Many people are still interested in how many people died on the Titanic. Endless disputes and debates have not stopped for many years. We will also try to shed light on some of the nuances of what happened. So, we are getting ready to discuss how many people died/were saved on the Titanic. But first, a short excursion into the past.
Who came up with the idea of building a giant liner?
The mystery of the century is the Titanic. How many people died and survived? To determine the exact number, it is necessary to meticulously calculate how many crew members and passengers a powerful ship could theoretically accommodate. The ocean liner was built due to an ongoing dispute between two shipbuilding giants, which at that time were the White Star Line and the Cunard Line. To become an absolute record holder and become famous throughout the world, the first organization needed to create a project of incredible scale, which would be larger than anyone else in terms of capacity and dimensions.
Construction process of a sunken ship
The Titanic steamship took three years to build. The process was regulated at the Harland and Wolf shipyard located in Belfast. The liner was launched on May 31, 1911. The event was solemn, long-awaited and pompous. This is no wonder, because at the time of commissioning it was considered the largest ship in the world. But the fact of launching did not mean the completion of the huge project. Adjustment work continued, equipment and the serviceability of mechanisms were checked.
Technical characteristics and project budget
The parameters of the ship are impressive: it was 269 meters long, 30 meters wide, and had a displacement of 52,310 tons. Power was 55,000 horsepower. The steamer had the ability to reach speeds of up to 24 knots. This effect was achieved thanks to the installation of three propellers and two four-cylinder engines. The steam turbine, modern by those standards, was of particular importance. This was the second version of the Olympic class, but more advanced. The shipbuilders tried to correct all the shortcomings inherent in the prototype. The overall dimensions and 15 partitions gave complete confidence that statistics would never count how many people died on the Titanic. Taking into account all the characteristics of the ship, sinking seemed impossible.
Shipbuilding Guide
Irishman Thomas Andrews was the chief shipbuilder responsible for the quality of the Titanic. More than one and a half thousand ordinary workers, not counting senior management, took part in the extensive process. How many people died on the Titanic, despite the well-coordinated work of the crew?
Vessel capacity
Let's try to find out how many people died on the Titanic; for this we can use the data from the ship's technical map. It says that theoretically the ship could comfortably accommodate 2,439 passengers and 908 crew members. By simple calculations we determine that a total of 3347 people could be on board at the same time.
Classification of passenger compartments
People with tickets were divided into three classes depending on their cost. First class was considered the most comfortable and belonged to the elite. Guests had at their disposal numerous services: a swimming pool, a gym for sports, a Turkish steam room, a games court, an electric bath (at that time there was a semblance of a modern solarium). Also, passengers with pets could leave them in a special compartment for the duration of the trip. Incredible luxury was a feature of the dining room and smoking lounge. People of high society could enjoy a pleasant meal in a cozy atmosphere of wealth. The level of service even in third class was significantly superior to simple tours on other transatlantic ships. Cabins of all classes were equipped with all necessary amenities. They were always warm, light and spacious. Passengers were offered a simple but balanced menu with a variety of dishes. After a quality meal, they could go on a boat trip on the deck. Passengers had no right to be outside their own territory. The plots were strictly distributed depending on the class.
Equipment
Survivors of the Titanic disaster witnessed a lack of watercraft for all passengers. There were only 20 lifeboats on board the ship. They could only accommodate 1,178 ship passengers. As mentioned above, a total of 3,347 people could travel on the ship. From this we can draw a logical conclusion that the designers were initially aware that in the event of a global crash, less than half of the total number of those present would be able to escape. Such an oversight was justified by the visual unsinkability of the handsome liner. No one could even imagine that soon after the departure of the giant they would have to count how many people died on the Titanic in 1912. The British Merchant Shipping Code calculated the availability of life-saving appliances based on the tonnage of the vessel. Initially, it was planned to equip the Titanic with 48 lifeboats, but in the end the management insisted on only 20. How many people died on the Titanic because of the imaginary confidence in the unsinkability of the ship?
Unlike the situation with lifeboats, life jackets were fully available on the liner. Their number was determined by the figure 3560 pieces. A high-quality product had a cork filler. There were also 49 lifebuoys on board.
Crew training
How many people died on the Titanic and who is responsible for this tragedy? One of the main assumptions is a lack of proper training on the part of the crew members. None of the team was properly prepared for the emergency. There was practically no training as such, and catastrophically little attention was paid to the rules for operating life jackets and lifeboats. The pilot exercise was conducted only once. Before sailing, the passengers were also not given the necessary work (instruction) on how to act in case of danger to life. It is known that on the day before the tragedy, one exercise on boarding lifeboats was planned, but due to windy weather the event was canceled.
On the eve of sailing, the British Department of Trade inspected the ship and made a decision on the serviceability of the equipment and compliance with all regulations.
First and last flight
The cruise ship Titanic set sail from Southampton at 12 noon on April 10th. Near the port, he almost collided with another steamer. Perhaps it was a sign, but at that moment no one paid enough attention to it. At the time of departure there were 1,316 passengers and 908 crew members on board. The figures are approximate, the exact number of passengers is unknown. Some canceled their trip and were not removed from the list, others traveled under a false name. Now it is very difficult to restore the full picture. In the spring, transatlantic flights were usually not popular, as happened this time. The ship was half full. Edward Smith, one of the company's most experienced captains, took command of the liner. He had been at sea for 40 of his 62 years. This was his last voyage, and the crew members were the last to be rescued. How many people died in the sinking of the Titanic? We will try to answer this question below.
