Information About the Titanic
Facts and information from the Titanic shipwreck are some of the most fascinating of all shipwrecks in the history of the sea. Maybe it is because of the shear number of lives that were lost, or perhaps it is because the entire tragedy could have been avoided. No matter what it is, there is no denying the mysterious allure this cursed ocean liner holds to this very day. The Titanic was designed by some of the most experienced engineers, and used some of the most advanced technologies available at the time. It was popularly believed to have been unsinkable. “The disaster brought about measures to promote safety at sea, particularly the establishment of a patrol to make known the location of icebergs and of stringent regulations about the proper number and proper equipment of lifeboats to be carried by vessels.”(Routledge).
One factor that makes the sinking of the Titanic so memorable was the fact that it was so needlessly lost. There were over 2000 people on board of the Titanic, 337 in first class, 285 in the second class, 721 in third class and 885 workers. There were not enough lifeboats on board to hold all the passengers and crew. Also, when the lifeboats were launched they were not filled to capacity. The Titanic carried twenty lifeboats, which was enough for 1178 people. The existing board of Trade required a passenger ship to provide lifeboat capacity for 1060 people. The Titanic’s lifeboats were situated on the top deck of the ship. The boat was actually designed to carry thirty-two lifeboats, but this number was reduced to twenty because it was felt that the deck would be too cluttered. The Titanic also carried 3,500 lifebelts and 48 life rings, which were useless in the icy waters. The majority of passengers that went into the sea did not die of drowning, but were frozen to death. Of the 2,228 passengers on board of the Titanic only a little over 700 people survived. The movie Titanic came out in 1997. It was starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton, Billy Zane, and was directed by James Cameron. The fictional love story is intertwined with a chronicle of the April 1912th Titanic Sinking. Many of the events which took place in the movie Titanic involving fictional characters were put into the script to make the story possible. In fact, all the major characters in the love story were fictional, including, Jack Dawson, Rose Calvert, Rose’s mother, and Rose’s fiancée, Call Hockley. Another character that was actually based on a real person was Molly Brown. Molly Brown was a very real person who survived the disaster and became famous as the unsinkable Molly Brown. Passengers traveling second class on the Titanic enjoyed a luxury that rivaled first class on other liners. Titanic was also the first ship to have an electric elevator for the second class passengers. Traveling First Class on the Titanic placed you in a private and privileged world where separation of the classes was strictly observed. Your stateroom reinforced this sense of entitlement with its rich furnishings, electric fireplace, writing table and adult living area. Separate quarters were available for servants. There were six parlor suites reserved for the ultra rich that opened to a private promenade deck. Complete toilet facilities as we know them today were not in the majority of staterooms. Luxury living at sea had its price. Much like today, rates varied according to season, locations on the ship and the size of the stateroom. Children and dogs in First Class traveled at half fare. The Titanic was above all look small and minimal to us in our present time, but back then, they were considered glamorous. They were much more elegant than other steerage cabins. First-class was heaven the stories told about the atmosphere didn't even give credit to the ship. She was amazing, and called "a floating hotel."
In the movie some of the passengers decided to go down with the ship. Was this realistic, or was it just Hollywood? Near the end of the movie Titanic, we see an old couple embracing in bed as water pours into their cabin. The couple is first class passengers Isador and Ida Straus. Isador was the co-owner of Macy's department store. In real life, Isador and Ida were both offered a place on Lifeboat No. 8, but Isador chose to stay on the Titanic so long as there were women who remained on the ship. Ida refused to abandon her husband. Witnesses on the deck and in Lifeboat No. 8 heard Ida tell her husband, "We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go." The couple was last seen sitting on a pair of deck chairs, not lying in bed like the movie. Only Isador's body was recovered and identified.In the movie Titanic the ship broke apart while it was sinking. For years, whether the Titanic actually broke apart as it went under was a highly debated element of Titanic history. Some survivors testified that the ship did break apart as it sunk, while others said that it went under intact. Much of the uncertainty surrounding this was put to rest in 1985 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in two separate portions on the sea bottom. Due to this recent discovery, it is very likely that the ship broke apart much like the movie's depiction.
-Katherine Jolly
One factor that makes the sinking of the Titanic so memorable was the fact that it was so needlessly lost. There were over 2000 people on board of the Titanic, 337 in first class, 285 in the second class, 721 in third class and 885 workers. There were not enough lifeboats on board to hold all the passengers and crew. Also, when the lifeboats were launched they were not filled to capacity. The Titanic carried twenty lifeboats, which was enough for 1178 people. The existing board of Trade required a passenger ship to provide lifeboat capacity for 1060 people. The Titanic’s lifeboats were situated on the top deck of the ship. The boat was actually designed to carry thirty-two lifeboats, but this number was reduced to twenty because it was felt that the deck would be too cluttered. The Titanic also carried 3,500 lifebelts and 48 life rings, which were useless in the icy waters. The majority of passengers that went into the sea did not die of drowning, but were frozen to death. Of the 2,228 passengers on board of the Titanic only a little over 700 people survived. The movie Titanic came out in 1997. It was starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton, Billy Zane, and was directed by James Cameron. The fictional love story is intertwined with a chronicle of the April 1912th Titanic Sinking. Many of the events which took place in the movie Titanic involving fictional characters were put into the script to make the story possible. In fact, all the major characters in the love story were fictional, including, Jack Dawson, Rose Calvert, Rose’s mother, and Rose’s fiancée, Call Hockley. Another character that was actually based on a real person was Molly Brown. Molly Brown was a very real person who survived the disaster and became famous as the unsinkable Molly Brown. Passengers traveling second class on the Titanic enjoyed a luxury that rivaled first class on other liners. Titanic was also the first ship to have an electric elevator for the second class passengers. Traveling First Class on the Titanic placed you in a private and privileged world where separation of the classes was strictly observed. Your stateroom reinforced this sense of entitlement with its rich furnishings, electric fireplace, writing table and adult living area. Separate quarters were available for servants. There were six parlor suites reserved for the ultra rich that opened to a private promenade deck. Complete toilet facilities as we know them today were not in the majority of staterooms. Luxury living at sea had its price. Much like today, rates varied according to season, locations on the ship and the size of the stateroom. Children and dogs in First Class traveled at half fare. The Titanic was above all look small and minimal to us in our present time, but back then, they were considered glamorous. They were much more elegant than other steerage cabins. First-class was heaven the stories told about the atmosphere didn't even give credit to the ship. She was amazing, and called "a floating hotel."
In the movie some of the passengers decided to go down with the ship. Was this realistic, or was it just Hollywood? Near the end of the movie Titanic, we see an old couple embracing in bed as water pours into their cabin. The couple is first class passengers Isador and Ida Straus. Isador was the co-owner of Macy's department store. In real life, Isador and Ida were both offered a place on Lifeboat No. 8, but Isador chose to stay on the Titanic so long as there were women who remained on the ship. Ida refused to abandon her husband. Witnesses on the deck and in Lifeboat No. 8 heard Ida tell her husband, "We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go." The couple was last seen sitting on a pair of deck chairs, not lying in bed like the movie. Only Isador's body was recovered and identified.In the movie Titanic the ship broke apart while it was sinking. For years, whether the Titanic actually broke apart as it went under was a highly debated element of Titanic history. Some survivors testified that the ship did break apart as it sunk, while others said that it went under intact. Much of the uncertainty surrounding this was put to rest in 1985 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in two separate portions on the sea bottom. Due to this recent discovery, it is very likely that the ship broke apart much like the movie's depiction.
-Katherine Jolly
