‘Iceberg, right ahead!’: 113 Years after The Titanic

By Charlie Whittle, 3rd Year Classical Studies

The Titanic, photographed departing from Southampton. Credit: Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart.

On the night of 14 April 1912, the Titanic’s maiden voyage came to a sudden halt upon hitting an iceberg. Just a few hours later, the ship sank, causing the deaths of an estimated 1500 people and making it one of the deadliest peacetime ship sinkings.

Having been built in Belfast from 1909 for the White Star Line, the finished Titanic moved to Southampton. The ocean-liner was complete with four elevators, a first class dining saloon, swimming pool and first, second and third class accommodations. At full capacity, it weighed more than a staggering 52,000 tonnes, measuring 269 metres long and 28.2 metres wide.

Most importantly, the Titanic earned the infamous moniker of ‘the unsinkable ship’ due to its safety features, namely its 16 water-tight compartments in the hull. In the event of a hypothetical emergency, it was believed that four of these compartments could be breached without endangering the ship. In reality, the top of the compartment doors was never fully sealed, a mistake that would prove fatal.

On 11 April 1912, the Titanic left Southampton to begin its voyage to New York. Though the first three days of the voyage went smoothly, on the evening of the 14th April the ship began to reach iceberg prone waters. There, a series of unfortunate and simultaneous errors would prove disastrous. 

A map of the Titanic’s journey.

Firstly, Captain Edward John Smith altered the course of the ship to head further south; however, the speed was maintained at 22 knots. Then, at 9:40 pm the first ice warning was sent to the Titanic but the message was never received. Though there were lookouts stationed to watch for icebergs, the water was calm and could not be seen crashing at the edge of an iceberg, a difficulty made even worse by the missing binoculars. 

At 11:40pm, 740 km from Newfoundland, Canada, an iceberg was spotted from the crow’s nest and the bridge was notified. First Officer William McMaster Murdoch ordered the ship be turned to ‘hard-a-starboard’ a manoeuvre that would turn the ship left. As the Titanic began to turn, the ship's starboard side scraped the iceberg, rupturing five of the watertight compartments. As these were all on one side and near the front, it was determined that the bow would drop deeper into the water, and the ship would sink. If the Titanic had not been turned and hit the iceberg head on, fewer compartments would have ruptured, and the ship would have likely survived. 

At 12:20am on 15 April, the first distress signal reached the RMS Carpathia. They began to sail to the Titanic, but were over 107 km away, a distance of more than three hours away. Though there were two other ships identified by the Titanic, and closer, neither were contactable. One vessel was unknown and the SS Californian had turned off its wireless at the request of the Titanic’s on duty wireless operator.

The Titanic held approximately 892 crew members and 1317 passengers, which was significantly less than its maximum capacity of 2453 passengers. However, due to then accepted safety regulations, it was only equipped with 20 lifeboats that could hold approximately 1300 people. The crew had had little if any training on how to use the lifeboats, and the drill that had been scheduled on the morning of 14 April had been cancelled by Captain Smith. As such, the lifeboats were released with far fewer people than the maximum weight capacity, such as Lifeboat 7, the first to leave the ship, with only 27 passengers instead of its maximum 65. By the time rescue eventually arrived, only 706 people were aboard the lifeboats and not all had been successfully launched before the ship sank. 

By 1:00am, water was seen at the base of the famous grand staircase and panic was beginning to grow. Several male passengers had tried to board lifeboat 14 leading Officer Harold Lowe to fire his gun and distress calls became increasingly panicked. By 2:00am the propellers at the stern of the ship were visible above the water. With only three lifeboats still on the ship, and little time remaining, Captain Smith released the crew from duty. At 2:18am the lights in the Titanic went out and the ship broke in two, with the bow sinking first and the stern becoming vertical before also sinking. By 2:20am the Titanic was no more.

Most of those who were not on lifeboats died within minutes of entering the icy water, either from cold shock or cardiac arrest. Those in the lifeboats were largely unwilling to approach the ship, fearing capsizing or being overthrown, and only returned for survivors when it was too late. Of the 600 spare places on the lifeboats, only five were filled by survivors from the water. Molly Brown commanded her lifeboat to rescue survivors and so became known for her bravery and resilience.

At 3:30am the RMS Carpathia arrived, collecting any survivors and taking them to New York. Its captain, Arthur Henry Rostron was identified as a hero and celebrated by the press for his rescue efforts, while mourning the deaths of the 1517 people who were not saved. The Titanic, the great ‘unsinkable’ ship, was a tragedy.

A major investigation followed, and led to many of today’s safety regulations, such as one lifeboat space per person, and a lifeboat drill per voyage. Ships were mandated to conduct a 24-hour radio watch and the International Ice Patrol was set up to warn ships of icy conditions. There were also significant relief efforts for survivors, such as fundraising, accommodation and legal aid. With an 80% male mortality rate, many survivors had been left without their main breadwinner, and for surviving third class passengers, many had lost the entirety of their possessions, having intended to emigrate to the US and begin a new life. Their unequal treatment during the evacuation of the Titanic caused widespread international outrage.

An illustration of the underwater remains of the Titanic.

The Titanic would not be seen again until 1 September 1985, when the first underwater photos were taken of the boilers of the Titanic. Later exploration showed videos of the condition of both the bow and the stern. However, researchers discovered that the Titanic was covered in iron-eating microorganisms and by 2019 the ship had deteriorated significantly. It is theorised that the ship could be unrecognisable in the next few decades.

As this tragedy occurred over a century ago, modern memory today primarily associates the Titanic with the 1997 acting of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Yet, as the once beautiful ship disappears a second time, we must above all else, remember the lives that were tragically, unnecessarily lost.

Edited by Scarlett Bantin