Iceberg collision
The Atlantic Ocean can be called calm, but even here there can be bad weather conditions and other unfavorable factors - after all, the sea elements... Judging by the developed plan, the Titanic should not have gotten into the zone of ice blocks, since it was chosen for movement safe course. But on the evening of April 14, the unexpected happened. The public was presented with information that due to the darkness, the crew members did not see the iceberg. It was examined too late, when at a distance of 650 meters it was no longer possible to avoid a collision, despite all the commands given. At 23:40, the luxury liner crashes into the underwater part of a huge block of ice with a glancing blow. How many people died on the Titanic as a result of a failed maneuver?
The damage turned out to be significant: more than 5 holes in the compartments, the hull was damaged approximately 90 meters in length. In a matter of seconds, the crew members realized that the fate of the Titanic was tragic. The designer assumed that in 1 hour 30 minutes the ship would completely go under water.
Evacuation of passengers and death of the legendary liner
First of all, the order was given to save children and women. At first, the true reason for what was happening was not stated. People didn't understand what was happening. The water kept rising, and people panicked. The Titanic was tilting more and more. It soon became clear that there were not enough boats for everyone. At 2 a.m. the last lifeboat was loaded. The rest had no chance of salvation. At 2:20 a.m. the waves closed over the ship.
"Titanic": how many people died and survived
The exact number is unknown. According to various sources, the number of deaths varies from 1490 to 1635. Less than a third of those on board survived, approximately 712 people.
True: Salvation comes through faith in God and obedience to His Word.
Target: Teach children to take their salvation seriously by trying to do what God commands through His Word.
Dogmatics: What does faith do? (Faith that saves.)
Practical Christianity: Love for God (obedience).
Interest(you can use drawings or paper dolls made from a cone to which the doll's face is attached):
SASHA(unbeliever boy): Hello, Petya! It's my birthday on Sunday, come visit me. Let's dance, mom promised to buy the children's champagne.
PETER(believer boy): Thank you, Sasha, I congratulate you, I wish you to be obedient and kind. But I can’t come to you.
SASHA: I really want to see you, you are a good boy. My mom will be happy too.
PETER: I really can't. We go to church every Sunday.
SASHA: It’s okay, you can skip one Sunday.
PETER: No. The Bible says that we should serve the Lord without distractions.
SASHA: Somehow you believe too much. We also believe in God, but we don’t go to church so often, we live like other people, we believe in our souls.
TEACHER: Guys, what would you answer if you were Petya? (Bring children to the conclusion that it is important not just to somehow believe in God, but to do what He says, only then will God’s salvation come.)
Our biblical story today is about how, of all those living on earth, only one person was obedient to God, and the rest lived as they wanted. And what came of it?
Bible story:
- All people on earth began to sin greatly, except for Noah alone.
- God told Noah that there would soon be a great flood. God commanded him to build an ark and gave him precise instructions on how to build it.
- Noah, exactly as God instructed, began to build the ark. The rest of the people laughed at him, did not pay attention, and continued to sin.
- The flood came, and all the people except Noah and his family died, although they did everything to save themselves - they climbed onto the roofs of houses, onto mountains, etc., but this could not help. Noah believed God, and this faith helped him to be saved. (Saving faith!)
Review questions:
- If we answer the questions correctly, then in the highlighted column we will read what helps believers to be saved.
| 4 | P | O | T | O | P | |||||
| 2 | N | ABOUT | th | |||||||
| 10 | With | P | A | WITH | e | n | And | e | ||
| With | m | e | I | L | And | With | b | |||
| 9 | B | O | G | U | ||||||
| G | R | e | Sh | And | l | And | ||||
| P | O | To | A | I | n | And | e | |||
| 7 | at | To | A | h | A | N | And | I | ||
| 3 | T | R | AND | |||||||
| 5 | V | O | With | E | m | b | ||||
- How did people live before the flood?
- What was the name of the man who lived righteously?
- How many sons did Noah have?
- What did God promise to send to earth to punish sinners?
- How many people were saved in the ark?
- What did the rest of the people do when Noah built the ark?
- What did God give Noah to build the ark?
- What should people have done to be saved with Noah?
- Who did Noah obey?
- What does God offer people?
- What helps us to be saved? (read the word in the highlighted column). How can we be obedient to God? (listen to the children's answers)
Nowadays, people can believe in God in their own way, the way they like, the way it is convenient, and live the way they want. But only those who do as God says in the Bible will be saved.
Application:
- Prepare wooden and paper boats in advance. Children make figures of people and animals from plasticine. To get the right to place the figurine in the boat, each of the children must answer the question. The teacher offers a true or false statement about salvation and faith in God, and the child must say whether it is true or false. For example:
- To be saved I must believe that Jesus died for my sins
- to be saved, you have to wear a cross around your neck
- etc.
If a person thinks and does this, then he builds an ark of salvation (wooden) or his own wrong ship (paper)
- After that, with the “ark” and the boats, go to the stream, to a barrel of water, or bring a basin of water to the class, lower the ships into the water. You can add water from above, simulating rain, creating waves. Children will be able to see how the “ark” holds up and how other ships will sink.
Golden Verse:
“I trust in Your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfill Your commandments” Ps. 118:166.
Half of the verse is pronounced by the 1st group, the other half by the 2nd group, the address - all together, then vice versa, until the verse is memorized.
Homework:
Give a drawn but uncolored ark, the children must color it and write on each board what the child did, how he fulfilled the commandments of the Lord in order to be saved (prayed, read the Bible, went to church, helped his mother, etc.).
