titanic travel from

Map of the Titanic’s maiden and final voyage

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Digital Replica Edition

• Classifieds

More in News

Politics | Boebert, Trump Jr. appear together at Loveland campaign event

Colorado News | Protesters demanding CU divest from Israel set up camp at Denver’s Auraria Campus

Restaurants, Food and Drink | Denver chef Dana Rodriguez closes one of her restaurants

Crime and Public Safety | Five arrested after allegedly stealing $30,000 worth of merchandise from Fort Collins stores

The Titanic’s Route – From Shipyard to Sinking (Via Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown)

The Titanic has become famous as being the ‘unsinkable’ ship that did unfortunately sink. The Titanic made many successful port stops on her trip before the accident happened where she picked up passengers and supplies.

A common misconception is that the Titanic set sail from Southampton heading to New York and didn’t visit any other ports, this is not the case. In this post we will explore where the Titanic went, what she did in each port and where she was scheduled to go.

Where Did Titanic Set Sail From?

The Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on April 10th 1912. She was built in Belfast, Ireland, and sailed to Southampton in England for her maiden voyage. She stopped in Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland to pick up passengers, crew and supplies. Her final destination was to be New York, USA but she never completed the journey.

The Southampton – Cherbourg – New York route had become very popular by the early twentieth century. The crossing should have taken around 6 days in total.

The return journey should have been from New York to Plymouth in England, back to Cherbourg, and finally to Southampton.

The Titanic’s Scheduled Route

Many modern cruise ships complete transatlantic crossings regularly although the route has changed slightly. To learn more about how modern cruise ships compare to the Titanic, check out this post:

Titanic vs a Modern Cruise Ship Fleet – Comparison with Photos!

White Star Line (the company that owned the Titanic) planned to offer weekly sailings in each direction, leaving Southampton on Wednesdays and New York on Saturdays. 

Both the Titanic and her sister The Olympic were scheduled to sail throughout the year, with trips booked until December.

Titanic’s First Journey – From Belfast to Southampton

The Titanic left Belfast on Tuesday 2nd April at 8pm. She arrived into Southampton at 12:00am on Thursday 4th April.

Work on the White Star Line’s state-of-the-art luxury steamship began in March 1909 in Belfast, Ireland, at the Harland and Wolff shipyards, the Titanic was designed by Alexander Carlisle. It took two years to complete the ship, the hull of which was the largest movable manufactured object in the world at the time.

On 31 May 1911, the Titanic was officially launched, first entering the water at the River Lagan.

After a series of sea trials, the Titanic, with only a skeleton crew, set sail for Southampton on 2 April 1912, seen off by thousands lining the Belfast Lough.

On the journey to Southampton Titanic recorded a record speed of 23.25 knots. The journey to Southampton was 570 nautical miles .

I Was Amazed by The Titanic Belfast Museum

Today, the Titanic Belfast visitor attraction, based next to the Harland and Wolff shipyards, tells the story of the Titanic from its conception and construction.

I visited the museum in 2021 and was blown away by the experience. The museum even has a ride in the middle! A ride! I talk more about my excursion to the museum in the video below:

Titanic’s Second Journey – From Southampton to Cherbourg

The Titanic left Southampton on Wednesday 10th April at 12pm. She arrived into Cherbourg at 8.10pm on Wednesday 10th April.

Around midnight on 4 April 1912, the Titanic arrived in Southampton , where she remained docked for a week. The crew were the first to come aboard.

Most of the crew were from Southampton, of the 685 crew members who died in the tragedy, 549 were from the city. Captaining the ship was the most senior White Star commodore, Captain Edward J. Smith seen below.

A Ship Visit With a Difference

On 5 April, the public had an opportunity to visit the Titanic, she was decorated for the occasion with flags and other pieces.

After the public had visited the ship, passengers were welcomed aboard.

At the time there was a coal strike in Britain which meant that coal had to be borrowed from other ships, including the sister ship, Olympia, so that the Titanic could begin her voyage. 

At 9am on the 10th Titanic had her one and only lifeboat drill.

100,000 well-wishers and journalists, watched as the Titanic officially set sail from Southampton on 10 April 1912, at noon. George W.Bowyer was the pilot in charge as the Titanic left Southampton.

In what was later seen as a bad omen for the voyage, the Titanic narrowly missed colliding with the SS City of New York.

The larger ship displaced so much water that the New York’s mooring lines snapped as it rose and fell, swinging it round towards the Titanic. The swift action of a tugboat in towing the New York out of the way avoided tragedy.

This incident delayed the official maiden voyage’s departure by about an hour.

Titanic’s Second Journey – From Cherbourg to Queenstown

The Titanic left Cherbourg on Wednesday 10th April at 8:10pm. She arrived into Queenstown at 1:55pm on Thursday 11th April.

The Titanic sailed into Cherbourg, the world’s largest artificial harbor and dropped anchor near the Central Fort. Due to the fact that the water in the port was not deep enough the Titanic could not dock. Tenders transferred the 281 passengers (151 First Class, 28 Second Class, and 102 Third Class) to the luxury steamship, as well as 24 passengers who disembarked.

Among the passengers who embarked in France were some of the most famous and wealthy on the Titanic. These included:

• Millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and his pregnant wife Madeleine Talmage Astor
• Billionaire Margaret Brown.
• Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff Gordon and his wife Lady Lucy Christiana Duff Gordon

Also brought aboard in France were luxury food items, including champagne, wine, cheese, and mineral water.

Today, the Cité de la Mare Museum in Cherbourg has a dedicated Titanic exhibition in memory of the famous ship, where you visit the Art Deco Luggage Hall.

I visited the museum on a cruise with Royal Caribbean a few years ago, to learn more about the museum, check out this post. (The cruise ships dock right besides the museum):

Cherbourg Port: Destination Guide

By 8.10 pm, the Titanic was on her way, she sailed overnight to the south of Ireland and the harbor of Queenstown.

Titanic’s Third Journey – From Queenstown to New York

The Titanic left Queenstown on Thursday 11th April at 1:55pm.

The Titanic arrived in Queenstown (today known as Cobh) to pick up its last passengers before beginning the trans-Atlantic voyage. The ship dropped anchor at Roches Point.

Before the first world war Queenstown was Irelands most important mail and passenger port.

Two tenders were responsible for transporting the passengers from Cork Harbor, the PS Ireland, and the PS America.

Seven passengers disembarked, including Father Francis Browne, a Jesuit trainee, whose photographs are the last ever taken of the Titanic.

At 1.30 pm, to the sound of a whistle blast and bagpipes, the Titanic lifted her anchor and started her journey.

One final stop was necessary. At the Daunt Light-ship to drop off the pilot who had guided the ship in and out of Cork Harbor.

The Sinking of The Titanic

The ship made good time for the next two days but the Titanic was never able to complete her maiden voyage. 

On the 14 April 1912, after four days at sea, the Titanic struck an iceberg that tore a hole in the ship’s hull below the waterline. The hull began filling with water, and within three hours, the vessel had sunk. Because of a lack of lifeboats and the proper emergency procedures, only 705 people survived the disaster.

To learn more about why the Titanic sunk (there were lots of factors) check out this post:

It Wasn’t Just The Iceberg That Sank The Titanic – Survivor Accounts

Free Insiders Cruise Line Guide

Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? Cruise lines won’t tell you this, but I will.

This FREE guide shows you everything you need to know to find your perfect cruise line.

Enter your email address below:

Titanic Maiden Voyage

Introduction.

Following her prestigious launch in front of a crowd of around 100,000 spectators and a throng of excited reporters, Titanic began her maiden journey, first collecting the passengers sailing – and even migrating – to America. It was a voyage that would end in disaster amidst the ice-strewn waters of the Atlantic. Read on for a comprehensive summary of the facts about this tragic trip.

Above: Footage of RMS Titanic leaving for her maiden voyage in 1912.

471 miles – the distance of the journey to deliver Titanic from Belfast – the city in which she was built – to Southampton, England – the city from which her maiden voyage would commence.

Where did the Titanic leave from?

Although Titanic initially sailed from Belfast (where she was built) to Southampton, her maiden voyage is considered to have begun in Southampton.

