On this day in history, 109 years ago, the Titanic's maiden voyage came to a dramatic and catastrophic end.
Her maiden voyage began only five days earlier, on the 10th of April 1912. She set sail on her maiden voyage at midday that day from Southampton, in England. A few minutes after her maiden voyage - while she was starting to leave Southampton docks - Titanic almost collided with another ship called the SS City of New York. It was thanks to Captain Smith's quick actions that Titanic was stopped from colliding with the SS City of New York, however, it postponed Titanic leaving Southampton docks for a further hour.
Titanic then left Southampton for Cherbourg in France.
Titanic arrived in Cherbourg just after 6 pm that same evening. While at Cherbourg, a few passengers got off Titanic while several got on. Her stop at Cherbourg wasn't long. Titanic laid down her anchor at around 8 pm on the evening of the 10th of April 1912. She then set sail from Cherbourg to Queenstown in Ireland. Queenstown was the last stop of the Titanic. It was supposed to be the last stop before she reached New York, however, Queenstown ended up being the last ever stop Titanic would make and the last ever time she would see dry land - she never reached New York.
Titanic arrived at Cork Harbour, in Queenstown, at 11.30 am on the 11th of April 1912. While there, several passengers got off the Titanic, including Father Francis Browne, who took some of Titanic's most famous photographs while he was on the ship. Other passengers boarded the Titanic at Queenstown and post was also taken on board the ship.
Titanic then left Queenstown at 1.30 pm that day. She then set sail out into the Atlantic ocean. The first few days of her maiden voyage was fairly normal and went smoothly. On the 14th of April 1912, the Titanic's journey would go down in history. She received numerous iceberg warnings throughout the 14th of April, right up until about two hours before she hit the iceberg. Despite the numerous iceberg warnings that Titanic received that day from other ships, she never slowed down and kept speeding through icy waters, then the result was her tragically striking the iceberg at 11. 40pm that evening.
The lookouts in the crows' nest of Titanic - a part of the ship where the crew would look out for things like icebergs - did not have any binoculars that evening. They only spotted the iceberg at 11.39 pm - just a few seconds before the Titanic struck the iceberg. There wasn't time to think about how the ship could avert disaster, Titanic had struck the iceberg probably before the crew had known what hit them, within the space of a minute.
Captain Smith and other crew members went to the bridge immediately after the Titanic struck the iceberg. It took Titanic 2 hours and forty minutes after she had struck the iceberg to completely sink to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean at 2.20 am on the 15th of April 1912.
Most of the passengers died in the tragic ending of Titanic, however, there were also survivors. The survivors waited in the lifeboats until they were rescued by the ship the RMS Carpathia. Titanic's survivors first seen the lights of the RMS Carpathia approaching at 3.30 am that morning; Carpathia reached them at 4 am and started to help Titanic's survivors on-board. The last of Titanic's survivors came on-board the Carpathia at 8.30 am.
Other ships also arrived at the wreckage site at this time, including the Californian ship, these ships helped look for survivors. Carpathia then left and made her way to New York City. She reached New York City on the 18th of April 1912 at 9.25 pm at Pier 54. Had Titanic's maiden voyage went the way that it was supposed to, she would have arrived in New York City a day earlier. Titanic was due to arrive in New York on the morning of the 17th of April 1912. She would have docked at pier no.60 if she had reached New York. Sadly, she did not. This year marks 109 years since the Titanic struck the iceberg and sank into the Atlantic ocean. Rest in peace to all those who lost their lives on the Titanic. You can follow Titanic's journey on Twitter @events_bl
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Titanic's maiden voyage is probably the world's most famous voyage of a ship. Titanic was a luxurious ship in 1912. Today, she rests at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, over 100 years after she struck an iceberg on that ill-fated night on the 14th of April, 1912.
Before Titanic struck the iceberg, her maiden voyage went mostly smoothly, except for one incident. That incident happened just minutes after the Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage at midday on the 10th of April 1912, as Titanic almost collided with another ship as she was leaving Southampton docks.
The other ship that Titanic almost collided with was the SS City of New York. Thanks to Captain Edward Smith, Titanic avoided colliding with the SS City of New York ship. However, it did result in Titanic being delayed from leaving Southampton docks for about an hour
Titanic finally and successfully left Southampton docks at 1 pm on the 10th of April 1912. She left Southampton docks and made her way to Cherbourg, in France. Throughout the morning of the 10th of April 1912, first-class, second-class and third-class passengers boarded the Titanic. The first passengers started boarding Titanic that morning at 9:30 am, for Titanic's midday maiden voyage.