One of the most tragic and at the same time mysterious events of the 20th century remains the crash of the largest passenger liner of its time - the Titanic. There are still numerous disputes about the details of his death: how many people were on the Titanic, how many of them survived and how many died, whose fault was in the disaster. Let's try to at least partially understand these nuances.
History of construction
In order to find out how many people were on the Titanic, you first need to determine the number of passengers and crew it could potentially accommodate. For this purpose, let's dive into the history of the construction of the ocean liner.
The very idea of creating a giant passenger ship arose in connection with intense competition between the White Star Line and Cunard Line companies. By that time, the latter corporation had already been able to create several large intercontinental liners, the largest for its time. Naturally, the White Star Line did not want to lag behind. This is how the idea of creating the Titanic was born, which was supposed to break records in size and capacity.
Construction began in the spring of 1909 at a shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. More than one and a half thousand workers took part in the construction of this giant. They were built using standard methods for that time, in which a vertical keel was mounted on the horizontal keel of the ship.
In the late spring of 1911, the Titanic was finally launched. But this did not mean that the construction was completed. Next, equipment was installed in the engine room and finishing work was carried out.
In February 1912 the ship was completely ready, and in April it was put into operation.
Technical characteristics of the Titanic
The Titanic, at the time of its creation, was the largest ship that had ever existed. Its length was 259.8 m, height - 18.4 m, width - more than 28 m, draft - 10.54 m, displacement - 52,310 tons, weight - 46,330 tons. At the same time, it had a power of 55,000 horsepower and developed a speed of 24 knots, which was achieved thanks to three propellers, two four-cylinder engines and a steam turbine. Such dimensions and the presence of fifteen partitions created the illusion of unsinkability.
Now let's find out how many people could be on board the Titanic at the same time. According to technical specifications, the ship could accommodate 2,556 passengers and 908 crew members. Total - 3464 people. At the same time, there were only 20 lifeboats on the Titanic, which could accommodate only 1,178 passengers. That is, even initially it was assumed that in the event of a large-scale disaster, less than half of the people who could potentially be on the liner would be able to escape. But, most likely, no one even thought that such a disaster could happen on an “unsinkable” ship.
But, of course, the potential capacity of the ship does not yet give an exact answer to the question of how many people were on the Titanic at the time of the disaster. We'll talk about this below.
Departure
The Titanic made its first and, as it turned out, last voyage in the direction of Southampton (Britain) - New York (USA) across the Atlantic Ocean. The departure was scheduled for April 10, 1912.
Edward John Smith, one of the most experienced sailors of that time, was appointed captain. He had twenty-five years of command experience behind him.
After loading passengers on the appointed day at 12:00, the Titanic set off on its final journey.
Number of passengers and crew
Now let's find out how many people were on the Titanic when it set off on its fateful voyage.
According to the official chronicle, the number of crew on the liner when it left Southampton was 891 people. Of these, 390 were ship crew, eight of whom were officers, the rest were service personnel.
The situation with counting passengers is more complicated, since their number was constantly changing. This was due to the fact that some passengers disembarked, while others, on the contrary, boarded the ship at intermediate stops in Cherbourg and Queenstown.
943 passengers departed from Southampton, of whom 195 traveled first class. But by the time it entered the open ocean, the number of passengers had increased to 1,317 people. 324 of them were lucky enough to travel in first class; 128 and 708 people were in second and third class, respectively. It should be noted that there were 125 children among the passengers.
Thus, we see that with the total passenger capacity of the Titanic being 2,556 people, on its first and last voyages it was slightly more than half loaded. It should be noted that the provided number of boats would not even be enough to save all the passengers, not to mention the crew.
Among the famous passengers of the Titanic are millionaires John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, journalist William Stead, and assistant to American President Archibald Bath.
Thus, we answered the question of how many people were on the Titanic.
Swimming
As already mentioned, after calling at Cherbourg and Queenstown, the liner entered the open ocean and headed along the transatlantic route to the shores of North America. The Titanic was given a speed of 21 knots, with a maximum speed of 24 knots.
The weather was excellent during the trip. The voyage itself took place without any special incidents or deviations from the course.
On April 14, 1912, having covered a total of 2,689 kilometers of the Atlantic route, the Titanic reached a point near Newfoundland where it had its fatal encounter with an iceberg.
Collision
Icebergs are quite common companions for ships in the North Atlantic. But the Titanic was moving, as it was believed, along a safe course, on which there should be no ice blocks at that time of year. Nevertheless, on April 14, closer to midnight, their meeting took place.
The commands “Left aboard” and “Full back” were immediately given. But it was already too late. Such a huge ship as the Titanic could not successfully maneuver in such a narrow space. The collision occurred at 11:40 p.m.
The blow was not particularly strong. Nevertheless, even this was enough to play a fatal role in the fate of many passengers and crew members. How many people died on the Titanic because of this fatal blow...
After the collision with the iceberg, six holes were formed in five compartments. The Titanic was not designed for such a turn of events. The command realized that the fate of the ship was sealed. The designer stated that the ship will remain on the surface for no more than an hour and a half.
Passenger evacuation
An order was immediately given to rescue the passengers, primarily women and children. The crew prepared the boats.
To prevent panic among the passengers, the true reasons for the evacuation were hidden from them; they said that it was being carried out to prevent a possible collision with an iceberg. Convincing people of this was not particularly difficult, because, as mentioned above, the impact on the Titanic was practically unnoticeable. Many did not even want to leave the comfortable ship and transfer to boats.
But when the water began to gradually flood the ship, it was no longer possible to hide the true state of things. There was panic on board, which intensified after the Titanic began to list. It became clear that there were not enough boats for all. The stampede began. Everyone wanted to be among the rescued, although the team made every effort to let women and children through first.