02 April 1912 – the date that Titanic set sail from Belfast to Southampton.

Southampton

6 – the number of days that the Titanic was at rest in Southampton, before the start of her maiden voyage to New York.

Above: The Titanic at Southampton at the beginning of her maiden voyage.

05 April 1912 – the date Titanic was briefly opened for viewing by the paying public, two days after sailing to Southampton. The ship was “dressed overall”, with flags and pennants hung from the rigging in a salute to the people of the city.

07:30 am – the time Captain Smith arrived on board on the morning of the maiden journey, along with the crew. The officers were already on board, having spent the previous night on the ship.

2 – the number of lifeboats employed in a brief safety drill, conducted at 08:00 am; starboard lifeboats 11 and 12.

Where was Titanic going?

The Titanic was on her maiden voyage, a return trip from Britain to America. The outward route was to be Southampton, England – Cherbourg, France – Queenstown, Ireland – New York, USA. The return route was going to be New York – Plymouth, England – Cherbourg – Southampton.

09:30 am – the time the second- and third-class boat trains began to arrive and passengers started to board the Titanic.

11:30 am – the time that the first-class boat train arrived from London.

Did You Know?

At the time of her maiden voyage a coal strike was on, and so coal for Titanic had to be scavenged from other company ships.

06 April 1912 – the date that the strike was ended, however there would not be time to deliver enough coal to Southampton docks before Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage.

84 miles – the length of the first leg of the journey, from Southampton to Cherbourg, France.

12.00 pm – the time Titanic cast off from Southampton Dock, towed out into the River Test by tugboats.

4 feet – the margin by which a collision with the USMS New York was averted, when the undertow from the much larger Titanic caused the smaller boat to be sucked toward the ship, snapping the six mooring ropes holding the New York in place.

60 minutes – the approximate time that departure was delayed by this incident, sailing finally resuming at 1pm.

04:00 pm – the time the boat train from Paris arrived in Cherbourg, around 90 minutes before passengers could be ferried out to the delayed Titanic.

22 – the number of cross-channel passengers who disembarked in Cherbourg.

274 – the number of passengers who boarded at Cherbourg.

08:10 pm – the time Titanic departed Cherbourg and set sail for Queenstown (now known as Cobh) in Ireland.

307 miles – the length of the next stage, from Cherbourg to Queenstown, Ireland.

Queenstown (Cobh)

11:30 am – the time Titanic dropped anchor in Queenstown, on the morning of 11th of April 1912, about 2 miles offshore.

7 – the number of passengers who disembarked in Ireland.

123 – the number of passengers who boarded at Queenstown (3 first-class, 7 second-class and 113 third-class ticket-holders).

63 – the number of male passengers who boarded in Ireland.

60 – the number of female passengers who came aboard.

2 – the number of tenders that ferried the passengers from Heartbreak Jetty to Titanic; they were named PS Ireland and PS America.

1,385 – the number of bags of mail delivered on board during the Queenstown stop.

01:30 pm – the time Titanic raised anchor and set sail on her first and last transatlantic crossing.

The Atlantic Ocean

2,825 miles – the intended distance of the longest leg of the voyage, from Queenstown to New York, USA.

137 hours – the anticipated journey time sailing from Queenstown to New York City.

How many people boarded the Titanic?

There were 2,223 people aboard Titanic for her maiden trip, 1,324 passengers and 908 crew.

116 – the typical number of hours taken to cover the same distance by the Titanic’s rivals, the Cunard liners Lusitania and Mauritania (the idea that the Titanic captain ignored the iceberg warnings because he was trying to set a new time record is just one of the many Titanic myths that endures).

Above: The route of the voyage of the Titanic and the location of her sinking.

4 – days into the crossing when the collision with the iceberg occurred.

How much were Titanic ticket prices?

The average cost for a First Class berth was $150 (£30). A parlour suite would have set you back the princelier sum of $4,350 (£875).

The average cost of a berth in Standard (Second) Class was $60 (£12).

The average cost of a Steerage (Third) Class berth was $15-$40 (£3-£8).

3 – the intended number of legs planned for Titanic’s return voyage (New York to Plymouth to Cherbourg to Southampton).

As she set sail on her maiden voyage, some interior work was still to be completed. For example, some areas of the ship were without heating, whilst others were too hot. A team of nine Harland & Wolff employees, including the ship’s designer, Thomas Andrews, sailed as members of a guarantee group, tasked with ensuring any problems were attended to. All died in the sinking.

More To Explore

Read about the passengers on the Titanic , about the iceberg that was her undoing, and about the spot in the Atlantic Ocean where the Titanic sank .

A Timeline of the Sinking of the Titanic

 Bettmann / Getty Images

• Early 20th Century
• People & Events
• Fads & Fashions
• American History
• African American History
• African History
• Ancient History and Culture
• Asian History
• European History
• Latin American History
• Medieval & Renaissance History
• Military History
• Women's History
• B.A., History, University of California at Davis

From the time of its inception, the Titanic was meant to be gigantic, luxurious and safe. It was touted as being unsinkable because of its system of watertight compartments and doors, which of course proved to be just a myth. Follow the history of the Titanic, from its beginnings in a shipyard to its end at the bottom of the sea, in this timeline of the building of the ship through its maiden (and only) voyage. In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, all but 705 of its 2,229 passengers and crew lost their lives in the icy Atlantic .

The Building of the Titanic

March 31, 1909: Construction of the Titanic begins with the building of the keel, the backbone of the ship, at Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.

May 31, 1911: The unfinished Titanic is lathered up with soap and pushed into the water for "fitting out." Fitting out is the installation of all the extras, some on the exterior, like the smokestacks and the propellers, and a lot on the inside, like the electrical systems, wall coverings, and furniture.

June 14, 1911: The Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic, departs on its maiden voyage.

April 2, 1912: The Titanic leaves the dock for sea trials, which include tests of speed, turns, and an emergency stop. At about 8 p.m., after the sea trials, the Titanic heads to Southampton, England.

The Maiden Voyage Begins

April 3 to 10, 1912: The Titanic is loaded with supplies and her crew is hired.

April 10, 1912: From 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., passengers board the ship. Then at noon, the Titanic leaves the dock at Southhampton for its maiden voyage. First stop is in Cherbourg, France, where the Titanic arrives at 6:30 p.m. and leaves at 8:10 p.m, heading to Queenstown, Ireland (now known as Cobh). It is carrying 2,229 passengers and crew.

April 11, 1912: At 1:30 p.m., the Titanic leaves Queenstown and begins its fated journey across the Atlantic for New York.

April 12 and 13, 1912: The Titanic is at sea, continuing on her journey as passengers enjoy the pleasures of the luxurious ship.

April 14, 1912 (9:20 p.m.): The Titanic's captain, Edward Smith, retires to his room.

April 14, 1912 (9:40 p.m.) : The last of seven warnings about icebergs is received in the wireless room. This warning never makes it to the bridge.

Last Hours of the Titanic

April 14, 1912 (11:40 p.m.): Two hours after the last warning, ship lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an iceberg directly in the path of the Titanic. The first officer, Lt. William McMaster Murdoch, orders a hard starboard (left) turn, but the Titanic's right side scrapes the iceberg. Only 37 seconds passed between the sighting of the iceberg and hitting it.

April 14, 1912 (11:50 p.m.): Water had entered the front part of the ship and risen to a level of 14 feet.

April 15, 1912 (12 a.m.): Captain Smith learns the ship can stay afloat for only two hours and gives orders to make first radio calls for help.

April 15, 1912 (12:05 a.m.): Captain Smith orders the crew to prepare the lifeboats and get the passengers and crew up on deck. There is only room in the lifeboats for about half the passengers and crew onboard. Women and children were put into the lifeboats first.

April 15, 1912 (12:45 a.m.): The first lifeboat is lowered into the freezing water.

April 15, 1912 (2:05 a.m.) The last lifeboat is lowered into the Atlantic. More than 1,500 people are still on the Titanic, now sitting at a steep tilt.

April 15, 1912 (2:18 a.m.): The last radio message is sent and the Titanic snaps in half.

April 15, 1912 (2:20 a.m.): The Titanic sinks.

