The Titanic Sinking

100th Anniversary Of The RMS Titanic Sinking.

Even 100 years after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, which caused the death of 1.517 of its 2.229 passengers and crew, the myth around it remains. Though more devastating marine disasters have happened since 1912 (for example the sinking of the “Dona Paz” in the Philippines, which cost more than 4.200 people their lives), the stories around the Titanic are yet still “the best” – some even like to call it “the most beautiful tragedy in earth”.

Only 160 minutes after colliding with the iceberg, the RMS Titanic sank.

She got the attribute “unsinkable”, was the pride of its building contractors and should bring its passengers from the old world into the new world. No one expected that an iceberg would put an end to the Titanic. Here’s a short chronology of the events of April 14, 1912:

March 20, 1912: This actually was the planned date of departure but due to repair work on another ship in the same shipyard, the work on Titanic is not done yet.

March 31, 1912: The end of the construction work at Belfast.

April 10, 1912: At noon, the RMS Titanic sets its sails from Southampton. Almost all passengers stand on deck. When leaving the port, the Titanic generated such an undertow that the ropes of two nearby ships (“New York and “RMS Oceanic”) ripped. Both of ships are about to collide with the Titanic – only with “full speed ahead”, a collision was prevented.

April 14, 9.00 am: The Titanic travelled about 1.500 miles when at 9.00 am the first iceberg warnings come in.

April 14, 11.40 pm: Sailor Fleet sights and iceberg and gives the alarm. The course is changed but it is too late. The Titanic hits the iceberg with full speed.

April 14, midnight: Captain Edward John Smith talks with the constructor of the Titanic, Thomas Andrews. He estimates, that the Titanic will be able to hold herself above the water for another 60 – 90 minutes. The captain then gives the order to send a distress signal and to man the rescue boats.

April 15, 12.05 am: Crew and passengers are given life jackets. The rescue boats can’t hold all passengers.

April 15, 12.15 am: The distress signal of the Titanic are received by other ships but they are all too far away. Even the “Carpathia”, the closest ship (58 miles), will only arrive after the sinking. The band starts playing.

April 15, 12.45 am: The first rescue boat (Nr. 7) casts off – but only with 28 people instead of the possible 65. Many passengers still believe that the Titanic is unsinkable and prefer to stay on board. The fourth officer Boxhall believes to have seen lights of another ship and tries to make contact with Morse signals – unsuccessful. Which ship this could have been was never solved.

April 15, 1.15 am: The water is now all the way up to the ships name and the oblique position becomes more dramatic, which results to panic. Finally the boats are better occupied.

April 15, 1.30 am: When rescue boat Nr. 14 is ready to launch with 60 passengers, officer Lowe has to pull his handgun and fires off a warning shot to keep other passengers from jumping onto the ship which could result in the capsize of the boat.

April 15, 1.38 am: The foredeck is flooded; panic and chaos are getting greater.

April 15, 1.45 am: The “Carpathia” receives the last distress signal of the Titanic.

April 15, 1.55 am: John Jacob Astor, the richest man on boat the Titanic, says his goodbyes to his wive, since only women an children are allowed onto the rescue boats.

April 15, 2 am: Only three more meters until the water reaches the promenade deck.

April 15, 2.05 am: The last rescue boat leaves the Titanic. Again warning shots have to be fired so that the boat is not overrun. There are still about 1.500 passengers on board. The bow is fully flooded.

April 15, 2.08 am: Lights go out.

April 15, 2.20 am: Shortly before the end, the ship raises steeply and breaks into two pieces. The Titanic sinks. Only one rescue boat returns to look for survivors.

April 15, 4.10 am: The “Carpathia” arrives.