RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which

sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during
her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, 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 a superliner or cruise ship.[4] The disaster drew public
attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and has
inspired many artistic works.

RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the
second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by 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.[5] Titanic was under the command
of Captain Edward Smith,[6] 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
Great Britain and Ireland, 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, libraries, high-class restaurants, and
opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending
passenger "marconigrams" and for the ship's operational use.[7] 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; she 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).[8] 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 (consistent with
the maritime safety regulations of the era). When the ship sank, many of the
lifeboats that had been lowered were only about half full.
Contents

1 Background
2 Dimensions and layout
3 Features
3.1 Power
3.2 Technology
3.2.1 Compartments and funnels
3.2.2 Rudder and steering engines
3.2.3 Water, ventilation and heating
3.2.4 Radio communications
3.3 Passenger facilities
3.4 Mail and cargo
3.5 Lifeboats
4 Building and preparing the ship
4.1 Construction, launch and fitting-out
4.2 Sea trials
5 Maiden voyage
5.1 Crew
5.2 Passengers
5.3 Collecting passengers
5.4 Atlantic crossing
5.5 Sinking
6 Aftermath of sinking
6.1 Immediate aftermath
 6.2 Insurance, aid for survivors and lawsuits
6.3 Investigations into the disaster
6.3.1 Role of the SS Californian
6.4 Survivors and victims
6.5 Retrieval and burial of the dead
7 Wreck
8 Legacy
8.1 Safety
8.2 Cultural
8.2.1 In Northern Ireland
9 Appendix
10 Replicas
11 See also
11.1 Comparable disasters
12 Notes
13 References
14 Bibliography
14.1 Books
14.2 Journals and news articles
14.3 Investigations
15 External links

Background
6:42
Titanic Disaster – Genuine Footage (1911–1912)

The name Titanic derives from the Titans of Greek mythology. Built in Belfast,
Ireland, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the RMS Titanic was
the second of the three Olympic-class ocean liners—the first was the RMS Olympic
and the third was the HMHS Britannic.[9] Britannic was originally to be called
Gigantic and was to be over 1,000 feet (300 m) long.[10] They were by far the
largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Line's fleet, which
comprised 29 steamers and tenders in 1912.[11] The three ships had their genesis in
a discussion in mid-1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay,
and the American financier J. P. Morgan, who controlled the White Star Line's
parent corporation, the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM).

The White Star Line faced an increasing challenge from its main rivals Cunard,
which had recently launched the Lusitania and the Mauretania—the fastest passenger
ships then in service—and the German lines Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd.
Ismay preferred to compete on size rather than speed and proposed to commission a
new class of liners that would be larger than anything that had gone before as well
as being the last word in comfort and luxury.[12] The company sought an upgrade in
their fleet primarily in response to the Cunard giants but also to replace their
oldest pair of passenger ships still in service, being the RMS Teutonic of 1889 and
RMS Majestic of 1890. Teutonic was replaced by Olympic while Majestic was replaced
by Titanic. Majestic would be brought back into her old spot on White Star Line's
New York service after Titanic's loss.[13]

The ships were constructed by the Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who had a
long-established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867.[14]
Harland and Wolff were given a great deal of latitude in designing ships for the
White Star Line; the usual approach was for the latter to sketch out a general
concept which the former would take away and turn into a ship design. Cost
considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was
authorised to spend what it needed on the ships, plus a five percent profit margin.
[14] In the case of the Olympic-class ships, a cost of £3 million (approximately
£310 million in 2019) for the first two ships was agreed plus "extras to contract"
and the usual five percent fee.[15]
Harland and Wolff put their leading designers to work designing the Olympic-class
vessels. The design was overseen by Lord Pirrie, a director of both Harland and
Wolff and the White Star Line; naval architect Thomas Andrews, the managing
director of Harland and Wolff's design department; Edward Wilding, Andrews' deputy
and responsible for calculating the ship's design, stability and trim; and
Alexander Carlisle, the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager.[16]
Carlisle's responsibilities included the decorations, equipment and all general
arrangements, including the implementation of an efficient lifeboat davit design.
[b]

On 29 July 1908, Harland and Wolff presented the drawings to J. Bruce Ismay and
other White Star Line executives. Ismay approved the design and signed three
"letters of agreement" two days later, authorising the start of construction.[19]
At this point the first ship—which was later to become Olympic—had no name, but was
referred to simply as "Number 400", as it was Harland and Wolff's four hundredth
hull. Titanic was based on a revised version of the same design and was given the
number 401.[20]
Dimensions and layout
Starboard view of Titanic

Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269.06 m) long with a maximum breadth of 92 feet 6
inches (28.19 m).

