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The RMS Titanic, a luxurious and “unsinkable” ship, sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage. Over 1,500 people died, making it the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
The Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912. (Image: Shutterstock)
On This Day In 1912: The RMS Titanic known as the luxurious and unsinkable ship of its time faced a devastating end in the early hours of April 15, 1912. On its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, marking the deadliest maritime disaster in history during peacetime.
What Makes Titanic Special?
The unsinkable ship was one of the fastest, largest and most luxurious ships of that time. The Titanic featured lavish accommodations, opulent interiors, modern systems that include watertight compartments and twenty lifeboats.
The first class compartment was a house of luxury accommodated with a swimming pool, gym, lavish café and restaurant, a Victorian style Turkish bath and other facilities.
History Of The Titanic
The RMS Titanic was an initiative by the White Star Line, a British shipping company to dominate the transatlantic passenger travel market. It was created under the direction of J. Bruce Ismay , the managing director of White Star Line. It was launched on May 31, 1911 and set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 10, 1912, but sank just five days later after hitting an iceberg.
How Did It Sink?
Despite having advanced technology, the ship was not ready to deal with an iceberg collision. The design of the walls between the watertight compartments lead to the ship sinking. During the voyage, the ship received the iceberg warning six times via wireless radio.
On the night of April 14, an iceberg was seen about 740 km south of Newfoundland, Canada. By the command of First Officer William Murdoch, the ship took a turn but it was impossible to avoid the collision.
After surviving for two long hours the water enters rapidly in the unflooded section of the ship through the deck hatches. The damage caused the bow to sink and pull the vessel downward, breaking it apart.
The glorious ship, captained by Edward Smith, became one of the greatest tragedies of history.
The Aftermath
After receiving distress signals, rescue ships like Carpathia and Californian arrived, but they were too late. Lifeboats were launched with a “women and children first” order but were underfilled, saving only 705 over 2,200 people.
More than 1,500 people died, mainly due to freezing waters. Third-class passengers suffered the most; they were unaware of the danger until it was too late.
The sinking of Titanic is not only a tragic incident of maritime history- beyond the ship, we remember the lives lost, families torn apart and the dreams left unfinished.
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