@sunneversetsonthebritishempire

1 year ago

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time.[a] It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship.[4] The disaster drew public attention, spurred major changes in maritime safety regulations, and inspired many artistic works.


Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912
History
United Kingdom
Name
RMS Titanic
Owner
White Star Line
Operator
White Star Line
Port of registry
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Liverpool, England
Route
Southampton to New York City
Ordered
17 September 1908
Builder
Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Cost
£1.5 million (£150 million in 2019)
Yard number
401
Way number
400
Laid down
31 March 1909
Launched
31 May 1911
Completed
2 April 1912
Maiden voyage
10 April 1912
In service
1912
Out of service
15 April 1912
Identification
UK official number 131428[1]
code letters HVMP[2]

Wireless call sign MGY
Fate
Struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm (ship's time) 14 April 1912 on her maiden voyage and sank 2 h 40 min later on 15 April 1912; 111 years ago
Status
Wreck
General characteristics
Class and type
Olympic-class ocean liner
Tonnage
46,329 GRT, 21,831 NRT
Displacement
52,310 tons
Length
882 ft 9 in (269.1 m) overall
Beam
92 ft 6 in (28.2 m)
Height
175 ft (53.3 m) (keel to top of funnels)
Draught
34 ft 7 in (10.5 m)
Depth
64 ft 6 in (19.7 m)
Decks
9 (A–G)
Installed power
24 double-ended and five single-ended boilers feeding two reciprocating steam engines for the wing propellers, and a low-pressure turbine for the centre propeller;[3] output: 46,000 HP
Propulsion
Two three-blade wing propellers and one centre propeller
Speed
Cruising: 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph). Max: 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Capacity
Passengers: 2,453, crew: 874. Total: 3,327 (or 3,547 according to other sources)
Notes
Lifeboats: 20 (sufficient for 1,178 people)
RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the disaster. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.

The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, smoking rooms, high-class restaurants and cafes, a Turkish bath, and hundreds of opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger "marconigrams" and for the ship's operational use. Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, contributing to its reputation as "unsinkable".

Titanic was equipped with 16 lifeboat davits, each capable of lowering three lifeboats, for a total of 48 boats. However, she actually carried only 20 lifeboats, four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch while she was sinking (Collapsible A nearly swamped and was filled with a foot of water until rescue; Collapsible B completely overturned while launching). Together, the 20 lifeboats could hold 1,178 people—about half the number of passengers on board, and one-third of the number of passengers the ship could have carried at full capacity (a number consistent with the maritime safety regulations of the era). When the ship sank, the lifeboats that had been lowered were only filled up to an average of 60%.

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