Rescue of Survivors

April 15, 1912 (4:10 a.m.) : The Carpathia, which was about 58 miles southeast of the Titanic at the time it heard the distress call, picks up the first of the survivors.

April 15, 1912 (8:50 a.m.): The Carpathia picks up survivors from the last lifeboat and heads for New York.

April 17, 1912: The Mackay-Bennett is the first of several ships to travel to the area where the Titanic sank to search for bodies.

April 18, 1912: The Carpathia arrives in New York with 705 survivors.

April 19 to May 25, 1912: The United States Senate holds hearings about the disaster; the Senate findings include questions about why there were not more lifeboats on the Titanic.

May 2 to July 3, 1912: The British Board of Trade holds an inquiry into the Titanic disaster. It was discovered during this inquiry that the last ice message was the only one that warned of an iceberg directly in the path of the Titanic, and it was believed that if the captain had gotten the warning that he would have changed course in time for the disaster to be avoided.

Sept. 1, 1985: Robert Ballard's expedition team discovers the wreck of the Titanic .

• Sinking of the RMS Titanic
• 20 Surprising Facts About the Titanic
• When Was the Titanic Found?
• Titanic Activities for Children
• World War I: HMHS Britannic
• Children's Books About the Sinking of the Titanic
• World War I: Sinking of the Lusitania
• The Sinking of the Steamship Arctic
• Hindenburg Disaster
• The Halifax Explosion of 1917
• 20 Elapsed Time Word Problems
• Sinking of the Lusitania
• Naval Aviation: USS Langley (CV-1) - First US Aircraft Carrier
• The Sinking of the Lusitania and America's Entry into World War I
• Biography of Guglielmo Marconi, Italian Inventor and Electrical Engineer
• World History Events in the Decade 1910-1919

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 12, 2024 | Original: November 9, 2009

The RMS Titanic, a luxury steamship, sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic after sideswiping an iceberg during its maiden voyage. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in the disaster. Titanic has inspired countless books, articles and films (including the 1997 Titanic movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio), and the ship's story has entered the public consciousness as a cautionary tale about the perils of human hubris.

The Building of the RMS Titanic

The Titanic was the product of intense competition among rival shipping lines in the first half of the 20th century. In particular, the White Star Line found itself in a battle for steamship primacy with Cunard, a venerable British firm with two standout ships that ranked among the most sophisticated and luxurious of their time.

Cunard’s Mauretania began service in 1907 and quickly set a speed record for the fastest average speed during a transatlantic crossing (23.69 knots or 27.26 mph), a title that it held for 22 years.

Cunard’s other masterpiece, Lusitania , launched the same year and was lauded for its spectacular interiors. Lusitania met its tragic end on May 7, 1915, when a torpedo fired by a German U-boat sunk the ship, killing nearly 1,200 of the 1,959 people on board and precipitating the United States’ entry into World War I .

Did you know? Passengers traveling first class on Titanic were roughly 44 percent more likely to survive than other passengers.

The same year that Cunard unveiled its two magnificent liners, J. Bruce Ismay, chief executive of White Star, discussed the construction of three large ships with William J. Pirrie, chairman of the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff. Part of a new “Olympic” class of liners, each ship would measure 882 feet in length and 92.5 feet at their broadest point, making them the largest of their time.

In March 1909, work began in the massive Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, on the second of these three ocean liners, Titanic, and continued nonstop for two years.

On May 31, 1911, Titanic’s immense hull–the largest movable manmade object in the world at the time–made its way down the slipways and into the River Lagan in Belfast. More than 100,000 people attended the launching, which took just over a minute and went off without a hitch.

The hull was immediately towed to a mammoth fitting-out dock where thousands of workers would spend most of the next year building the ship’s decks, constructing her lavish interiors and installing the 29 giant boilers that would power her two main steam engines.

‘Unsinkable’ Titanic’s Fatal Flaws

According to some hypotheses, Titanic was doomed from the start by a design that many lauded as state-of-the-art. The Olympic-class ships featured a double bottom and 15 watertight bulkhead compartments equipped with electric watertight doors that could be operated individually or simultaneously by a switch on the bridge.

It was these watertight bulkheads that inspired Shipbuilder magazine, in a special issue devoted to the Olympic liners, to deem them “practically unsinkable.”

But the watertight compartment design contained a flaw that was a critical factor in Titanic’s sinking: While the individual bulkheads were indeed watertight, the walls separating the bulkheads extended only a few feet above the water line, so water could pour from one compartment into another, especially if the ship began to list or pitch forward.

The second critical safety lapse that contributed to the loss of so many lives was the inadequate number of lifeboats carried on Titanic. A mere 16 boats, plus four Engelhardt “collapsibles,” could accommodate just 1,178 people. Titanic could carry up to 2,435 passengers, and a crew of approximately 900 brought her capacity to more than 3,300 people.

As a result, even if the lifeboats were loaded to full capacity during an emergency evacuation, there were available seats for only one-third of those on board. While unthinkably inadequate by today’s standards, Titanic’s supply of lifeboats actually exceeded the British Board of Trade’s requirements.

Passengers on the Titanic

Titanic created quite a stir when it departed for its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912. After stops in Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown (now known as Cobh), Ireland, the ship set sail for New York with 2,240 passengers and crew—or “souls,” the expression then used in the shipping industry, usually in connection with a sinking—on board.

As befitting the first transatlantic crossing of the world’s most celebrated ship, many of these souls were high-ranking officials, wealthy industrialists, dignitaries and celebrities. First and foremost was the White Star Line’s managing director, J. Bruce Ismay, accompanied by Thomas Andrews, the ship’s builder from Harland and Wolff.

Absent was financier J.P. Morgan , whose International Mercantile Marine shipping trust controlled the White Star Line and who had selected Ismay as a company officer. Morgan had planned to join his associates on Titanic but canceled at the last minute when some business matters delayed him.

The wealthiest passenger was John Jacob Astor IV, heir to the Astor family fortune, who had made waves a year earlier by marrying 18-year-old Madeleine Talmadge Force, a young woman 29 years his junior, shortly after divorcing his first wife.

Other notable passengers included the elderly owner of Macy’s, Isidor Straus, and his wife Ida; industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim, accompanied by his mistress, valet and chauffeur; and widow and heiress Margaret “Molly” Brown, who would earn her nickname “ The Unsinkable Molly Brown ” by helping to maintain calm and order while the lifeboats were being loaded and boosting the spirits of her fellow survivors.

The employees attending to this collection of First Class luminaries were mostly traveling Second Class, along with academics, tourists, journalists and others who would enjoy a level of service and accommodations equivalent to First Class on most other ships.

But by far the largest group of passengers was in Third Class: more than 700, exceeding the other two levels combined. Some had paid less than $20 to make the crossing. It was Third Class that was the major source of profit for shipping lines like White Star, and Titanic was designed to offer these passengers accommodations and amenities superior to those found in Third Class on any other ship of that era.

Titanic Sets Sail

Titanic’s departure from Southampton on April 10 was not without some oddities. A small coal fire was discovered in one of her bunkers–an alarming but not uncommon occurrence on steamships of the day. Stokers hosed down the smoldering coal and shoveled it aside to reach the base of the blaze.

After assessing the situation, the captain and chief engineer concluded that it was unlikely it had caused any damage that could affect the hull structure, and the stokers were ordered to continue controlling the fire at sea.

According to a theory put forth by a small number of Titanic experts, the fire became uncontrollable after the ship left Southampton, forcing the crew to attempt a full-speed crossing; moving at such a fast pace, they were unable to avoid the fatal collision with the iceberg.

Another unsettling event took place when Titanic left the Southampton dock. As she got underway, she narrowly escaped a collision with the America Line’s S.S. New York. Superstitious Titanic buffs sometimes point to this as the worst kind of omen for a ship departing on her maiden voyage.

The Titanic Strikes an Iceberg

On April 14, after four days of uneventful sailing, Titanic received sporadic reports of ice from other ships, but she was sailing on calm seas under a moonless, clear sky.

At about 11:30 p.m., a lookout saw an iceberg coming out of a slight haze dead ahead, then rang the warning bell and telephoned the bridge. The engines were quickly reversed and the ship was turned sharply—instead of making direct impact, Titanic seemed to graze along the side of the berg, sprinkling ice fragments on the forward deck.