A few of these passengers got off at Cherbourg, while other passengers got on board the Titanic at Cherbourg. Titanic reached Cherbourg at 6:35 pm that evening; Titanic then left Cherbourg at 8:10 pm and made her way for Queenstown in Ireland.
Queenstown was the last stop of the Titanic to pick up passengers - it was also the last ever time Titanic saw dry land. Titanic reached Queenstown at 11:30 am, on the morning of the 11th of April 1912. While stopping there, the Titanic also picked up post.
Titanic then departed Queenstown at 1:30 pm on that same day. It was the beginning of the Titanic's journey out into the North Atlantic Ocean, all she had now was water in front of her.
The first few days of Titanic's maiden voyage went mostly smoothly: it went the way that it was supposed to go, until the 14th of April, when things would take a turn for the worst and led to disaster. Follow Titanic's journey on Twitter @events_bl
No other ship captures our hearts or our imaginations quite like Titanic does. Some have called her 'the ship of dreams', and, that is what she symbolized for many of the passengers that boarded her.
Titanic's Maiden Voyage Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage on this day in history over 100 years ago now. Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton docks in England at midday on the 10th of April 1912. This was around one week after Titanic successfully passed her sea trials. The sea trials of the Titanic were supposed to be held on the 1st of April 1912. However, due to bad weather, her sea trials were postponed for a day. The weather improved the following day and the Titanic left Belfast in Northern Ireland for her sea trials on the 2nd of April 1912. On the morning of Titanic's maiden voyage in Southampton, Captain Edward Smith - an experienced seafarer - arrived at Southampton docks on the morning of the 10th of April 1912, at around 8 am. He then immediately got to work. Titanic's passengers then started to arrive at 9.30 am. Third-class passengers, second-class passengers and third-class passengers, all boarded the Titanic at Southampton. The first-class passengers who boarded the Titanic were greeted by Captain Edward Smith himself. For Titanic's First-Class passengers, it was a luxurious trip, with some of the world's richest people on board.
For third-class passengers, it was also a dream ship, as for many people, it was a ship of hope and new horizons - it was supposed to be the start of a new life for many passengers. But, instead of being a dream for many, Titanic instead turned into a nightmare.
Titanic's maiden voyage started mainly smoothly. The exception was when Titanic just started her maiden voyage at noon, on the 10th of April 1912, a few minutes after trying to leave Southampton docks, Titanic almost collided with another ship, called the SS City of New York. It was thanks to Captain Smith that Titanic avoided colliding with the SS City of New York.
However, just days later, the Titanic wouldn't be so lucky with the iceberg...
Follow Titanic's story on Twitter @events_bl
The RMS Olympic - Titanic's sister ship - departed from Belfast on this day in history.
Olympic returned to Belfast on the 2nd of March 1912, after throwing a propeller which damaged the ship. Due to throwing a propeller, Olympic returned to Belfast to get repaired. The RMS Olympics' Maiden Voyage By the time Olympic had thrown a propeller, she was already sailing for months as a passenger ship. The maiden voyage of the Olympics began on the 14th of June 1911. Like with Titanic's maiden voyage, the Olympics' maiden voyage also began in Southampton. Titanic's maiden voyage took place nearly a year after the Olympics' maiden voyage. Titanic began her maiden voyage on the 10th of April 1912. She would follow the same journey that her sister ship, the RMS Olympic, took months earlier. Only, Titanic's maiden voyage ended in tragedy, whereas, the Olympics' didn't. The Olympics' maiden voyage went a lot more smoothly and didn't end in the same tragedy as Titanic's maiden voyage did. Titanic was supposed to reach New York on the 17th of April 1912, but sadly, she did not make it to New York and sank into the Atlantic ocean in the early morning hours of the 15th of April 1912. The RMS Olympic reached New York City on the 21st of June 1911 - several days after she left Southampton on her maiden voyage.
Captain Edward Smith was the captain of the ill-fated Titanic.