Her total height, measured from the base of the keel to the top of the bridge, was
104 feet (32 m).[21] She measured 46,328 gross register tons and with a draught of
34 feet 7 inches (10.54 m), she displaced 52,310 tons.[9] All three of the Olympic-
class ships had ten decks (excluding the top of the officers' quarters), eight of
which were for passenger use. From top to bottom, the decks were:

The Boat Deck, on which the lifeboats were housed. It was from here during the
early hours of 15 April 1912 that Titanic's lifeboats were lowered into the North
Atlantic. The bridge and wheelhouse were at the forward end, in front of the
captain's and officers' quarters. The bridge stood 8 feet (2.4 m) above the deck,
extending out to either side so that the ship could be controlled while docking.
The wheelhouse stood within the bridge. The entrance to the First Class Grand
Staircase and gymnasium were located midships along with the raised roof of the
First Class lounge, while at the rear of the deck were the roof of the First Class
smoke room and the relatively modest Second Class entrance. The wood-covered deck
was divided into four segregated promenades: for officers, First Class passengers,
engineers, and Second Class passengers respectively. Lifeboats lined the side of
the deck except in the First Class area, where there was a gap so that the view
would not be spoiled.[22][23]
A Deck, also called the Promenade Deck, extended along the entire 546 feet (166
m) length of the superstructure. It was reserved exclusively for First Class
passengers and contained First Class cabins, the First Class lounge, smoke room,
reading and writing rooms and Palm Court.[22]
B Deck, the Bridge Deck, was the top weight-bearing deck and the uppermost
level of the hull. More First Class passenger accommodations were located here with
six palatial staterooms (cabins) featuring their own private promenades. On
Titanic, the À La Carte Restaurant and the Café Parisien provided luxury dining
facilities to First Class passengers. Both were run by subcontracted chefs and
their staff; all were lost in the disaster. The Second Class smoking room and
entrance hall were both located on this deck. The raised forecastle of the ship was
forward of the Bridge Deck, accommodating Number 1 hatch (the main hatch through to
the cargo holds), numerous pieces of machinery and the anchor housings.[c] Aft of
the Bridge Deck was the raised Poop Deck, 106 feet (32 m) long, used as a promenade
by Third Class passengers. It was where many of Titanic's passengers and crew made
their last stand as the ship sank. The forecastle and Poop Deck were separated from
the Bridge Deck by well decks.[24][25]
C Deck, the Shelter Deck, was the highest deck to run uninterrupted from stem
to stern. It included both well decks; the aft one served as part of the Third
Class promenade. Crew cabins were housed below the forecastle and Third Class
public rooms were housed below the Poop Deck. In between were the majority of First
Class cabins and the Second Class library.[24][26]
D Deck, the Saloon Deck, was dominated by three large public rooms—the First
Class Reception Room, the First Class Dining Saloon and the Second Class Dining
Saloon. An open space was provided for Third Class passengers. First, Second and
Third Class passengers had cabins on this deck, with berths for firemen located in
the bow. It was the highest level reached by the ship's watertight bulkheads
(though only by eight of the fifteen bulkheads).[24][27]
E Deck, the Upper Deck, was predominantly used for passenger accommodation for
all three classes plus berths for cooks, seamen, stewards and trimmers. Along its
length ran a long passageway nicknamed Scotland Road, in reference to a famous
street in Liverpool. Scotland Road was used by Third Class passengers and crew
members.[24][28]
F Deck, the Middle Deck, was the last complete deck and mainly accommodated
Second and Third Class passengers and several departments of the crew. The Third
Class dining saloon was located here, as were the swimming pool, Turkish bath and
kennels.[24][28][29]
G Deck, the Lower Deck, was the lowest complete deck that carried passengers,
and had the lowest portholes, just above the waterline. The squash court was
located here along with the travelling post office where letters and parcels were
sorted ready for delivery when the ship docked. Food was also stored here. The deck
was interrupted at several points by orlop (partial) decks over the boiler, engine
and turbine rooms.[24][30]
The Orlop Decks and the Tank Top below that were on the lowest level of the
ship, below the waterline. The orlop decks were used as cargo spaces, while the
Tank Top—the inner bottom of the ship's hull—provided the platform on which the
ship's boilers, engines, turbines and electrical generators were housed. This area
of the ship was occupied by the engine and boiler rooms, areas which passengers
would have been prohibited from seeing. They were connected with higher levels of
the ship by flights of stairs; twin spiral stairways near the bow provided access
up to D Deck.[24][30]

