This Is How The Sinking Of The Titanic Unfolded

An artistic representation of the sinking of the Titanic.

In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic, thought to be unsinkable, met its ironic yet tragic fate in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The tragedy not only killed over 1,500 people but also managed to leave a big mark in maritime history.

The Titanic was constructed by the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was one of three Ocean Liners operated by the White Star Line. The ship launched in 1911, just two years after construction had started in 1909. The Titanic was the biggest ship in the world at that time, spanning at more than 882 feet long and over 104 feet high from the waterline up to the top of its funnels.

The RMS Titanic set off from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912; it was bound for New York City across the Atlantic, via Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland. An approximate 2,224 passengers and crews were sailing in it, from the very rich first-class passengers to immigrants in third class looking for a new life in America.

The voyage of the Titanic was to be a showcase of luxury and human achievement. On the night of April 14, however, the ship received several warnings of icebergs in the area from other vessels. The Titanic continued at full speed despite these warnings. At about 11:40 PM, an iceberg directly ahead was spotted by lookout Frederick Fleet. He rang the ship's bell and called the bridge to report the danger.

The officers on the ship tried to turn the Titanic away from the iceberg, but it was already too late. The iceberg hit the starboard side of the ship, and the damage was below the waterline. The hull of the Titanic was punctured in many places, and it left so many openings that water started to flood the compartments of the ship almost immediately.

Because the general belief was that the Titanic would never sink, there were insufficient lifeboats for all passengers and crew on board. The ship carried a total of 20 lifeboats, which were designed to accommodate only 1,178 people, which was well below the actual number of passengers and crew.

On Captain Edward Smith's orders, the lifeboats were readied after the collision. The crew embarked on the proceedings of evacuation in a very confusing and panicking manner. The women and children were to go first, but this did not happen consistently. More importantly, some of the lifeboats that were launched were only partially filled; in fact, it was reported that some launched with only 12 passengers when they could have easily accommodated 40 to 65.

At 2:20 AM, all of the lights in the Titanic went out, and about 15 minutes later, the ship split in two and sank beneath the waves. The water was below freezing—at about 28 degrees Fahrenheit—leading to those that went into the water to get hypothermia. Many of the survivors that escaped did so by getting into lifeboats or onto other floating debris.

The closest ship that could answer the distress calls of the Titanic was the RMS Carpathia, which arrived at around 4 AM. It picked up 705 survivors from the lifeboats, and they all headed to New York aboard the Carpathia and arrived on April 18.

The sinking of the Titanic led to significant changes in maritime law and safety practices. In 1914, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, also known as SOLAS, was enacted, establishing higher minimum standards for lifeboat capacity, radio communications, and other safety measures. Each ship now had to have enough lifeboats to accommodate every person onboard, and continuous radio watches were imposed.

Equally shocking in the Titanic disaster were the class difference issues. While 62% of first-class passengers survived, only 41% of second-class and a mere 25% of third-class passengers were able to survive. This huge discrepancy led to major questions about fairness in evacuation.

Investigations were held both in the United States and the United Kingdom to understand the disaster. These inquiries pinpointed a few reasons as to why the disaster led to so many deaths, including the speed of the ship in spite of iceberg warnings, the low number of lifeboats, and the inefficiency in their usage.

The sinking of the Titanic remains big in history, as a reminder of human vulnerability and the consequence of having too much confidence in technology and human judgment. In 1985, a group led by Robert Ballard finally located the Titanic wreckage on the ocean floor at a depth of approximately 12,500 feet. It is now regarded as a grave site and is duly protected from any form of human disturbance under international legislation. The sinking of the RMS Titanic had an immediate and lasting impact on maritime safety. It highlighted how humans are prone to making mistakes and how rigorous safety parameters in sea travel is very much needed.