He was an experienced seafarer throughout his life. Edward Smith Captain Edward Smith's full name was: Edward John Smith. Edward was born on the 27th of January 1850 in Hanley in the United Kingdom. His parents were Edward Smith and Catherine Smith. Hanley is a town in the county of Staffordshire, England, in the United Kingdom. His parents later owned a shop after Edward was born. Edward went to a school in Staffordshire called the Etruria school. He left school at a young age and was still only a boy when he left school. Smith left school at 12. He left school to work in Etruria (Etruria was not just the name of the school Smith had gone to, it was (and still is) also the name of a suburb in Staffordshire). Upon leaving school, Captain Edward Smith went into a factory to work in Etruria; that factory was called the Etruria Forge. Today the Etruria Forge is a museum. This museum is known as the Etruria Industrial Museum. Working Life Before Titanic Edward worked at the Etruria Forge for around nine years, until he moved to Liverpool when he was 17. He moved to Liverpool to start an apprenticeship at Senator Webber in 1867. Just a few years later - in 1871 - Edward gained a master's certificate, which gave him the qualifications that he needed to command a ship. Smith had a long career that would see him take command of many ships before he took command of the Titanic. These other ships he commanded included the Titanic's sister ship: RMS Olympic. Many of the ships that Edward took control of were ships that were made by White Star Line. White Star Line's most famous creation was the Titanic.
Smith had a long and successful career at White Star Line. He joined White Star Line in 1880. His career at White Star Line started as a fourth officer to the SS Celtic. He also worked on many other ships; these ships included: the Majestic, Baltic, and Adriatic.
Captain Smith and The RMS Olympic Edward Smith had previously worked for decades with White Star Line. Then, he became the captain of the Titanic's sister ship: the RMS Olympic. The RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic looked identical, though; there were small differences between both of the ships. One of the differences between the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic was their maiden voyage. The differences between their maiden voyages though, were staggering - one ended in tragedy, while the other maiden voyage went pretty successfully. Smith was the captain of both of these ships on their maiden voyage. The RMS Olympic had the maiden voyage that the RMS Titanic was supposed to. The Olympic was ready for sea on the 31st of May 1911 (just under a year before Titanic took her ill-fated maiden voyage). The Olympic successfully passed her sea trials on the 29th of May 1911. Olympic was built in Belfast, like, Titanic was, and after she passed her sea trials, she set sail to Southampton on the 3rd of June 1911. Later on the 14th of June 1911, the Olympic set off from Southampton to start her maiden voyage, captained by Smith, and successfully reached New York City on the 21st of June 1911. This was the journey that Titanic was supposed to make but never did.
Smith showed that he was still a capable seaman and captain with the RMS Olympic, just a few months before Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage.
Captain Smith and The Titanic We probably would have never even known who Captain Edward Smith was if Titanic's maiden voyage went like Olympics' voyage. If Titanic's voyage went as smoothly as the Olympics', we probably would have never heard of Titanic too. But, we do know of Smith and Titanic today. The Olympic wasn't without its own ill-fate after it's maiden voyage - it is also a ship that had its own bad luck. But, nothing like what had happened to the Titanic. Titanic's sea trials were supposed to begin on the 1st of April 1912. However, her sea trials were postponed on the 1st of April 1912, due to bad weather (one of several omens that happened to the Titanic). Titanic's sea trials were only delayed for a day. The next day, on the 2nd of April 1912, Titanic completed her trials - Captain Smith was in Belfast for Titanic's sea trials. The sea trials of the Titanic lasted all day out at sea. After her sea trials, the Titanic made her way to Southampton during the early evening of the 2nd of April 1912. Titanic's Maiden Voyage Titanic's maiden voyage happened just over a week after her successful sea trials. On the morning of her maiden voyage, Captain Smith turned up to Southampton docks (where the Titanic waited to go on her maiden voyage), he arrived in a taxi, wearing a bowler hat and long coat. He took a taxi to Southampton docks from his home that morning. Smith arrived on the Titanic that morning at 7 am - several hours before the Titanic was to set sail on her maiden voyage. Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton at noon that day. Just shortly after, the Titanic nearly had a collision with another ship while leaving Southampton docks. Thanks to Captain Smith, Titanic avoided colliding with the ship. Most of Titanic's maiden voyage was normal and went the way it was supposed to. However, there were indications that something was wrong, as the Titanic received many icebergs warnings before she hit the iceberg. During Titanic's final day, she received multiple iceberg warnings throughout the day and night of the 14th of April, 1912 - the 14th of April, 1912, was the date when Titanic hit the iceberg. Just hours before Titanic struck the iceberg, Captain Smith was at a dinner party with first-class passengers in the A La Carte restaurant. Smith retired that same night at around 10 PM. First Officer Murdoch took control of Titanic to captain it through the night, upon Captain Smith retiring to bed for the evening. Titanic struck the iceberg at 11.40 PM that same night. Smith came to the bridge of Titanic immediately after the Titanic hit the iceberg. Upon realizing there was no hope for Titanic - with the ship predicted to sink into the Atlantic ocean - Smith gave the order that the lifeboats should be prepared, with the sea code of 'women and children first' into the lifeboats. Titanic didn't take long to sink into the Atlantic ocean - she was completely pulled under the waves in the early morning hours of the 15th of April, 1912. But, what happened to Captain Smith? Captain Smith bravely stayed on the Titanic until the very end. He died in those early morning hours of the 15th of April, 1912. There are different views from eyewitnesses at the time of the Titanic's sinking, but there are two main eyewitness accounts about what happened to Smith upon the sinking. The first account from some eyewitnesses about Smith was that they saw Smith going into the bridge room (the wheelhouse) just before the whole went ship went down, and, that was the last time they saw him. Other eyewitnesses said that they saw Captain Smith jumping from Titanic's bridge into the sea just as the ship was going down. Perhaps both of these things happened: that Smith went into the bridge room and then jumped from the bridge into the water. Or, perhaps one of these events occurred and the other was a case of mistaken identity, where they thought the person jumping from the bridge (or going into the bridge room) was Captain Smith, but, was someone else. Captain Edward Smith was born on the 27th of January 1850 and died on the 15th of April 1912. Sources: https://www.biography.com/historical-figure/edward-j-smith http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/04/10/local_heroes_captain_edward_john_smith_feature.shtml https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/edward-john-smith.html
The ''Unsinkable Molly Brown'', was one of the most famous passengers on the Titanic.
Her real name was Margret Brown. Before The Titanic Margret Brown was born on the 18th of July, 1867, in Missouri, the United States of America. She was born in a city in the state of Missouri called Hannibal. Margret's parents were John Tobin and Johanna Collins. She had a least two brothers, one sister and two half-sisters. In 1886, she married James Joseph Brown. Margret met James during the summer of 1886 and quickly married him; they married on the 1st of September 1886. Although they had a quick marriage, they had a long marriage - their marriage lasted for 23 years until they separated in 1909. They separated just 3 years before Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage. Molly Brown On The Titanic
In her lifetime, Molly was a socialite, actress, human rights campaigner and a philanthropist.
She was one of the most high-profile people on the Titanic and, was a first-class passenger. She boarded Titanic at Cherbourg, France, on Wednesday the 10th of April 1912. Molly survived the Titanic disaster and was rescued on boat 6 and then later was rescued with the Carpathia, when the Carpathia reached the Titanic disaster site during the early morning hours of the 15th of April 1912.
Once she got on board the Carpathia, Molly tried to help the poor people who survived the Titanic disaster, by raising funds for the poorest passengers. She also tried to help people onto lifeboats while still on the Titanic as it was sinking, and, she wanted the lifeboats to turn around and help people who were tragically in the water when the Titanic finally sunk beneath the waves.
It is for her heroic and charitable acts which she is most remembered for on the night that Titanic was sinking and in history. The ''Unsinkable Molly Brown'' died 20 years after the Titanic disaster. She died on the 26th of October 1932 in New York City, aged 65 years old. Sources: https://www.geni.com/people/The-Unsinkable-Molly-Brown-1st-Class-RMS-Titanic-Survivor/6000000012422526870 https://www.biography.com/historical-figure/molly-brown https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/molly-brown.html https://www.factinate.com/people/facts-molly-brown/ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/molly-brown-3392.php
Since the Titanic disaster happened, Bruce Ismay is a man who has attained infamy and become a controversial figure in history.
Bruce Ismay has become infamous over how he acted on the night of the Titanic disaster. His actions on the 14th and 15th of April - when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank into the Atlantic ocean - has resulted in Bruce Ismay becoming infamous in history. In the 1997 film 'Titanic' it interprets how Bruce Ismay reacted when the Titanic was sinking into the Atlantic ocean during the early morning hours of the 15th of April 1912. But, is this interpretation of Bruce Ismay that night accurate?