Features
Power
RMS Olympic's rudder with central and port wing propellers;[d] for scale, note the
man at the bottom of the photo.[32]

Titanic was equipped with three main engines—two reciprocating four-cylinder,

triple-expansion steam engines and one centrally placed low-pressure Parsons
turbine—each driving a propeller. The two reciprocating engines had a combined
output of 30,000 horsepower (22,000 kW). The output of the steam turbine was 16,000
horsepower (12,000 kW).[21] The White Star Line had used the same combination of
engines on an earlier liner, the SS Laurentic, where it had been a great success.
[33] It provided a good combination of performance and speed; reciprocating engines
by themselves were not powerful enough to propel an Olympic-class liner at the
desired speeds, while turbines were sufficiently powerful but caused uncomfortable
vibrations, a problem that affected the all-turbine Cunard liners Lusitania and
Mauretania.[34] By combining reciprocating engines with a turbine, fuel usage could
be reduced and motive power increased, while using the same amount of steam.[35]

The two reciprocating engines were each 63 feet (19 m) long and weighed 720 tons,
with their bedplates contributing a further 195 tons.[34] They were powered by
steam produced in 29 boilers, 24 of which were double-ended and five single-ended,
which contained a total of 159 furnaces.[36] The boilers were 15 feet 9 inches
(4.80 m) in diameter and 20 feet (6.1 m) long, each weighing 91.5 tons and capable
of holding 48.5 tons of water.[37]

They were heated by burning coal, 6,611 tons of which could be carried in Titanic's
bunkers, with a further 1,092 tons in Hold 3. The furnaces required over 600 tons
of coal a day to be shovelled into them by hand, requiring the services of 176
firemen working around the clock.[38] 100 tons of ash a day had to be disposed of
by ejecting it into the sea.[39] The work was relentless, dirty and dangerous, and
although firemen were paid relatively generously,[38] there was a high suicide rate
among those who worked in that capacity.[40]

Exhaust steam leaving the reciprocating engines was fed into the turbine, which was
situated aft. From there it passed into a surface condenser, to increase the
efficiency of the turbine and so that the steam could be condensed back into water
and reused.[41] The engines were attached directly to long shafts which drove the
propellers. There were three, one for each engine; the outer (or wing) propellers
were the largest, each carrying three blades of manganese-bronze alloy with a total
diameter of 23.5 feet (7.2 m).[37] The middle propeller was slightly smaller at 17
feet (5.2 m) in diameter,[42] and could be stopped but not reversed.

Titanic's electrical plant was capable of producing more power than an average city
power station of the time.[43] Immediately aft of the turbine engine were four 400
kW steam-driven electric generators, used to provide electrical power to the ship,
plus two 30 kW auxiliary generators for emergency use.[44] Their location in the
stern of the ship meant they remained operational until the last few minutes before
the ship sank.[45]

Titanic lacked a searchlight in accordance with the ban on the use of searchlights
in the merchant navy.[46][47]
Technology
Compartments and funnels

The interiors of the Olympic-class ships were subdivided into 16 primary

compartments divided by 15 bulkheads that extended above the waterline. Eleven
vertically closing watertight doors could seal off the compartments in the event of
an emergency.[48] The ship's exposed decking was made of pine and teak, while
interior ceilings were covered in painted granulated cork to combat condensation.
[49] Standing above the decks were four funnels, each painted buff with black tops;
only three were functional—the aftmost one was a dummy, installed for aesthetic
purposes and kitchen ventilation. Two masts, each 155 ft (47 m) high, supported
derricks for working cargo.
Rudder and steering engines

Titanic's rudder was so large—at 78 feet 8 inches (23.98 m) high and 15 feet 3
inches (4.65 m) long, weighing over 100 tons—that it required steering engines to
move it. Two steam-powered steering engines were installed, though only one was
used at any one time, with the other one kept in reserve. They were connected to
the short tiller through stiff springs, to isolate the steering engines from any
shocks in heavy seas or during fast changes of direction.[50] As a last resort, the
tiller could be moved by ropes connected to two steam capstans.[51] The capstans
were also used to raise and lower the ship's five anchors (one port, one starboard,
one in the centreline and two kedging anchors).[51]
Water, ventilation and heating

The ship was equipped with her own waterworks, capable of heating and pumping water
to all parts of the vessel via a complex network of pipes and valves. The main
water supply was taken aboard while Titanic was in port, but in an emergency, the
ship could also distil fresh water from seawater, though this was not a
straightforward process as the distillation plant quickly became clogged by salt
deposits. A network of insulated ducts conveyed warm air, driven by electric fans,
around the ship, and First Class cabins were fitted with additional electric
heaters.[43]
Radio communications
Marconi Company receiving equipment for a 5 kilowatt ocean liner station (in the
picture, the wireless radio room of Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic)
The only known picture of Titanic's wireless radio room, taken by the Catholic
priest Francis Browne. Harold Bride is seated at the desk.