Two hours after midnight, the last boat with passengers set sail from the sinking ship. There was nothing else to transport the remaining people.
The sinking of the Titanic
Meanwhile, water filled the ship more and more. The captain's bridge was the first to be flooded. The bow of the ship went under the water, and the stern, on the contrary, rose up a little. The people remaining on the Titanic rushed there.
As the sinking progressed, the angle between the stern and bow of the ship began to increase, causing the Titanic to break in two. At 2:20 the liner finally sank.
But how many people died on the Titanic? Did any of the remaining passengers and crew on the ship survive? And how many people were saved from the Titanic? We will try to answer these questions below.
Number of people saved
In order to find out how many people died on the Titanic, you need to determine two mandatory inputs. With their help it will be possible to answer this question. First of all, we need to find out how many people were on the Titanic. We defined this above. You also need to know how many people were saved from the Titanic. Below we will try to answer this question.
According to official statistics, a total of 712 people were rescued. Of these, 212 are crew members and 500 passengers. The largest percentage of people saved were among first class passengers, 62%. The survival rates in second and third grade were 42.6% and 25.6%, respectively. At the same time, only 23.6% of the team members were able to escape.
These figures are explained by the fact that the order was given to rescue passengers first, and not crew members. The greater number of survivors traveling in first class is due to the fact that the lower the class, the further it was located from the deck of the ship. Consequently, people had less access to lifeboats.
If we talk about how many people on the Titanic survived among those passengers and crew members who could not be evacuated, then we need to state the fact that it was simply impossible to save one’s life in these conditions. The wrecked ship sucked everything into the abyss.
Now it will not be difficult for us to determine how many people drowned on the Titanic.
How many people died?
Having determined how many people survived on the Titanic, and keeping in mind the original number of passengers and crew members, it is not difficult to answer the question of the number of deaths during the sinking.
1,496 people died, that is, more than 67% of the people on the ship at the time of the collision with the ice block. Including 686 casualties among crew members and 810 passengers. These figures indicate poor organization of rescue of people in distress.
Thus, we found out how many people died on the Titanic.
Causes of the disaster
It is difficult to judge how great the guilt of the crew members who were unable to notice the iceberg in time was. But it should be noted that the collision occurred late at night, and in latitudes where no one expected to see a block of ice at this time of year.
Another thing is that the designers of the ship and the organizers of the voyage relied too much on the unsinkability of the Titanic. For this reason, only half of the required number of boats were located on the ship. In addition, when organizing the evacuation, the crew members did not know their exact capacity, so the first rescue boats were only half full.
How many people died on the Titanic, how many families lost relatives only because no one even seriously thought about the possibility of a disaster...
The meaning of the disaster
It is difficult to overestimate the impact that the sinking of the Titanic had on the minds of contemporaries. It was perceived as a response from the forces of nature to the aspirations of a man who, in his pride, decided that he had created an unsinkable ship.
There were also disputes among experts about the true causes of the tragedy and whether it could have been avoided, how many people survived on the Titanic and how many died.
The death of this miracle of human thought still haunts the consciousness of people. This disaster continues to influence culture to this day. Books are written and films are made about the fate of the Titanic and the people who were on it at the time of the disaster.
In those years, the construction of ships and the equipment of their life-saving equipment were regulated by wild rules from our point of view. Thus, for ships with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, a maximum of 20 lifeboats were required, that is, the number of seats in the boats was regulated not by passenger capacity, but by tonnage.
Titanic boats: 20 in total, of which 14 are lifeboats with a capacity of 65 people each, 2 workboats with a capacity of 40 people each, and 4 Engelhardt types, with a capacity of 47 each. Total - 1178 places.
If you strictly follow the rules of that time, then the Titanic should have had no more than 962 life-saving seats, but there were more. The White Star Line company also complained that no one appreciates its care and extra expenses. She complained before, and not after, the tragedy, when she praised the giant under construction.
All 14 lifeboats were launched, both working and two Engelhardt types, with a total capacity of 1084 people. Most of the boats turned out to be NOT COMPLETELY loaded. There were many reasons for this. For example, most women and children, especially at the beginning, were afraid to move from the side of the liner that still seemed unsinkable to them onto fragile boats swinging over the water at an altitude of 20 meters; it got to the point that men were the first to go down into the boats in order to convince women that the landing was safe. Interestingly, the number of seats made it possible to save ALL the women and children on board, plus another 550 men. Yes, not all women and only half of the children were saved - 74% of women, 52% of children. But compared to the percentage of men who died, even women in third class were more likely to survive than men in first class - and among them were people whom the whole world knew! Summarizing the statistics of the sexes, we can say that the men of the Titanic were much less likely to survive than the women and children. On the Titanic, the ancient maritime law “Women and Children First” ruled!
Moving on to the statistics of surviving men, we also begin to be surprised. Let us apply the class approach so beloved by publicists and writers, especially ours, and we will freeze in bewilderment. What did family and school teach us, remember? A brutal capitalist in a tuxedo, covered with a sable fur coat and clutching jewelry in his sweaty fat fingers, hid in the corner of the boat, he is covered by faithful servants of capital, armed with pistols, and they shoot indiscriminately at the distraught women and children.
With the exception of tuxedos, it was just the opposite. How did these same capitalists die? Here's an example - Guggenheim, one of the richest people of his time.
« ..He was truly inimitable. The sweater that steward Etches had forced him to wear was gone, and so was the survival bib. Now the millionaire and his valet stood in magnificent evening suits. “We put on our best clothes,” Guggenheim explained, “and prepared to die like gentlemen.”»