Sensing no collision, the lookouts were relieved. They had no idea that the iceberg had a jagged underwater spur, which slashed a 300-foot gash in the hull below the ship’s waterline.

By the time the captain toured the damaged area with Harland and Wolff’s Thomas Andrews, five compartments were already filling with seawater, and the bow of the doomed ship was alarmingly pitched downward, allowing seawater to pour from one bulkhead into the neighboring compartment.

Andrews did a quick calculation and estimated that Titanic might remain afloat for an hour and a half, perhaps slightly more. At that point the captain, who had already instructed his wireless operator to call for help, ordered the lifeboats to be loaded.

Titanic’s Lifeboats

A little more than an hour after contact with the iceberg, a largely disorganized and haphazard evacuation began with the lowering of the first lifeboat. The craft was designed to hold 65 people; it left with only 28 aboard.

Tragically, this was to be the norm: During the confusion and chaos during the precious hours before Titanic plunged into the sea, nearly every lifeboat would be launched woefully under-filled, some with only a handful of passengers.

In compliance with the law of the sea, women and children boarded the boats first; only when there were no women or children nearby were men permitted to board. Yet many of the victims were in fact women and children, the result of disorderly procedures that failed to get them to the boats in the first place.

Exceeding Andrews’ prediction, Titanic stubbornly stayed afloat for close to three hours. Those hours witnessed acts of craven cowardice and extraordinary bravery.

Hundreds of human dramas unfolded between the order to load the lifeboats and the ship’s final plunge: Men saw off wives and children, families were separated in the confusion and selfless individuals gave up their spots to remain with loved ones or allow a more vulnerable passenger to escape. In the end, 706 people survived the sinking of the Titanic.

Titanic Sinks

The ship’s most illustrious passengers each responded to the circumstances with conduct that has become an integral part of the Titanic legend. Ismay, the White Star managing director, helped load some of the boats and later stepped onto a collapsible as it was being lowered. Although no women or children were in the vicinity when he abandoned ship, he would never live down the ignominy of surviving the disaster while so many others perished.

Thomas Andrews, Titanic’s chief designer, was last seen in the First Class smoking room, staring blankly at a painting of a ship on the wall. Astor deposited his wife Madeleine into a lifeboat and, remarking that she was pregnant, asked if he could accompany her; refused entry, he managed to kiss her goodbye just before the boat was lowered away.

Although offered a seat on account of his age, Isidor Straus refused any special consideration, and his wife Ida would not leave her husband behind. The couple retired to their cabin and perished together.

Benjamin Guggenheim and his valet returned to their rooms and changed into formal evening dress; emerging onto the deck, he famously declared, “We are dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”

Molly Brown helped load the boats and finally was forced into one of the last to leave. She implored its crewmen to turn back for survivors, but they refused, fearing they would be swamped by desperate people trying to escape the icy seas.

Titanic, nearly perpendicular and with many of her lights still aglow, finally dove beneath the ocean’s surface at about 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912. Throughout the morning, Cunard’s Carpathia , after receiving Titanic’s distress call at midnight and steaming at full speed while dodging ice floes all night, rounded up all of the lifeboats. They contained only 706 survivors.

Aftermath of the Titanic Catastrophe

At least five separate boards of inquiry on both sides of the Atlantic conducted comprehensive hearings on Titanic’s sinking, interviewing dozens of witnesses and consulting with many maritime experts. Every conceivable subject was investigated, from the conduct of the officers and crew to the construction of the ship. Titanic conspiracy theories abounded.

While it has always been assumed that the ship sank as a result of the gash that caused the bulkhead compartments to flood, various other theories have emerged over the decades, including that the ship’s steel plates were too brittle for the near-freezing Atlantic waters, that the impact caused rivets to pop and that the expansion joints failed, among others.

Technological aspects of the catastrophe aside, Titanic’s demise has taken on a deeper, almost mythic, meaning in popular culture. Many view the tragedy as a morality play about the dangers of human hubris: Titanic’s creators believed they had built an unsinkable ship that could not be defeated by the laws of nature.

This same overconfidence explains the electrifying impact Titanic’s sinking had on the public when she was lost. There was widespread disbelief that the ship could not possibly have sunk, and, due to the era’s slow and unreliable means of communication, misinformation abounded. Newspapers initially reported that the ship had collided with an iceberg but remained afloat and was being towed to port with everyone on board.

It took many hours for accurate accounts to become widely available, and even then people had trouble accepting that this paragon of modern technology could sink on her maiden voyage, taking more than 1,500 souls with her.

The ship historian John Maxtone-Graham has compared Titanic’s story to the Challenger space shuttle disaster of 1986. In that case, the world reeled at the notion that one of the most sophisticated inventions ever created could explode into oblivion along with its crew. Both tragedies triggered a sudden collapse in confidence, revealing that we remain subject to human frailties and error, despite our hubris and a belief in technological infallibility.

Titanic Wreck

Efforts to locate the wreck of Titanic began soon after it sank. But technical limitations—as well as the vastness of the North Atlantic search area—made finding it extremely difficult.

Finally, in 1985, a joint U.S.-French expedition located the wreck of the RMS Titanic . The doomed ship was discovered about 400 miles east of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, some 13,000 feet below the surface.

Subsequent explorations have found that the wreck is in relatively good condition, with many objects on the ship—jewelry, furniture, shoes, machinery and other items—are still intact.

Since its discovery, the wreck has been explored numerous times by manned and unmanned submersibles—including the submersible Titan, which imploded during what would have been its third dive to the wreck in June 2023.

HISTORY Vault: Titanic's Achilles Heel

Did Titanic have a fatal design flaw? John Chatterton and Richie Kohler of "Deep Sea Detectives" dive the wreckage of Titanic's sister ship, Britannic, to investigate the possibility.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Site Navigation

The titanic.

The  Titanic  was a White Star Line steamship carrying the British flag. She was built by Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Ireland, at a reported cost of $7.5 million. Her specifications were:

• Length overall: 882.5 feet
• Gross tonnage: 46,329 tons
• Beam: 92.5 feet
• Net tonnage: 24,900 tons
• Depth 59.5 feet
• Triple screw propulsion

On 10 April 1912, the  Titanic  commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, with 2,227 passengers and crew aboard. At 11:40 p.m. on the night of 14 April, traveling at a speed of 20.5 knots, she struck an iceberg on her starboard bow. At 2:20 a.m. she sank, approximately 13.5 miles east-southeast of the position from which her distress call was transmitted. Lost at sea were 1,522 people, including passengers and crew. The 705 survivors, afloat in the ship's twenty lifeboats, were rescued within hours by the Cunard Liner,  Carpathia.

The wreck of the  Titanic  was located by a French and American team on 1 September 1985 in 12,500 feet (3,810 m) of water about 350 miles (531 km) southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. A 1986 expedition documented the shipwreck more thoroughly.

A section of the National Museum of American History's exhibition  On the Water  is devoted to the story of  Titanic , and the National Postal Museum featured the exhibition  Fire and Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic .

• The Titanic Historical Society Inc.

Prepared by the Division of Work and Industry, Transportation Collections, National Museum  of American History, in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, Smithsonian Institution PIMS/TRA30/2/11

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

International Section

R.m.s titanic - history and significance.

History, Culture and Iconic Interests in the United States and Abroad The R.M.S.  Titanic  is perhaps the most famous shipwreck in our current popular culture.  Titanic  was a British-registered ship in the White Star line that was owned by a U.S. company in which famed American financier John Pierpont "JP" Morgan was a major stockholder.  Titanic  was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Harland & Wolff for transatlantic passage between Southampton, England and New York City. It was the largest and most luxurious passenger ship of its time and was reported to be unsinkable.  Titanic,   launched on May 31, 1911 , and set sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton on April 10, 1912, with 2,240 passengers and crew on board. On April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg,  Titanic  broke apart and sank to the bottom of the ocean, taking with it the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. While there has been some  salvage  outside of the major hull portions, most of the ship remains in its final resting place, 12,000 feet below sea level and over 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Its famous story of disaster and human drama has been, and continues to be, recounted in numerous books, articles and movies.  Titanic  has been recognized by the United States Congress for its national and international significance and in many ways has become a cultural icon. The disaster also resulted in a number of memorials around the world. In the United States, there are major memorials in  Washington D.C . offsite link  and  New York offsite link ; the  Widener Library  offsite link at Harvard University is another major memorial commemorating Henry Elkins Widener, a victim of the sinking. Investigation and the Development of Measures for Safety in Navigation The sinking of  Titanic  was one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history and quickly became a catalyst for change. The United States Congress held  hearings offsite link  on the casualty that resulted in a  report offsite link  and measures to improve  safety of navigation offsite link . Similar investigations were held in the United Kingdom. The international community readily came together for the purpose of establishing global maritime standards and regulations to promote safety of navigation, the most important of which was the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), widely regarded as the most important of all international agreements on the safety of merchant ships.

