The Titanic is one of the most famous ships in history. Billed as the unsinkable ship, the Titanic sunk in 1912 causing the loss of several lives. Learn more about the ship and its devastating maiden voyage.
Titanic the Ship
When you think about the Titanic, mostly you think about it sinking. But this designated unsinkable ship was a marvel of its time.
The Build
Did you know that the Titanic was built in Ireland? Or that it was part of a series of large luxury ships? Here are some interesting facts about building the Titanic.
- Construction of the Titanic began on March 31st 1909 at the Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.
- It cost 7.5 million dollars to build and furnish the Titanic and the interior design was based off the Ritz in London.
- It took about 3,000 people 26 months to build the Titanic.
- The RMS Titanic was one of three luxury ships completed by the Harland and Wolf shipyard; the sister ships were the Britannic and Olympic.
About the Ship
The Titanic was an engineering marvel. Not only was it thought to be unsinkable, but it was the largest ship of its day. Explore some interesting facts about the size and design of the boat.
- As far as size, the Titanic was more than 900 feet long, which is about the size of three football fields. It was 100 feet tall, which would be comparable to a 17 story tall building. Now, that is a big ship.
- The Titanic had over 1,500 rooms including 840 state rooms.
- In addition to rooms, it was considered the most lavish boat with a grand staircase, Cafe Parisien, reading and writing rooms, smoking room, restaurants, gym, pool, Turkish bath and more.
- It was thought to be unsinkable because of its watertight compartments and doors. However, this was only if under four areas were breached.
- The ship burned over 600 tons of coal a day and could travel at speeds of about 25 knots.
- Electricity was a main attraction of the Titanic. It had electric lights in rooms and 4 elevators.
- There were 20 lifeboats on the Titanic, which was more than required but only enough to hold about half the passengers.
The Maiden Voyage
Three years after its start of construction, the Titanic began its maiden voyage.
- The Titanic left the Southampton port on April 10, 1912.
- Stocked with 75,000 lbs of meat, 40 tons of potatoes and more than 15,000 bottles of alcohol, it was ready to sustain the 2,222 people on board including passengers and crew.
- In addition to human passengers, there were 12 dogs on the Titanic.
Iceberg Ahead
The Titanic is most famous because it sank a couple days into its journey. Explore the facts of the tragic sinking of the Titanic.
- On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic causing it to sink. The iceberg breached five of the watertight compartments.
- The boat to receive the distress call of the Titanic was called the Carpathia.
- There were 706 survivors of the sinking of the Titanic.
- There were no binoculars given to the lookout on the Titanic, but this probably wouldn't have helped them to see the iceberg sooner.
- Two dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic.
- Elizabeth Gladys 'Millvina' Dean was the last remaining survivor of the disaster until May 31, 2009 when she passed away.
The Sinking of the Unsinkable Ship
The RMS Titanic was a famous luxury ship that sank a few days after setting sail for its maiden voyage. This engineering marvel was the largest ship of its day and the most luxurious. It was created with 2 other luxury ships and sank on April 15, 1912.