On the Titanic, among the first class passengers were the “cream” of high society, and this is how they behaved:
« ..The Ellisons stood smiling on the promenade deck; Mrs. Ellison hugged little Lorraine on one side, her husband on the other. The Ostrich couple leaned against the railing of the boat deck, their arms around each other's waists. Nearby, a young married couple from the Western United States was waiting for something; Lightoller asked the young woman if he should put her on the boat, to which she cheerfully replied:
- No way! We set out together and, if necessary, we will complete our journey together.
Archibald Gracie, Clinch Smith and a dozen other first-class passengers worked with the crew to prepare the last boats for departure. When these men helped Mrs. Willard from Duluth, Minnesota, into the boat, they smiled at her and advised her not to lose heart. She noticed large drops of sweat on their faces.
Members of high New York and Philadelphia society continued to stick together - in a small group stood John B. Thayer, George and Harry Widener, Duane Williams; lesser luminaries such as Clinch Smith and Colonel Gracie wandered nearby. Astor remained alone almost all the time, and the Ostriches sat in deck chairs.»
Most, to put it mildly, not entirely conscientious publicists, researchers and writers could not avoid the temptation to fall into a class approach, and rearranged the statistics cubes in such a way as to most clearly demonstrate the human inadequacy of first class passengers. However, a strict approach to statistical data irrefutably demonstrates that gender and age were determining factors in salvation. For example, third class women were 41% more likely to survive than first class men.
James Cameron also did not avoid the Marxist approach in his cumbersome creation. DiCaprio came from the people with proletarian fists, and the main scoundrel was a scumbag from high society. Statistics and eyewitness accounts give us a completely different picture.
And in general, the main question in such tragedies was, is and I hope will be - who was saved first, women and children, or did the strongest rule? In the Titanic tragedy, the answer is clear: women and children were the first to be saved.
Lovers of the class approach will have to be satisfied with the following excerpts from Lord Mersey's report - the document that most fully and impartially covers the disaster:
« ..there were quite a lot of insinuations and speculations about the injustices committed during the rescue in relation to third class passengers. There is not an iota of truth in them. Yes, the percentage of third class passengers saved is significantly less than that for second and first class passengers. This is explained, first of all, by the significantly larger number of third class passengers, but also by such factors as the reluctance of many passengers to leave their property (and let me remind you, there were many emigrants sailing to America for permanent residence with all their property, which we managed to take), the distance of the third class premises from the boat deck and a number of others. The counsel for some of the third class passengers in the damages claims, Mr. Garrison, stated unequivocally that he had no evidence or even allegation that the third class passengers were forcibly kept in their premises in order to to avoid panic, or not to interfere with the evacuation of second and first class passengers. There was no discrimination, and the commission states this with full responsibility. During the evacuation, everyone was equal.»
Titanic is a British steamship of the White Star Line, one of three twin ships of the Olympic class. The largest passenger airliner in the world at the time of its construction. During her maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, she collided with an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. There were 1,316 passengers and 892 crew members on board, for a total of 2,208 people. Of these, 704 people survived, over 1,500 died. The Titanic disaster became legendary and was one of the largest shipwrecks in history. Several feature films have been shot based on its plot.
Statistics
Common data:
- Home port - Liverpool.
- Board number - 401.
- Call sign - MGY.
- Ship dimensions:
- Length - 259.83 meters.
- Width - 28.19 meters.
- Weight - 46328 tons.
- Displacement - 52310 tons.
- The height from the waterline to the boat deck is 19 meters.
- From the keel to the top of the pipe - 55 meters.
- Draft - 10.54 meters.
Technical data:
- Steam boilers - 29.
- Waterproof compartments - 16.
- The maximum speed is 23 knots.
Rescue equipment:
- Standard boats - 14 (65 seats).
- Collapsible boats - 4 (47 seats).
Passengers:
- I class: 180 men and 145 women (including 6 children).
- Class II: 179 men and 106 women (including 24 children).
- III class: 510 men and 196 women (including 79 children).
Team members:
- Officers - 8 people (including the captain).
- Deck crew - 66 people.
- Engine room - 325 people.
- Obs. personnel - 494 people (including 23 women).
- In total there were 2201 people on board.
Officers
- Captain - Edward J. Smith
- Chief Mate - Henry F. Wilde
- First Mate - William M. Murdock
- Second Mate - Charles G. Lightoller
- Third Mate - Herbert J. Pitman
- Fourth Mate - Joseph G. Boxhall
- Fifth Mate - Harold P. Lowe
- Sixth Mate - James P. Moody
Laid down on March 31, 1909 at the shipyards of the Harland and Wolff shipbuilding company in Queens Island (Belfast, Northern Ireland), launched on May 31, 1911, and underwent sea trials on April 2, 1912.
Specifications
height from the keel to the tops of the pipes - 53.3 m;
engine room - 29 boilers, 159 coal fireboxes;
The ship's unsinkability was ensured by 15 watertight bulkheads in the hold, creating 16 conditionally “watertight” compartments; the space between the bottom and the second bottom flooring was divided by transverse and longitudinal partitions into 46 waterproof compartments.
Bulkheads
Watertight bulkheads, designated from stem to stern by the letters "A" to "P", rose from the second bottom and passed through 4 or 5 decks: the first two and last five reached the "D" deck, eight bulkheads in the center of the liner reached only the deck "E". All bulkheads were so strong that they had to withstand significant pressure if they were breached.
The Titanic was built so that it could remain afloat if any two of its 16 watertight compartments, any three of its first five compartments, or all of its first four compartments were flooded.