• Frequently Asked Questions  on History and Significance
• Titanic’s 100th Birthday May 31, 2012 NOAA
• One hundred years after the sinking of  Titanic  is the  IMO World Maritime Day theme for 2012 offsite link
• R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986  (1986 Act)
• International Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic
• NOAA Guidelines  for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic
• IMO, the Titanic, and the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) offsite link

Last Updated July 10, 2018

The Titanic Voyage

When arranging a tour around the United States I had decided to cross on the Titanic. It was rather a novelty to be on the largest ship yet launched. It was no exaggeration to say that it was quite easy to lose one’s way on such a ship.  Lawrence Beesley, Titanic Survivor

A Complete Titanic TEACHING UNIT

A complete unit of work to teach students about the historical and cultural impact Titanic made upon the world both back in the early 20th century. This complete unit includes.

After the success of Titanic’s sea trials in Ireland, she made the short journey to Southampton, England for what would be both the maiden and final titanic voyage.

Titanic arrived in Southampton only two weeks before her maiden voyage which meant there was an incredible amount of pressure from White Star Lines to turn her from an Irish built ship into their most elegant British Royal Mail Steamer.  Food, Linen and Furniture were thousands of other items were hauled aboard the Titanic around the clock and staff were selected and trained accordingly for their roles.

Captain Edward James Smith would be the man to steer Titanic to New York and was the perfect fit for the role due to his presence and stature for the media, experience from his crew and was a particular favourite of J.B Ismay the head of White Star Lines for all of these reasons. 

TITANIC VOYAGE MAP

As a crowd waited in anticipation at the Southampton wharf, Captain Smith reared his head around and looked at the first officer, Robert Murdoch, who was at the wheel. The Captain walked to the bridge and asked if the tugs were ready. Just then, the phone on the wall behind him rang. The First Officer walked over and picked it up. “Tugs all fast, sir,” was the message he heard. He said, “Thank you,” and walked to the wheel. He looked at the Captain and nodded. The Captain looked at him and said, “Take her to sea Mr Murdoch.” He reached past the Captain to the bridge telegraph and pushed it till it rang and went to ¼ ahead.

Like nearly all other elements of Titanic’s life thus far its departure was a successful event that was witnessed in large numbers by both the media and interested parties of all shapes, ages and walks of life.

“I enjoyed myself as if I were on a summer palace by the seashore surrounded by every comfort. I was up early before breakfast and met the professional racquet player in a half hour’s warming up prepority for a swim in the six-foot deep tank of saltwater heated to a refreshing temperature.” Colonel Archibald Gracie, Titanic Survivor

Passengers on the  Titanic  paid significantly different prices for different accommodation options. The suites and cabins on the  Titanic  cost the passengers no small sum for the time. At approximately $100,000 in today’s dollars, you can see why the world’s richest and most elite sailed on the  Titanic  — only they could afford the parlour suites. For the immigrants who travelled in third class, a berth cost was no small sum either. The immigrants were poor, and raising that kind of money (approximately $350 to $900 in today’s dollars) for passage to America was difficult in the early 1900s. 

First-class passengers sipped wine and enjoyed cigars and hors d’oeuvres, whilst those on the lower decks were overcome with happiness and sadness at the prospect of entering a new life in the United States but also knowing they may never see their families or beloved England again.

The Titanic seemed to have everything on board, including its own newspaper. The Atlantic Daily Bulletin was printed every day on board the Titanic . The newspaper included news, advertisements, stock prices, horse-racing results, society gossip, and the day’s menu.

To learn more about the accommodation and events of a first-class passenger read our article here.

Titanic had stopped in Cherbourg, France, to pick up additional passengers. Here, one of the most famous people on the ship boarded, Colonel John Jacob Astor and his young, pregnant wife, Madeline. Madeline was nineteen, and there was some dispute about this among the passengers who knew him.  That evening she sailed for Queenstown, Ireland, and at 1:30 PM on Thursday, April 11, she headed out into the Atlantic.

Originally, a lifeboat drill was scheduled to take place on board the  Titanic  on April 14, 1912 – the day the  Titanic  hit the iceberg. However, for an unknown reason, Captain Smith cancelled the drill. Many believe that had the drill taken place, more lives could have been saved.

“Each night the sun sank right in our eyes along the sea, making an undulating glittering pathway, a golden track charted on the surface of the ocean which our ship followed unswervingly until the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, and the pathway ran ahead of us faster than we could steam and slipped over the edge of the skyline – as if the sun had been a golden ball and had wound up its thread of gold too quickly for us to follow.” — Lawrence Beesley, Titanic Survivor

On the night of April 14, wireless operator Phillips was very busy sending chatty passenger’s messages to Cape Race, Newfoundland, whence they could be relayed inland to friends and relatives. He received a sixth ice-warning that night, but didn’t realize how close Titanic was to the warning position and put that message under a paperweight at his elbow. It never reached Captain Smith or the officer on the bridge.

The R.M.S. Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship, a designation which meant the Titanic was officially responsible for delivering mail for the British postal service. Onboard the Titanic was a Sea Post Office with five mail clerks (two British and three American). These mail clerks were responsible for the 3,423 sacks of mail (seven million individual pieces of mail) onboard the Titanic . Interestingly, although no mail has yet been recovered from the Titanic wreck, if it were, the U.S. Postal Service would still try to deliver it (the USPS because most of the mail was being sent to the U.S.).

The night was uncommonly clear and dark, moonless but faintly glowing with an incredible sky full of stars by all accounts. The stars were so bright that one officer mistook the planet Jupiter (then rising just above the horizon) for a steamship light. The sea was, likewise, unusually calm and flat, “like glass,” said many survivors. The lack of waves made it even more difficult to spot icebergs since no tell-tale white water broke at the bergs’ edges.  The lookouts were questioning White Star personnel as to where their binoculars were. They were told that they were misplaced, which would play a role in destroying the ship.

THE ULTIMATE TITANIC TEACHING UNIT

The perfect INDEPENDENT LEARNING PROJECT on the TITANIC for students of all ages and abilities. With over 100 5-Star reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

• HISTORY & CULTURE

Inside the Titanic wreck's lucrative tourism industry

For decades, tourists have been paying for a chance to catch an undersea glimpse at the wreck of the Titanic . But ethical concerns persist over the impacts these submersibles have had on the deteriorating site.

It takes eight hours and $250,000 to get to what remains of the R.M.S. Titanic some 380 miles off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

On Sunday, five people got into the submersible Titan to make that journey. The vessel lost contact only an hour and 45 minutes into the eight-day expedition. After debris was found matching that of the submersible, the five inside are now presumed dead.

Despite the danger of traveling some 12,500 feet below the surface, this was an irresistible opportunity—very few people get to see the Titanic with their own eyes.  

More than a century after the ship’s sinking, interest in the Titanic remains insatiable. Although most satisfy their curiosity by visiting the museums, exhibitions, and permanent collections around the world dedicated to the wreck, anyone able to pay for a ticket can see it for themselves.

Despite ethical concerns and the danger of further damaging the wreck, dives to the Titanic have been around for more than 20 years. Here’s what you need to know.  

The rush to claim the Titanic wreckage

It wasn’t until 1985 that an expedition led by National Geographic Explorer-at-Large Robert Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel discovered the Titanic ’s final resting place.

