Sunday 15 April 2012

TITANIC SINKS, a century ago today.


RMS Titanic and the nineteen keys of Edith Russell.


Passenger categoryNumber aboardNumber savedNumber lostPercentage saved
Children, First Class65183.4%
Children, Second Class24240100%
Children, Third Class79275234%
Women, First Class144140497%
Women, Second Class93801386%
Women, Third Class165768946%
Women, Crew2320387%
Men, First Class1755711833%
Men, Second Class168141548%
Men, Third Class4627538716%
Men, Crew86519269322%
Total2224710151432%
CareerWhite Star flaga.svg
Name:RMS Titanic
Owner:White Star flaga.svg White Star Line
Port of registry:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Liverpool, United Kingdom
Route:Southampton to New York City
Ordered:17 September 1908
Builder:Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Yard number:401
Laid down:31 March 1909
Launched:31 May 1911 (not christened)
Completed:2 April 1912
Maiden voyage:10 April 1912
Identification:Radio callsign "MGY"
Fate:Foundered on 15 April 1912 on its maiden voyage
General characteristics
Class and type:Olympic-class ocean liner
Tonnage:46,328 GRT
Displacement:52,310 tons
Length:882 ft 6 in (269.0 m)
Beam:92 ft 0 in (28.0 m)
Height:175 ft (53.3 m) (keel to top of funnels)
Draught:34 ft 7 in (10.5 m)
Depth:64 ft 6 in (19.7 m)
Decks:9 (A–G)
Installed power:24 double-ended and 5 single-endedboilers feeding two reciprocating steam engines for the wing propellers and a low-pressure turbine for the center propeller.[1] Effect: 46,000 HP
Propulsion:Two 3-blade wing propellers and one 4-blade centre propeller
Speed:Cruising: 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph). Max: 24 kn (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity:Passengers: 2,435, crew: 892
Notes:Lifeboats: 20 for 1,178 people




Saturday 14 April 2012

100 years ago today.

This is a picture of Captain Edward John Smith, master of RMS Titanic, an officer of White Star line since March 1880.

Today is the centenary of one of the most horrific events in seafaring history. On Sunday, April 14th, 1912, twenty minutes before midnight local time, RMS Titanic, ship of dreams, struck a massive iceberg and sustained a fatal injury to her starboard hull.

Four days into the crossing and about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm ship's time (GMT -3). The glancing collision caused Titanic's hull plates to buckle inwards in a number of locations on her starboard side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea. Over the next two and a half hours, she gradually filled with water and sank hard by the bow.

This iceberg was photographed by the chief steward of the liner Prinze Adelbert on the morning of April 15, 1912, just a few miles south of where the Titanic went down. The steward hadn't yet heard about the Titanic. What caught his attention was the smear of red paint along the base of the berg, indication that it had collided with a ship sometime in the previous twelve hours.

This pictures shows RMS Titanic leaving her home port of Southampton on her first and only voyage. She would never be seen in British waters, or by British eyes, ever again.


This excellent CGI animation comes to us from the National Geographic Channel. James Cameron's forensic re-examination of precisely what happened to so beautiful and important a ship as RMS Titanic is astonishing to view, dear reader, and may I recommend clicking the little square in the bottom right hand corner of the item below, which will enable you to view this important video in full screen mode.


Today is the centenary of the event that caused her to sink. The centenary of her sinking is tomorrow. Please check again tomorrow, April 15th, for my memorial to the loss of the mighty Royal Mail Steamer Titanic.