum breadth of 28.19m. The length from the base of the keel to the top of the bridge was measured to be 32m. RMS Titanic total weight was 52,310 tons ( 46,328 gross register tons and with a draught of 10.54m).
Titanic ship was build with tree main engines – one centrally placed low pressure Parson Turbine and two reciprocating four-cylinder, triple-expansion steam engines.
RMS Titanic ship was launched on May 31 1911 at 12:15pm. The policy of White Star Line did not include pomp, champagne or ceremonial naming of the ship.
On board the Titanic ship
A major activity on Titanic ship was admiring the sea view. The Promenade deck was design to allow the passengers to walk, even in bad weather conditions, or just to sit on wooden deck chairs and enjoy the sea. Passengers who paid for pricey parlor suites also were provided with their own private promenades that were 50 meters long.
RMS Titanic offered also first-rate facilities for exercising for her First Class passengers. There was a squash court with dimensions 20 feet by 30 feet.
Luxurious was the swimming pool on the board. It was with heated salt water and the depth was nearly six foot – perfect for swimming workouts or spa relaxations.
On the board the passengers were offered a gymnasium which included boxing, weight training, stationary bicycling, a peculiar motorized device called the electric camel, which apparently simulated the exertion of riding an actual beast and rowing. A personal trainer was available for coaching the passengers.
The Second Class passengers on Titanic ship were amused by board games such as chess and backgammon and deck games such as shuffleboard and ring toss.
The Second Class Library was used by the passengers not only for reading but for socializing too.
The Third Class passengers pretty much were left to find their own amusements in their living quarters or in the small area of the poop deck that they were allowed to use but they were enjoying every minute of the voyage.
- The meals for the First-class passengers on Titanic ship were brilliantly prepared, served at the highest standard in an atmosphere of elegance and luxury.
- The Second class passengers were offered similar high quality of food only with less choice and fewer courses.
- The Third Class were enjoying simple but plentiful food, fruits and freshly baked bread.
Titanic ship tragic Maiden Voyage
Around 885 crew member were on the board of RMS Titanic ship for her maiden voyage. She did not have her own crew, typical for that time, and the vast majority of members of the crew came on the board a few hours before the begging of the voyage. They were mainly casual workers and 699 of the crew came from Southampton.
The RMS Titanic ship captain Edward John Smith took the command after he had been transferred from Olympic. Also from Olympic came and his Chief mate – Henry Tingle Wilde.
The passengers aboard were estimated to 1317 people, 447 (34%) female and 869 (66%) were male, They were mainly in third class – 709, First class was with 324 passengers and Second class – 284. On the board of Titanic ship there were 107 children.
To be on the board of RMS Titanic ship a passenger should have to pay :
- $4,350 for a First Class passage.
- $1,750 for a Standard Class passage.
- $30 for a Third class passage.
Unfortunately, Titanic ship could not finish her maiden voyage. On April 14th 1912 , after receiving six warnings of sea ice, the crew of Titanic sighted an iceberg but they were traveling near maximum speed and were unable to turn quickly enough. At 23:40 ship time RMS Titanic struck the iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. In less than 10 seconds her hull was ripped opened below the waterline for a length of 91 meters. Titanic sank two hours and forty minutes later at 02:20 ship time (05:18 GMT) on April 15th 1912.
The estimated number of deaths after the Titanic ship disaster vary between 1490 and 1635. The news of the RMS Titanic ship sinking was shocking. One of the most technologically advanced vessel of that time was at the bottom of Atlantic Ocean.
The tragic story of Titanic ship is described in movies due to the fact that it combines money, ambition, love, courage and loss. The story have been dramatized a few times.
The first successful movie came in 1958, “A Night to Remember” (IMBD). It is an adaptation of Walter Lord’s book of the same name, published in 1955 and it is based on the stories of sixty-three survivors from the Titanic disaster.
Without any doubt, the best movie, based on the Titanic story, was made by James Cameron. The movie “Titanic” (IMBD) came in 1997. The story focuses on the love between two fictional characters from different social classes: Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The story of RMS Titanic ship is not forgotten yet. To prove that an eccentric billionaire from Australia, Clive Palmer, announced his intention to recreate Titanic ship into new Titanic 2 ship. The replica will be build in China by Blue Star Line. The ambitious project will be ready in 2016 and the new Titanic 2 ship is expected with great interest.