Shortly after, Ballard testified before the U.S. Congress, urging it to designate the wreck a maritime memorial. In July 1986, Ballard placed a plaque on the ship, asking that the site be left undisturbed in memory of the more than 1,500 people who died there.  

( Bob Ballard and James Cameron on what we can learn from Titan .)

But that didn’t happen. Instead, competition over who would be allowed to salvage artifacts from the ship heated up. In part, it was an effort to document and conserve the artifacts—but it was also a rush for profits from artifact sales and public displays.

The first official salvage effort was undertaken by the Titanic Ventures Limited Partnership (TVLP) and L'Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer in 1987, when around 1,800 items were collected and conserved. In 1992, a federal court ruled TVLP was the first and exclusive salvor of the Titanic —though in following decades, the company pushed for more.  

Now known as RMS Titanic Inc., the company has conducted eight expeditions to the Titanic , and has auctioned off more than 5,000 objects taken from the site, including jewelry and a piece of the ship’s grand staircase.

While battles for visitation and salvage rights raged in court, expeditions to the Titanic continued—giving rise to a small but pricey tourism market.

Decades of Titanic tourism

Researchers, salvagers, and even filmmakers like James Cameron, who directed the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic , have made countless trips to the wreck. And for a pretty penny, tourists have been able to go too.

In 1998, British company Deep Ocean Expeditions were among the first to sell tickets to the public at $32,500 each to see the remains of the Titanic . In 2012, expedition leader Rob McCallum said the company was organizing one final round of tours after having gone down to the wreck 197 times . Those last expeditions in 2012 each lasted 12 days and took 20 passengers for $59,000 apiece.

( How do we find shipwrecks—and who owns them ?)

Starting in 2002, Los Angeles-based travel firm Bluefish also ran Titanic dives, taking only eight people over the next four years. In 2012, the company began accepting bookings again with tickets running for $59,680.

London-based Blue Marble sold tickets for $ 105,129 per person in 2019, supposedly the adjusted value of a first-class ticket at the time of the sinking. Blue Marble partnered with OceanGate Expeditions—the same company whose vessel went missing Sunday—to run the tours.  

OceanGate conducted successful expeditions in 2021 and 2022 and has 18 dives planned through 2023.  

Protecting the Titanic

But what impact do these tours have on the 111-year-old ship?

The Titanic was damaged significantly upon impact with the seabed, and slowly, iron-eating bacteria is consuming what remains. Less than a decade after the wreck was found, rapid deterioration was being noticed . In 2019, a dive confirmed huge portions of the ship were collapsing .

Today the surrounding site is littered with trash , including beer and soda bottles, weights, chains, and cargo nets from salvage efforts . Visitors have also littered the area with plaques and memorials. In 2001, a couple was even married in a submersible resting on the Titanic ’s bow.

( How debris from the Titanic informs us about its final hours .)

Even if submersibles don’t mean to touch the wreck, they can still further damage the ship. One expedition reportedly crashed into the Titanic and omitted information about the damage it caused.

Attempts to protect the wreck are ongoing. Because it is in international waters, it is eligible for basic protections under the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which were granted in 2012 . In 2020, the United Kingdom and United States agreed to work together to grant or deny licenses to people entering and taking artifacts from the site.

FREE BONUS ISSUE

Related topics.

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY
• ARCHAEOLOGISTS

You May Also Like

This mysterious graveyard of shipwrecks was found far from sea

Who gets to claim the ‘world’s richest shipwreck’?

Meet the woman who helped save Egypt's temples from certain doom

6 urgent questions on the missing Titanic submersible

Bob Ballard and James Cameron on what we can learn from Titan

• Environment
• Perpetual Planet
• History & Culture

History & Culture

• History Magazine
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Here’s How You Can Visit the Wreck of the Titanic—for $125,000

A series of expeditions will take tourists down to the ill-fated ship in 2021

Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)

You’re probably familiar with the RMS Titanic: in 1912, the world’s largest ocean liner of the day embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, during which she struck an iceberg, sank, and ultimately took more than 1,500 lives. The Titanic’s final resting place remained a mystery until 1985, when American marine geologist Robert Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel discovered the wreck in the crushing depths of the frigid North Atlantic, nearly 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the sea. 

Rather unsurprisingly, visiting the Titanic has become a bucket-list trip for maritime historians, oceanographers, and, well, anyone who has deep enough pockets to go. However, expeditions are rare: only one team has visited the site in-person in the last 15 years. But all that’s about to change.

OceanGate Expeditions , a company that provides well-heeled clients with once-in-a-lifetime underwater experiences, has announced a series of six trips to the Titanic via submersible in 2021. Each has space for nine paying tourists, whose $125,000 tickets will help offset the cost of the expeditions (and put a pretty penny in the pocket of OceanGate owner Stockton Rush).

OceanGate’s expeditions will each run for 10 days out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Nine tourists, who are actually dubbed “mission specialists” on this expedition, will join the expedition crew on each sailing, and they’ll be expected to participate in the research efforts—this isn’t just a sightseeing affair. OceanGate’s goal is to extensively document the Titanic wreck before it disintegrates entirely due to a deep-sea bacteria that eats iron, which researchers are concerned might happen within the next few decades. As this is a scientific project, mission specialists will have to meet certain physical criteria to ensure their compatibility with the expedition, not to mention training, which includes a test dive.

On each expedition, each mission specialist will be able to partake in a single six- to eight-hour dive to the Titanic via the private Titan submarine, which includes the 90-minute descent and 90-minute ascent. The sub seats five—a pilot, a scientist or researcher, and three mission specialists—and it does have a small, semi-private bathroom for emergencies, in case you were wondering.

Now, it should be known that this isn’t OceanGate’s first attempt to visit the iconic wreck: two previous expeditions had to be scrubbed. (In 2018, the sub was hit by lightning, and its electrical systems were fried, and in 2019, there were issues with sourcing a ship for the expedition.) But hey, perhaps the third time's the charm!

Several international treaties protect the Titanic—the wreck sits in international waters—but their primary goal is to prevent looters and illegal salvage operations from damaging and disrespecting the wreck. However, in terms of tourism, it’s actually perfectly legal to visit the wreck, so long as the expedition doesn’t intrude upon it (i.e., land on the deck or enter the hull.)

“A review of the International Agreement on Titanic, as well as the 2001 UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, would reveal that non-intrusive visits do not even require a permit or authorization,” said Ole Varmer, a retired legal advisor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who was instrumental in negotiating the legal protection of the wreck. “The scope of the prohibition against commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage is to prevent unauthorized salvage and looting; it does not include non-intrusive visits regardless of whether they are for-profit or not.”

In terms of OceanGate Expeditions, the company is working with NOAA, the federal agency in charge of implementing the International Agreement on Titanic for U.S.-based Titanic activities, to ensure it follows all protocols set down by that agreement.

There are two major factors to consider regarding ethically visiting the Titanic. First, it’s a memorial site to the lives lost during the disaster, so the wreck should be treated with respect. But that, of course, is true of all memorial sites around the world.

“Speaking as one who visited Titanic’s wreck twice during RMS Titanic, Inc.'s 1993 and 1996 Research and Recovery expeditions, I see nothing unethical about visiting the wreck, nor about helping to defray the significant expense of bringing a visitor to the wreck,” explained Charles Haas, president of the Titanic International Society. “People around the world learn by seeing and visiting. They pay for access to museums, cathedrals, monuments, exhibitions, and, yes, final resting places.”

But second, it’s a fragile piece of cultural heritage. It should be protected—the expedition organizer must take appropriate steps to ensure that it won’t disturb the wreck.

“In the past, submersibles visiting the site by RMS Titanic, Inc. [the only company legally allowed to salvage the wreck], and others have rested on the deck of the hull portions,” says Varmer. “That practice has likely caused some harm and exacerbated the deterioration of the site.  Hopefully, that will no longer be practiced or permitted.”

Per OceanGate’s description of its expeditions, the company’s submersible won’t disturb the wreck, so if you have $125,000 lying around, fee; free to spring for the bucket-list trip of 2021!