Titanic's radiotelegraph equipment (then known as wireless telegraphy) was leased

to the White Star Line by the Marconi International Marine Communication Company,
which also supplied two of its employees, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, as
operators. The service maintained a 24-hour schedule, primarily sending and
receiving passenger telegrams, but also handling navigation messages including
weather reports and ice warnings.[52][53][7] The radio room was located on the Boat
Deck, in the officers' quarters. A soundproofed "Silent Room", next to the
operating room, housed loud equipment, including the transmitter and a motor-
generator used for producing alternating currents. The operators' living quarters
were adjacent to the working office. The ship was equipped with a 'state of the
art' 5 kilowatt rotary spark-gap transmitter, operating under the radio callsign
MGY, and communication was conducted in Morse code. This transmitter was one of the
first Marconi installations to use a rotary spark-gap, which gave Titanic a
distinctive musical tone that could be readily distinguished from other signals.
The transmitter was one of the most powerful in the world and guaranteed to
broadcast over a radius of 350 miles (563 km). An elevated T-antenna that spanned
the length of the ship was used for transmitting and receiving. The normal
operating frequency was 500 kHz (600 m wavelength); however, the equipment could
also operate on the "short" wavelength of 1,000 kHz (300 m wavelength) that was
employed by smaller vessels with shorter antennas.[54]
Passenger facilities
Main articles: First-class facilities of the Titanic and Second- and third-class
facilities on Titanic
See also: Grand Staircase of Titanic

The passenger facilities aboard Titanic aimed to meet the highest standards of
luxury. According to Titanic's general arrangement plans, the ship could
accommodate 833 First Class Passengers, 614 in Second Class and 1,006 in Third
Class, for a total passenger capacity of 2,453. In addition, her capacity for crew
members exceeded 900, as most documents of her original configuration have stated
that her full carrying capacity for both passengers and crew was approximately
3,547. Her interior design was a departure from that of other passenger liners,
which had typically been decorated in the rather heavy style of a manor house or an
English country house.[55]

Titanic was laid out in a much lighter style similar to that of contemporary high-
class hotels—the Ritz Hotel was a reference point—with First Class cabins finished
in the Empire style.[55] A variety of other decorative styles, ranging from the
Renaissance to Louis XV, were used to decorate cabins and public rooms in First and
Second Class areas of the ship. The aim was to convey an impression that the
passengers were in a floating hotel rather than a ship; as one passenger recalled,
on entering the ship's interior a passenger would "at once lose the feeling that we
are on board ship, and seem instead to be entering the hall of some great house on
shore".[56]

Among the more novel features available to first-class passengers was a 7 ft (2.1
m) deep saltwater swimming pool, a gymnasium, a squash court, and a Turkish bath
which comprised electric bath, steam room, cool room, massage room, and hot room.
[56] First-class common rooms were impressive in scope and lavishly decorated. They
included a Lounge in the style of the Palace of Versailles, an enormous Reception
Room, a men's Smoking Room, and a Reading and Writing Room. There was an À la Carte
Restaurant in the style of the Ritz Hotel which was run as a concession by the
famous Italian restaurateur Gaspare Gatti.[57] A Café Parisien decorated in the
style of a French sidewalk café, complete with ivy-covered trellises and wicker
furniture, was run as an annex to the restaurant. For an extra cost, first-class
passengers could enjoy the finest French haute cuisine in the most luxurious of
surroundings.[58] There was also a Verandah Café where tea and light refreshments
were served, that offered grand views of the ocean. At 114 ft (35 m) long by 92 ft
(28 m) wide, the Dining Saloon on D Deck, designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll, was the
largest room afloat and could seat almost 600 passengers at a time.[59]

The Forward First Class Grand Staircase of Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic.
Titanic's staircase would have looked nearly identical. No known photos of
Titanic's staircase exist.