The first two bulkheads in the bow and the last one in the stern were solid; all the rest had sealed doors that allowed the crew and passengers to move between compartments. On the flooring of the second bottom, in bulkhead “K,” there were only doors that led to the refrigerator compartment. On decks “F” and “E”, almost all bulkheads had hermetic doors connecting the rooms used by passengers; all of them could be sealed either remotely or manually, using a device located directly on the door and from the deck to which it reached bulkhead. To bolt such doors on passenger decks, a special key was required, which was available only to the chief stewards. But on G deck there were no doors in the bulkheads.
In the bulkheads “D”—“O”, directly above the second bottom in the compartments where the machines and boilers were located, there were 12 vertically closed doors; they were controlled by an electric drive from the navigation bridge. In case of danger or accident, or when the captain or watch officer considered it necessary, electromagnets, upon a signal from the bridge, released the latches and all 12 doors were lowered under the influence of their own gravity and the space behind them was hermetically sealed. If the doors were closed by an electric signal from the bridge, then they could only be opened after removing the voltage from the electric drive.
There was an emergency hatch in the ceiling of each compartment, usually leading to the boat deck. Those who did not manage to leave the premises before the doors closed could climb up its iron ladder.
Lifeboats
In formal compliance with the current requirements of the British Merchant Shipping Code, the ship had 20 lifeboats, which were sufficient to board 1,178 people, that is, for 50% of the people on board at that moment and 30% of the planned load. This was taken into account with the expectation of increasing the walking space on the deck for the ship's passengers.
Decks
The Titanic had 8 steel decks, located above each other at a distance of 2.5-3.2 m. The topmost one was the boat deck, below it there were seven others, designated from top to bottom with the letters “A” to “G”. Only decks "C", "D", "E" and "F" extended along the entire length of the ship. The boat deck and the “A” deck did not reach either the bow or the stern, and the “G” deck was located only in the front part of the liner - from the boiler rooms to the bow and in the stern - from the engine room to the stern. There were 20 lifeboats on the open boat deck, and there were promenade decks along the sides.
Deck “A”, 150 m long, was almost entirely intended for first class passengers. Deck "B" was interrupted at the bow, forming an open space above deck "C", and then continued in the form of a 37-meter bow superstructure with equipment for handling anchors and mooring gear. At the front of deck "C" were the anchor winches for the two main side anchors, and there was also a galley and a dining room for sailors and stokers. Behind the bow superstructure there was a promenade (the so-called inter-superstructure) deck for third-class passengers, 15 m long. On deck “D” there was another, isolated, third-class promenade deck. Along the entire length of deck "E" were cabins for first and second class passengers, as well as cabins for stewards and mechanics. In the first part of deck “F” there were 64 cabins for second class passengers and the main living quarters for third class passengers, stretching 45 m and occupying the entire width of the liner.
There were two large salons, a dining room for third-class passengers, ship laundries, a swimming pool and Turkish baths. Deck "G" covered only the bow and stern, between which the boiler rooms were located. The bow part of the deck, 58 m long, was 2 m above the waterline; towards the center of the liner it gradually lowered and at the opposite end was already at the waterline level. There were 26 cabins for 106 third-class passengers, the rest of the area was occupied by the luggage compartment for first-class passengers, the ship's mailroom and the ballroom. Behind the bow of the deck there were bunkers with coal, which occupied 6 watertight compartments around the chimneys, followed by 2 compartments with steam lines for piston steam engines and a turbine compartment. Next came the aft deck, 64 m long, with warehouses, storerooms and 60 cabins for 186 third-class passengers, which was already below the waterline.
Masts
One was in the stern, the other in the forecastle, each was steel with a teak top. On the front, at an altitude of 29 m from the waterline, there was a top platform (“crow’s nest”), which could be reached via an internal metal ladder.
Office premises
In the front part of the boat deck there was a navigation bridge, 58 m away from the bow. On the bridge there was a pilothouse with a steering wheel and a compass, immediately behind it was a room where navigation charts were stored. To the right of the wheelhouse were the charthouse, the captain's cabin and part of the officers' cabins, to the left were the remaining officers' cabins. Behind them, behind the forward funnel, was the radiotelegraph cabin and the radio operator's cabin. At the front of Deck D there were living quarters for 108 stokers; a special spiral ladder connected this deck directly to the boiler rooms, so that stokers could go to work and return without passing by cabins or passenger lounges. At the front of E deck were living quarters for 72 stevedores and 44 sailors. In the first part of deck “F” there were quarters of 53 stokers of the third shift. On deck "G" there were quarters for 45 stokers and oilers.
Comparison of the size of the Titanic with the modern cruise ship Queen Mary 2, the A-380 aircraft, a bus, a car and a person
Second bottom
The second bottom was located approximately one and a half meters above the keel and occupied 9/10 of the length of the vessel, excluding only small areas in the bow and stern. On the second bottom, boilers, reciprocating steam engines, a steam turbine and electric generators were installed, all of which were firmly mounted on steel plates, the remaining space was used for cargo, coal and drinking water tanks. In the engine room section, the second bottom rose 2.1 m above the keel, which increased the protection of the liner in case of damage to the outer skin.
Power point
The registered power of steam engines and turbines was 50 thousand liters. With. (actually 55 thousand hp). The turbine was located in the fifth waterproof compartment in the aft part of the liner, in the next compartment, closer to the bow, steam engines were located, the other 6 compartments were occupied by twenty-four double-flow and five single-flow boilers that produced steam for the main engines, turbines, generators and auxiliary mechanisms. The diameter of each boiler was 4.79 m, the length of the double-flow boiler was 6.08 m, the single-flow boiler was 3.57 m. Each double-flow boiler had 6 fireboxes, and the single-flow boiler had 3. In addition, the Titanic was equipped with four auxiliary machines with generators, each with a capacity of 400 kilowatts, producing a current of 100 volts. Next to them were two more 30-kilowatt generators.