The 11 Best Travel Money Belts of 2024

Zicasso Travel Agents Offer Custom Vacations for Adventurous Travelers

The 14 Best Backpack Brands of 2024

Best Tour Companies for Singles

The 8 Best Luggage Sets of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Complete Guide to the Great Barrier Reef

The 6 Best Small Coolers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Where to Go in 2023: The Most Exciting Destinations to Explore This Year

The 10 Best Travel Alarm Clocks of 2024

These Artist Collaborations Are Redefining Travel Gear

Where to Go in 2021: 10 Future Trips You Can Start Planning Now

Top 10 Historical Sites in Canada

13 New Ocean Cruise Ships in 2018

The 7 Best Ski & Snowboard Boot Bags of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

The 9 Best Carry-on Luggage for Men of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

The Best Mini Backpacks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Titanic’s Maiden Voyage: The Cherbourg Connection

Although it has been over 100 years since rms titanic set sail her story still endures, capturing hearts and minds throughout the world..

Follow the ship’s journey

Read the next story in the series ‘Titanic’s Maiden Voyage: The Queenstown Connection’ here, and don't forget to follow along with our A Night To Remember event on social media on the evening of April 14th, marking the anniversary of Titanic’s sinking.

Experiences at Titanic Belfast

Experience the true legend of RMS Titanic, in the city where it all began. Unmissable and unforgettable, just like Titanic herself.

My Itinerary

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Titanic Belfast soon! Here's how your itinerary currently looks.

There have been no activities saved to your itinerary planner yet. Why not take a look at our   Experiences   or upcoming  events   for some inspiration?

Based on your chosen activities, we estimate your visit may take approximately: 0

There are still secrets to be found on Titanic. These graphics explore them

It sank 112 years ago Monday, but our obsession with the RMS Titanic continues.

History's most famous ship slipped beneath the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912 , but we continue to explore its maiden voyage, iceberg, sinking and undersea decay through a seemingly endless stream of photographs, books , documentaries and movies , and museum exhibits.

Fascination has led to tragedy. A submersible carrying five passengers to view the Titanic imploded near the wreck , killing all aboard, in June 2023.

It also has brought technological advances. In May 2023, a new type of digital scanning, using multiple images, gave us a three-dimensional view of the ship as it would look if it were lifted out of the water .

Why are people drawn to Titanic?

"There isn’t a simple answer," says Karen Kamuda, president of the Titanic Historical Society , which operates the Titanic Museum in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts.

Those who join the society are of "all ages and occupations, and their interests are multivariable," Kamuda says. Aside from their fascination with Titanic and its passengers and crew, their curiosity might include the sister ships Olympic and Britannic, the White Star Line, artifacts, and TV and movies.

"James Cameron’s 1997 film, ' Titanic ,' opened up a brand-new interest," Kamuda says. "The internet has helped spread the story worldwide."

Here are a few things you may not know about Titanic:

Titanic traveled less than 3,000 miles

Titanic was built at the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding company in Belfast, Ireland. After outfitting and sea trials, the ship left port for her maiden voyage.

From Belfast to the fatal iceberg strike, Titanic traveled about 2,555 nautical miles, or 2,940 land miles:

April 2, 1912 | 8 p.m.: Titanic leaves Belfast, sails to Southhampton, England (577 nm).

April 10, 1912 | noon: Titanic leaves Southhampton, sails to Cherbourg, France (88 nm).

April 10, 1912 | 8:10 p.m.: Titanic leaves Cherbourg, sails to Queenstown ( now known as Cobh ), Ireland (341 nm).

April 11, 1912 | 1:30 p.m.: Titanic leaves Queenstown for New York.

April 14, 1912 | 11:40 p.m.: Titanic strikes iceberg 1,549 nm from Queenstown.

April 15, 1912 | 2:20 a.m.: Titanic sinks about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.

Titanic's lifeboats were not filled to capacity

15-ton piece of wreckage recovered.

The largest piece of wreckage recovered from Titanic, above, is a 15-ton section of the hull measuring 26 feet by 12 feet. It's on display at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas

The hull section was part of the starboard side of the ship , between the third and fourth funnels. It was lifted to the surface in 1998.

Museums keep Titanic's memory alive

A  number of museums offer visitors a look at hundreds of objects recovered from the wreck site. Here are a few:

And if you can't get to a Titanic museum, a traveling exhibit, Titanic. The Exhibition , with 200 items, may be coming to you after it leaves New York.

Thousands of artifacts have been salvaged

Titanic was much smaller than today's cruise ships, want to learn more about titanic.

Historical associations are a good source of information.

• Titanic Historical Society:  https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/
• Titanic International Society:   https://titanicinternationalsociety.org/
• Belfast Titanic Society:   https://www.belfast-titanic.com/
• British Titanic Society:   https://www.britishtitanicsociety.com/

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Titanic Historical Society; titanicfacts.net; titanicuniverse.com; National Geographic; encyclopedia-titanica.org

Encyclopedia Titanica

Titanic passenger list, complete titanic passenger list.

Titanic People Database © Encyclopedia Titanica 1996-2024 Permissions and licensing

The Last Meal Of The Titanic's First-Class Passengers

T he wreck of the RMS Titanic endures as the most infamous maritime tragedy in history, claiming roughly 1,500 lives as it sank below the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Countless books, articles, documentaries, and movies have relayed what happened on the night of April 14, 1912; but in our obsession over the Titanic passengers' deaths, we often overlook how they lived.

The Titanic was the subject of international fame long before it sank. Hailed as one of the largest and most luxurious ships ever built, its passengers included some of the wealthiest people in the world at the time, including John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim, and Isadore Straus, the owner of Macy's. Captain Edward Smith was even known as the "Millionaire's Captain" because of his ties with the wealthy.

These fabulously rich passengers stayed in the Titanic's opulent first-class quarters, where a suite cost £870, which translates to a stunning $133,132 in today's dollars. Tickets included meals in the ship's first-class dining hall, where diners could enjoy as many as 13 courses for dinner, each one accompanied by a different wine pairing . A few menus from this dining room survived the wreck (later selling for a staggering amount of money) , so we know exactly what those first-class passengers ate for their last meal. It seems that the Titanic's dining room would have held its own against any of the world's finest restaurants.

Read more: How Restaurant Steak Tricks Your Tastebuds

The First-Class Menu Was The Epitome Of Luxury

A dinner menu from the night of April 14 reveals that the first-class passengers aboard the Titanic ate an extravagant dinner, beginning with assorted hors d'oeuvres and oysters. They then had a choice of soup between cream of barley and consommé Olga, a soup made from veal stock and sturgeon marrow. This was followed by salmon with mousseline sauce. It sounds like a well-rounded meal already, but the Titanic chefs were just getting started.

For entrees (that's right, the salmon was an appetizer course), guests could choose between filet mignon, chicken lyonnaise, lamb with mint sauce, roast duck, or beef sirloin with chateau potatoes. There was also a vegetarian option: vegetable marrow farci (marrow is a type of summer squash native to England). An array of side dishes were offered, including peas, carrots, and rice. After their entrees, guests were served a palate-cleansing punch followed by roast squab, asparagus, and foie gras . For dessert, there were peaches with jelly, vanilla and chocolate eclairs, French ice cream, and Waldorf pudding.

The first-class lunch that day was almost as opulent. The midday menu included mutton chops, roast beef, ham, ox tongue, custard pudding, a cheese course, and a rather intriguing chicken and banana dish . This was fine dining at its most indulgent.

What The Other Passengers Ate

The ship was divided into three classes to match the economic hierarchy: the upper, the middle, and the lower class. The Titanic was among the first ocean liners to include a second class, reflecting the newly-formed middle class that emerged at the tail end of the 19th century. Of the 1,317 passengers aboard that voyage, only 324 were in first class. The 284 second-class passengers and 709 third-class passengers ate very different meals.

The second-class dinner on April 14 wasn't as luxurious as the first-class fare, but it was still a gourmet meal. There was only one soup offering — consommé tapioca, and the entree choices included curried chicken, lamb with mint sauce, and roast turkey with cranberry sauce (sorry vegetarians, but there was no meat-free dinner option below first class). There were many options for dessert, including plum pudding and wine jelly, but the ice cream served to second-class passengers was explicitly American rather than French.

