Sinking of the Titanic

The Sinking of the Titanic occurred in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912. At the time, the vessel was the largest ocean liner in service, four days into its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Carrying over 2,200 people, the ship struck an iceberg at 23:40 ship’s time on 14 April and sank two hours and forty minutes later, at 02:20 ship’s time on 15 April. Up to 1,635 people died, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

Effects of the collision

Prior to the collision, the Titanic’s wireless operators had received seven warnings of sea ice, but the ship was traveling at a considerable speed when lookouts sighted the iceberg. Unable to turn quickly enough, the vessel suffered a glancing blow that buckled steel plates on its starboard side, opening six of its sixteen compartments to the sea. The ship had been designed to remain afloat with up to four forward compartments flooded. As the crew used distress rockets and wireless messages to attract rescue, passengers were put into lifeboats.

Passengers and crew in the water

However, the lifeboat system was not designed to hold everyone simultaneously but to ferry passengers to nearby rescue vessels. With only twenty lifeboats—including four collapsible ones—and the ship sinking rapidly, many boats were launched before they were full, and two were not launched at all, floating off the ship and becoming refuges for survivors in the water. Around 1,500 passengers and crew remained on board as the Titanic sank. Almost all who ended up in the water died within minutes from cold shock and hypothermia; only about 40 were eventually rescued by nearby lifeboats.

Public inquiries and legislation

A rescue vessel arrived about an hour and a half after the sinking and recovered all 710 survivors by 09:15 on 15 April. The disaster caused widespread outrage over the shortage of lifeboats and the lack of vigilance regarding ice warnings. Further anger was directed at a nearby ship that missed the Titanic’s distress calls because it had only one wireless operator. Subsequent inquiries led to sweeping changes in maritime regulations, including the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea in 1914, which still governs maritime safety.