Titanic Facts – Titanic 1912 Sinking continued
After the collision with the iceberg water began to pour in quickly. Within ten minutes the water levels in the front compartments had risen more than 10 meters. Thomas Andrews, the engineer who oversaw the construction of the Titanic, and who was traveling on her maiden voyage to detect possible flaws and areas for improvement, was asked to assess the damage. He soon realized that the ship’s fate was sealed. At around midnight the captain, who had already reached the bridge alarmed by the jolt of the collision. Andrews brought him the news that the ship would sink within two hours. He immediately (around 25 minutes past midnight) gave the order that help should be called and evacuation procedures begin. The lifeboats could only take about half of the people on board. Women and children should go first.
Titanic Facts – Carpathia races to the rescue
The distress call was picked up by the land station at Cape Race in Newfoundland, 375 miles away and by a number of boats the closest of which was the steam liner Carpathia, 58 miles away. The Carpathia raced towards Titanic but the distance and her top speed of only 17 knots meant that it would take four hours for her to arrive. In an effort to reach the Titanic as quickly as possible captain Arthur Roston ordered that all supplies of hot water to passengers be stopped and the hot water be maintained for the steam engines.
Titanic Facts – The Crew Work to Save Lives
The Titanic crew was divided in two teams. From the moment the captain gave the order they were able to launch about one lifeboat every ten minutes, testimony to the crew’s efficiency and rigour with which they undertook the task. By 2:00 in the morning all 16 main lifeboats had been launched and now the collapsible lifeboats were being launched. The water had reached the bridge level.
Titanic Facts – the Final Moments
Just before 2:20 power went off. The wireless could no longer be operated and the lights went off. At nearly the same time, as the bow plunged deeper into the ocean the stern rose high in the air. The forward funnel broke off and fell in the water. Immediately afterward the pressure of the weight of the stern in the air broke the ship in two. The bow sunk quickly; the stern fell on the surface of the ocean, stayed there for a short while and then in turn it sunk. By 2:20 the Titanic was gone. The history of Titanic as a passenger carrying liner that began with her construction in the Belfast shipyards in Northern Ireland was over.
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