Pipes
The liner had 4 pipes. The diameter of each was 7.3 m, height - 18.5 m. The first three removed smoke from the boiler furnaces, the fourth, located above the turbine compartment, served as an exhaust fan, and a chimney for the ship's kitchens was connected to it. A longitudinal section of the ship is presented on its model, exhibited at the German Museum in Munich, where it is clearly visible that the last pipe was not connected to the fireboxes. There is an opinion that when designing the vessel, the widespread opinion of the public was taken into account that the solidity and reliability of a vessel directly depends on the number of its pipes. It also follows from the literature that in the last moments of the ship going into the water almost vertically, its false pipe fell from its place and, falling into the water, killed a large number of passengers and crew members in the water.
Electricity supply
10 thousand light bulbs, 562 electric heaters, mainly in first class cabins, 153 electric motors, including electric drives for eight cranes with a total lifting capacity of 18 tons, 4 cargo winches with a lifting capacity of 750 kg, 4 elevators, each for 12 people, were connected to the distribution network, and a huge number of telephones. In addition, electricity was consumed by fans in the boiler and engine rooms, equipment in the gymnasium, and dozens of machines and appliances in the kitchens, including refrigerators.
Connection
The telephone switch served 50 lines. The radio equipment on the liner was the most modern, the power of the main transmitter was 5 kilowatts, power came from an electric generator. The second, an emergency transmitter, was battery-powered. 4 antennas were stretched between two masts, some up to 75 m high. The guaranteed range of the radio signal was 250 miles. During the day, under favorable conditions, communication was possible at a distance of up to 400 miles, and at night - up to 2000.
The radio equipment arrived on board on April 2 from the Marconi company, which by that time monopolized the radio industry in Italy and England. Two young radio officers spent the entire day assembling and installing the station, and test communications were immediately carried out with the coast station at Malin Head, on the north coast of Ireland, and with Liverpool. On April 3, the radio equipment worked like clockwork; on this day, communication was established with the island of Tenerife at a distance of 2000 miles and with Port Said in Egypt (3000 miles). In January 1912, the Titanic was assigned the radio call sign "MUC", then they were replaced by "MGY", which previously belonged to the American ship Yale. As the dominant radio company, Marconi introduced its own radio call signs, most of which began with the letter "M", regardless of its location and the home country of the ship on which it was installed.
Collision
The iceberg that the Titanic is believed to have collided with
Recognizing an iceberg in the light haze, the lookout Fleet warned “there is ice in front of us” and rang the bell three times, which meant an obstacle straight ahead, after which he rushed to the telephone that connected the “crow’s nest” to the bridge. Sixth Officer Moody, who was on the bridge, responded almost instantly and heard a cry of “ice right ahead.” After politely thanking him, Moody turned to the officer of the watch, Murdoch, and repeated the warning. He rushed to the telegraph, put its handle on “stop” and shouted “right rudder”, at the same time transmitting the order “full back” to the engine room. In 1912 terminology, “right rudder” meant turning the stern of the ship to the right and the bow to the left. Helmsman Robert Hitchens put his weight on the handle of the steering wheel and quickly turned it counterclockwise as far as it would go, after which Murdoch was told “steer to starboard, sir.” At that moment, the helmsman on duty, Alfred Oliver, and Boxhall, who was in the chart room, came running to the bridge when the bell rang out in the crow’s nest. Murdoch pressed the lever that closed the watertight doors in the bulkheads of the boiler room and engine room, and immediately gave the order “left rudder!”
Lifeboats
There were 2,208 people on board the Titanic, but the total capacity of the lifeboats was only 1,178. The reason was that, according to the rules in force at that time, the total capacity of lifeboats depended on the tonnage of the ship, and not on the number of passengers and crew members. The rules were drawn up in 1894, when the largest ships had a displacement of about 10,000 tons. The displacement of the Titanic was 46,328 tons.
But these boats were only partially filled. Captain Smith gave the order or instruction "women and children first." Officers interpreted this order in different ways. Second Mate Lightoller, who commanded the launch of the boats on the port side, allowed men to occupy places in the boats only if oarsmen were needed and under no other circumstances. First Officer Murdoch, who commanded the lowering of the boats on the starboard side, allowed men to go down if there were no women and children. Thus, in boat number 1, only 12 of the 40 seats were occupied. In addition, at first many passengers did not want to take seats in the boats, because the Titanic, which had no external damage, seemed safer to them. The last boats were filled better because it was already obvious to the passengers that the Titanic would sink. In the very last boat, 44 of the 47 seats were occupied. But in the sixteenth boat that departed from the side there were many empty seats; 1st class passengers were saved in it.
As a result of the analysis of the operation to rescue people from the Titanic, it is concluded that with adequate actions of the crew there would have been at least 553 fewer victims. The reason for the low survival rate of passengers on the ship is the installation given by the captain to save primarily women and children, and not all passengers; the crew's interest in this order of boarding the boats. By preventing male passengers from accessing the boats, men from the crew were able to take seats in half-empty boats themselves, covering their interests with “noble motives” of caring for women and children. If all the passengers, men and women, occupied seats in the boats, the men from the crew would not get into them and their chances of salvation would be zero, and the crew could not help but understand this. Men from the crew occupied part of the seats in almost all boats during the evacuation from the ship, on average 10 crew members per boat. 24% of the crew were saved, approximately the same number as 3rd class passengers were saved (25%). The crew had no reason to consider their duty fulfilled - most of the passengers remained on the ship without hope of salvation, even the order to save women and children first was not carried out (several dozen children, and more than a hundred women never boarded the boats).