The Forward First Class Grand Staircase of Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic.
Titanic's staircase would have looked nearly identical. No known photos of
Titanic's staircase exist.
The gymnasium on the Boat Deck, which was equipped with the latest exercise
machines

The gymnasium on the Boat Deck, which was equipped with the latest exercise
machines
The Á La Carte restaurant on B Deck, run as a concession by Italian-born chef
Gaspare Gatti

The Á La Carte restaurant on B Deck, run as a concession by Italian-born chef

Gaspare Gatti
The 1st-Class Lounge of the RMS Olympic, Titanic's sister ship

The 1st-Class Lounge of the RMS Olympic, Titanic's sister ship

The 1st-Class Turkish Baths, located along the Starboard side of F-Deck

The 1st-Class Turkish Baths, located along the Starboard side of F-Deck

Third Class (commonly referred to as Steerage) accommodations aboard Titanic were

not as luxurious as First or Second Class, but even so, were better than on many
other ships of the time. They reflected the improved standards which the White Star
Line had adopted for trans-Atlantic immigrant and lower-class travel. On most other
North Atlantic passenger ships at the time, Third Class accommodations consisted of
little more than open dormitories in the forward end of the vessels, in which
hundreds of people were confined, often without adequate food or toilet facilities.
The White Star Line had long since broken that mould. As seen aboard Titanic, all
White Star Line passenger ships divided their Third Class accommodations into two
sections, always at opposite ends of the vessel from one another. The established
arrangement was that single men were quartered in the forward areas, while single
women, married couples and families were quartered aft. In addition, while other
ships provided only open berth sleeping arrangements, White Star Line vessels
provided their Third Class passengers with private, small but comfortable cabins
capable of accommodating two, four, six, eight and ten passengers.[60]

Third Class accommodations also included their own dining rooms, as well as public
gathering areas including adequate open deck space, which aboard Titanic comprised
the Poop Deck at the stern, the forward and aft well decks, and a large open space
on D Deck which could be used as a social hall. This was supplemented by the
addition of a smoking room for men and a General Room on C Deck which women could
use for reading and writing. Although they were not as glamorous in design as
spaces seen in upper-class accommodations, they were still far above average for
the period.
Leisure facilities were provided for all three classes to pass the time. As well as
making use of the indoor amenities such as the library, smoking rooms, and
gymnasium, it was also customary for passengers to socialise on the open deck,
promenading or relaxing in hired deck chairs or wooden benches. A passenger list
was published before the sailing to inform the public which members of the great
and good were on board, and it was not uncommon for ambitious mothers to use the
list to identify rich bachelors to whom they could introduce their marriageable
daughters during the voyage.[61]

One of Titanic's most distinctive features was her First Class staircase, known as
the Grand Staircase or Grand Stairway. Built of solid English oak with a sweeping
curve, the staircase descended through seven decks of the ship, between the Boat
Deck to E deck, before terminating in a simplified single flight on F Deck.[62] It
was capped with a dome of wrought iron and glass that admitted natural light to the
stairwell. Each landing off the staircase gave access to ornate entrance halls
panelled in the William & Mary style and lit by ormolu and crystal light fixtures.
[63]

At the uppermost landing was a large carved wooden panel containing a clock, with
figures of "Honour and Glory Crowning Time" flanking the clock face.[62] The Grand
Staircase was destroyed during the sinking and is now just a void in the ship which
modern explorers have used to access the lower decks.[64] During the filming of
James Cameron's Titanic in 1997, his replica of the Grand Staircase was ripped from
its foundations by the force of the inrushing water on the set. It has been
suggested that during the real event, the entire Grand Staircase was ejected
upwards through the dome.[65]
Mail and cargo
La Circassienne au Bain by Merry-Joseph Blondel; the most highly valued item of
cargo lost on Titanic. This image is of a copy.[e]

Although Titanic was primarily a passenger liner, she also carried a substantial
amount of cargo. Her designation as a Royal Mail Ship (RMS) indicated that she
carried mail under contract with the Royal Mail (and also for the United States
Post Office Department). For the storage of letters, parcels and specie (bullion,
coins and other valuables), 26,800 cubic feet (760 m3) of space in her holds was
allocated. The Sea Post Office on G Deck was manned by five postal clerks (three
Americans and two Britons), who worked 13 hours a day, seven days a week, sorting
up to 60,000 items daily.[67]

The ship's passengers brought with them a huge amount of baggage; another 19,455
cubic feet (550.9 m3) was taken up by first- and se