Third-class passengers had a very different experience. Their day was divided into four meals: breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper. Breakfast was hearty, with oatmeal, smoked herring, ham and eggs, and fresh bread. The dinner entree was roast beef with rice soup and boiled potatoes, while supper consisted of cheese, cabin biscuits, and gruel. It was hearty food, but it couldn't have seemed like much when the guests in first class were feasting on multiple meat courses for every meal.

Read the original article on Chowhound

Was the coward of the Titanic really a hero? The book "Understanding J. Bruce Ismay" says yes

Clifford ismay, a distant relation of the much-maligned businessman, released the book "understanding j. bruce ismay," that aimed to tell the story of ismay's role in the evacuation of the titanic. .

The book "Understanding J. Bruce Ismay" claims the managing director of White Star Line, fiercely criticized for escaping the Titanic on a lifeboat, was a hero who helped dozens of women escape the sinking ship. 

Clifford Ismay, a distant relation of the much-maligned businessman, released "Understanding J. Bruce Ismay" in April 2022, aiming to tell the story of Ismay's role in the evacuation of the Titanic. 

Ismay had been showered in praise by first-class passengers on the luxury liner since it left Southampton on April 10, receiving praise for the Titanic's magnificent grand staircase, Turkish baths, libraries, and squash courts among many other luxurious features. 

The businessman was woken by a loud vibration on the night of April 14 when the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. He initially thought that the ship had lost a propeller and pulled on his dressing gown before stepping out from his cabin to investigate. 

Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish!

When he reached the bridge, he received the fatal news from Captain Edward Smith , who informed him that the unsinkable ship was sinking. 

Ismay sprang into action, working tirelessly in the two hours between the Titanic hitting the iceberg and the liner sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

Witnesses reported that Ismay ordered men to stand aside to allow women and children to reach the Titanic's lifeboats, helping to fill a total of eight lifeboats, according to Clifford Ismay's new book.  

He played a key role in convincing women in first class to board the lifeboats, also convincing a steward who had held a woman back because she was "only crew" to allow her on board. 

However, Ismay was vilified for the rest of his life for his decision to board the last lifeboat to be lowered from the doomed ship. 

US newspapers labeled Ismay the "coward of the Titanic", with some claiming that his company's name should be changed from White Star to Yellow. 

The bulk of the criticism came from papers owned by Ismay's rival William Randolph Hearst, who gleefully accepted the opportunity to blacken Ismay's name, according to the new book. 

The book explores how Ismay only boarded the last lifeboat when a call went out for more women and none came forward. It also examines other claims that Ismay was already in the lifeboat assisting women and children when it was lowered and another claim that a man bundled him into the vessel. 

Clifford Ismay's book also examines how the English businessman was haunted for the rest of his life by his decision to preserve his own life ahead of other passengers on the ship, revealing that his hair turned from black with a few strands of grey to snow-white just days after the disaster. 

Charles Lightoller, one of the highest-ranking officers to survive the sinking, reported that Ismay was "obsessed with the idea that he ought to have gone down with the ship because women had gone down". 

"I tried to get that idea out of his head. The doctor tried, too. But we had difficulty in arousing Mr. Ismay, solely owing to the fact that women had gone down in the ship and he had not," Lightoller said. 

Ismay was also accused of encouraging the Titanic to sail at a dangerous pace in order to beat the record for an Atlantic crossing previously set by its sister ship the Olympic. 

However, Clifford Ismay writes that this claim is based on the flimsy evidence of an American passenger who claimed that she overheard tell Captain Smith that he wanted the voyage to beat the world record. The passenger later said she could not positively identify Ismay or Smith with any certainty. 

*Originally published in April 2022. Updated in April 2024. 

Related: Books , The Titanic

Ireland in spring - your guide to bucket list travel and spectacular festivals

On this day: Charlotte Brontë was born in 1816

WATCH: Rare footage from the first dives to the wreckage of the Titanic

Fulfill your Irish dream: Win a 3-bedroom home on the shore of Galway Bay 

WWII ship where five brave Sullivan brothers died discovered on St. Patrick's Day

The intersection of Saint Patrick and paganism in Ireland

TUNE IN: St. Patrick’s Day Parade LIVE from Dublin today!

US leprechauns versus Irish fairies - a St. Patrick’s Day death match

NYC Saint Patrick's Day Parade announces line of march ahead of March 16

St Patrick's Festival is here! Your guide to the Dublin City celebrations

Sober St. Patrick’s Day to “reclaim the day” today in NYC

“Walking in the footsteps” of your Irish ancestors

• Weird But True
• Sex & Relationships
• Viral Trends
• Human Interest
• Fashion & Beauty
• Food & Drink

trending now in Lifestyle

Daily showers are purely 'performative' and have no real health...

Venice begins charging entry fees to curb mass tourism — here's...

Dear Abby: My younger boyfriend and his new girlfriend live with...

After J.Lo seen with $500K Birkin, here's how many Hermès bags...

Dear Abby: I am attracted to my husband's married friend -- I'm...

Michelin's US hotel guide debuts with 11 worthy of top award —...

Travel costs have soared since the pandemic — with one mode...

Gen Z has 'email anxiety' at work, struggling to cope with 1,000s...

I have a foot-long penis — it’s so monstrous, i was barred from yoga.

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

His downward dog was a bit too distinctive.

So much for bigger being better. The UK’s most well-endowed man, Matt Barr, claims that his titanic tallywacker has caused him some big problems, including dating difficulties, sex-ploitation, and perhaps, most embarrassingly, getting booted from yoga class because people thought he was aroused.

“I’m trying to dispel some of the stigmas,” Barr, 40, declared while discussing these well-hung hardships on a recent episode of British talk show “This Morning.”

The bulging Brit reportedly boasts “Britain’s biggest penis,” which measures more than 12 inches long when erect — more than twice the global average of 5.1 inches.

And while having a supersized shlong might seem like every man’s dream, it’s apparently not all that it’s cracked up to be.

“People have learned a lot of myths from pornography,” lamented the unlucky stiff, who was “shy” about his situation growing up.

“They don’t realize the implications that it would have when you’re actually living with a situation on a day-to-day basis.”

These implications — which he details in his upcoming autobiography “A Long Story: Life With One Of The World’s Largest Penises” — include broaching the subject on a date.

“It’s difficult because it’s not something you really spring on people as a surprise because it just does scare people away generally,” the phallically gifted fellow described.

“Obviously [you don’t want to be] creepy and bring it up too early.”

Not to mention that contrary to popular belief, having a behemoth manhood can paradoxically be an inconvenience in the boudoir.

“They love the idea more than the practicality,” lamented Barr.

“In porn, there’s lots of filters being used, it’s very small bodies, lots of camera angles and stuff, so when they face someone who’s actually that size, it’s not what they want.”

“There are people who like it for a bragging point of view,” added the Brit, who claims that some opportunists have have even tried to cash on his massive member.

During one nightmare encounter, Barr was even “catfished” by a woman who tried to get him to appear on their OnlyFans page under the guise of a “normal date.”

This battle of the bulge has gotten him in trouble in non-romantic situations as well, including one mortifying instance where he was accused of getting titillated during a yoga class.

“I was wearing a very baggy shirt and shorts [but because of the] yoga positions, people just got the wrong idea,” he described, per the Daily Mail.

Schlong story short, Barr was kicked out of the class.

Despite the cons of possessing a giant phallus, the sexually-enhanced man doesn’t plan on getting his manhood reduced anytime soon.

“It’s very expensive surgery, it costs about £15,000 [around $18,681.22],” he described.

“It’s only done, normally, in the cases of tumors and things like that. In the case of normal function, it’s not common.”

Barr says he ultimately hopes to dispel the stigma surrounding discussing his phallus, explaining, “I don’t see why there’s any difference talking about this and talking about your breasts or any other bodily part … it’s not sexualized. It’s just a fact of life.”

The Brit isn’t the only man whose experience problems due to his plus-sized penis.

New York’s Jonah Falcon who  claims to possess the world’s largest penis  — a whopping 13.5-inch beast — says he’s fed up with showing people his jumbo Johnson.

“I’m sick and tired of having people wanting me to measure it in front of them,” he declared. “I’ve done it 10,000 times — enough already!”

Share this article:

Advertisement