The British commission's report into the Titanic's sinking stated that "if the lifeboats had been delayed a little longer before being launched, or if the passage doors had been opened to passengers, more of them might have gotten onto the lifeboats." The reason for the low survival rate of 3rd class passengers can most likely be attributed to the obstacles caused by the crew to allow passengers to get onto the deck and the closing of the passage doors. A comparison of the results of the evacuation from the Titanic with the results of the evacuation from the Lusitania (1915) shows that the evacuation operation on ships like the Titanic and Lusitania can be organized without a disproportion in the percentage of survivors depending on the gender or class of passengers.
People in boats, as a rule, did not save those in the water. On the contrary, they tried to sail as far as possible from the site of the wreck, fearing that their boats in the water would capsize or that they would be sucked into the crater of the sinking ship. Only 6 people were picked up alive from the water.
| Category | Percentage saved | Percentage of fatalities | Number of rescued | Death toll | How many were |
| Children, first grade | 100.0 | 00.0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Children, second grade | 100.0 | 00.0 | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Women, first class | 97.22 | 02.78 | 140 | 4 | 144 |
| Women, crew | 86.96 | 13.04 | 20 | 3 | 23 |
| Women, second class | 86.02 | 13.98 | 80 | 13 | 93 |
| Women, third class | 46.06 | 53.94 | 76 | 89 | 165 |
| Children, third grade | 34.18 | 65.82 | 27 | 52 | 79 |
| Men, first class | 32.57 | 67.43 | 57 | 118 | 175 |
| Men, crew | 21.69 | 78.31 | 192 | 693 | 885 |
| Men, third class | 16.23 | 83.77 | 75 | 387 | 462 |
| Men, second class | 8.33 | 91.67 | 14 | 154 | 168 |
| Total | 31.97 | 68.03 | 711 | 1513 | 2224 |
The route of the Titanic and the place of its wreck.
Chronology
The route of the Titanic and the place of its wreck.
April 10, 1912
- 12:00 - The Titanic departs from the quay wall of the port of Southampton and narrowly avoids a collision with the American liner New York.
-19:00 - stop in Cherbourg (France) to take passengers and mail on board.
-21:00 — The Titanic left Cherbourg and headed to Queenstown (Ireland).
April 11, 1912
-12:30 - stop in Queenstown to take passengers and mail on board; one crew member deserts the Titanic.
-14:00 - Titanic departs Queenstown with 1,316 passengers and 891 crew on board.
April 14, 1912
-09:00 - Caronia reports ice in the area of 42° north latitude, 49-51° west longitude.
-13:42 — Baltic reports the presence of ice in the area of 41°51′ north latitude, 49°52′ west longitude.
-13:45 — “America” reports ice in the area of 41°27′ north latitude, 50°8′ west longitude.
-19:00 - air temperature 43° Fahrenheit (6 °C).
-19:30 - air temperature 39° Fahrenheit (3.9 °C).
-19:30 - Californian reports ice in the area of 42°3′ north latitude, 49°9′ west longitude.
-21:00 - air temperature 33° Fahrenheit (0.6 °C).
-21:30 - Second Mate Lightoller warns the ship's carpenter and those on watch in the engine room that it is necessary to monitor the fresh water system - the water in the pipelines may freeze; he tells the lookout to watch for the appearance of ice.
-21:40 — “Mesaba” reports ice in the area of 42°—41°25′ north latitude, 49°—50°30′ west longitude.
-22:00 - air temperature 32° Fahrenheit (0 °C).
-22:30 - sea water temperature dropped to 31° Fahrenheit (−0.56 °C).
-23:00 — The Californian warns of the presence of ice, but the Titanic’s radio operator interrupts the radio exchange before the Californian manages to report the coordinates of the area.
-23:40 — At a point with coordinates 41°46′ north latitude, 50°14′ west longitude (later it turned out that these coordinates were calculated incorrectly), an iceberg was spotted at a distance of about 450 meters straight ahead. Despite the maneuver, after 39 seconds the underwater part of the vessel touched down, and the hull of the vessel received numerous small holes over a length of about 100 meters. Of the ship's 16 watertight compartments, 6 were cut through (the leak in the sixth was extremely insignificant).
April 15, 1912
-00:05 - the order was given to uncover the lifeboats and call the crew members and passengers to the assembly points.
-00:15 - the first radiotelegraph signal for help was transmitted from the Titanic.
-00:45 - the first flare is fired and the first lifeboat (No. 7) is launched.
-01:15 - 3rd class passengers are allowed on deck.
-01:40 - the last flare is fired.
-02:05 - the last lifeboat is lowered.
-02:10 - the last radiotelegraph signals were transmitted.
-02:17 — the electric lighting goes out.
-02:18 — Titanic breaks into three parts
-02:20 — The Titanic sank.
-03:30 - flares fired from the Carpathia are noticed in the lifeboats.
-04:10 — “Carpathia” picked up the first boat from the “Titanic” (boat No. 2).
Titanic lifeboat, photographed by one of the passengers of the Carpathia
-08:30 — “Carpathia” picked up the last (No. 12) boat from the “Titanic”.
-08:50 — Carpathia, having taken on board 704 people who escaped from the Titanic, heads for New York.