How Bruce Ismay Handled The Titanic Disaster
Bruce Ismay was Titanic's owner. He got on board the Titanic at Southampton on the 10th of April 1912. It was at Southampton on the 10th of April 1912 that the Titanic would begin her maiden voyage. It was a maiden voyage where Titanic was supposed to arrive in New York in the United States of America on the 17th of April 1912. However, Titanic never arrived in New York that day, due to the ship colliding with an iceberg at around 11:40 pm on the 14th of April 1912. It is speculated that Bruce Ismay got Captain Smith to test speed, or speed up the Titanic. There is also speculation that Ismay pressured Captain Smith to speed up the Titanic so that they would get into New York early. The 'British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry Into The Sinking of The Titanic' was held between the 2nd of May to the 3rd of July 1912. The commissioners report was published on the 30th of July 1912, they concluded that the Titanic disaster happened because the ship was speeding and crashed into an iceberg. The American inquiry also found that Titanic was speeding and that Captain Smith was responsible for not slowing the ship down. How much Bruce Ismay was responsible for the Titanic speeding is still up for debate today. But what is clear, is that there doesn't appear to be any evidence that Ismay told Captain Smith to slow down the Titanic. Should we see Captain Smith for being fully responsible for Titanic? Or should we see both Captain Smith and Bruce Ismay for being responsible for the Titanic's maiden voyage and collision with the iceberg? Perhaps it is also worth wondering how much autonomy that Captain Smith had over the Titanic on its maiden voyage - was Captain Smith in control of how the Titanic's maiden voyage was to be or was the Titanic's owner - Bruce Ismay? While how much Bruce Ismay was responsible for the Titanic disaster seems to be up for debate, what is not up for debate is his response to the Titanic disaster. He escaped the Titanic on one of the ships last lifeboats, even though Captain Smith put an order of 'women and children first' for the lifeboats. Many of the other senior figures stayed on the ship and didn't leave on a lifeboat. Those who stayed on the ship and went down with the Titanic included - Captain Smith, First Officer Murdoch and Thomas Andrews. Their willingness to stay on the ship and help people to the end shows that these men were brave. However, it cannot be said that Bruce Ismay showed bravery, as he escaped the Titanic on Collapsible lifeboat C. Ismay escaping the Titanic resulted in him being shamed by both the British and American press just after the sinking. He was even called the ''Coward of the Titanic'' by the press. Life After The Titanic Bruce Ismay survived the Titanic disaster. However, life was never the same for him again. Although the British Inquiry did conclude that the Titanic colliding with the iceberg was due to the ship speeding, they also cleared Ismay of the blame for what happened. Although cleared, Ismay never recovered from the Titanic disaster. The stigma of abandoning the Titanic that night stuck with Ismay until his death. Bruce Ismay died on the 17th of October 1937, in London. He was 74 years old at the time of his death. He is perhaps the most well-known survivor of the Titanic. Even today, Bruce Ismay is still known for abandoning the Titanic when it was sinking during the early morning hours of the 15th of April 1912. A justified reputation, or a fair one...?
On this day in history, Titanic passenger William James Elsbury was born. William James Elsbury was born on the 3rd of September 1863. Mr Elsbury was born in Somerset, in England.
His parents were James Elsbury and Mary Ann Pope. William married Eliza Jane Hucker. Both William and Eliza had four children together during their time together. Sadly, William died on the Titanic disaster, on the 15th of April 1912. This resulted in Eliza becoming a widow. Eliza lived a few decades after the Titanic disaster and died on the 16th of September 1946. After her husband had died, Eliza never married again. Instead, she died a widow.
Two of Eliza and William's children lived until the 1990s. Both of their children - Bernice M Elsbury and Loyd Elsbury - died in 1991.
William On The Titanic William was a third-class passenger on the Titanic. He got on board the Titanic at Southampton on the 10th of September 1912. It was at Southampton on the 10th of September 1912, that Titanic set off on her maiden voyage. Sadly, William James Elsbury was one of the passengers who died on the Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage. He died on the 15th of April 1912, alongside over 1000 other people that night.
On this day in history, Titanic survivor Dagmar Jenny Ingeborg Bryhl was born.
Dagmar Jenny Bryhl was born on the 2nd of September 1891. She was born in Sweden. Miss Bryhl was on the Titanic from the very beginning of the Titanic's maiden voyage. As Dagmar got onto the Titanic from Southampton docks: it was at Southampton docks that Titanic began her maiden voyage on the 10th of April 1912. She got on Titanic at Southampton with two other people. Those two other people were her fiance and her half brother. Her fiance was Ingvar Enander; her half-brother was Kurt Arnold Gottfrid Bryhl. Miss Bryhl was a 2nd class passenger. She was one of just over 700 people to have survived the Titanic disaster: 706 people survived the Titanic. After surviving the tragedy, Dagmar went back to Sweden. She lived for several decades after the Titanic disaster happened. Dagmar Jenny Bryhl died on the 4th of August 1969; she was 77 years old when she died. |
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