When did the Titanic sink, how many people died on it and other facts | World News
As the search continues for the missing submarine with five people on board which was heading to the wreck of the Titanic, rescuers are hoping that one of the biggest tragedies of the sea is not followed by another disaster.
Among those feared missing is British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding and renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet. The tiny, 21-long vessel was going to view the Titanic’s in her resting place on the bottom of the North Atlantic.
Dubbed the ‘unsinkable’ ship, the Titanic was supposed to be a first of its time and a feat of engineering that the world could marvel at.
But it sank on its maiden voyage, and was immortalised in the film Titanic starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet.
Memorials are often held for the people who lost their lives that night.
Here’s what you need to know about the Titanic.
When did the Titanic sink?
The Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912.
She had set sail from Southampton on April 10, heading for New York, but narrowly avoided disaster in the docks when suction from the ship caused another vessel to swing into her path.
Shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912, she struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic, about 400 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland.
Although she was fitted with watertight doors which could be closed in the event of the hull being breached, the damage was too extensive and she sank, going down by the head.
How many people died on the Titanic?
It’s not known exactly how many people died – the US recorded 1,517 lives lost, while the British Board of Trade registered 1,503.
The last remaining survivor of the disaster, Millvina Dean, died on May 31, 2009, aged 97. She was nine weeks old at the time of the disaster.
Facts about the Titanic
The RMS Titanic was the world’s largest passenger ship when it entered service, measuring 269 metres (882 feet) in length.
It was also the largest man-made moving object on earth.
It used 825 tons of coal per day.
Just to transport the boat’s main anchor during the build, 20 horses were required.
Passengers used up 14,000 litres of drinking water every day, and the ship had 40,000 fresh eggs on board.
Facilities on board included gym, pool, Turkish bath, a kennel for first class dogs, and a squash court.
The Titanic had its own daily newspaper – The Atlantic Daily Bulletin.
The last supper served to first-class passengers consisted of 11 courses.
100,000 people turned up to see the ship’s launch on May 31, 1911.
The iceberg was around 100 feet tall and came from a glacier in Greenland.
It was only 37 seconds between the crew seeing the iceberg and the collision.
Two of the nine dogs on board were rescued – a Pomeranian and a Pekingese.
There were 14 honeymooning couples on board the Titanic.
The inventor of Hershey’s chocolate – Milton S. Hershey – was due to sail on the Titanic but did not use his ticket.
Business Benjamin Guggenheim died on the ship. Once he resigned himself to the sinking, he was seen with his valet drinking brandy and smoking cigars. Legend has it his last words were ‘We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.’
The captain – Edward Smith – and the First Officer – William McMaster Murdoch – went down with the ship.
The Titanic was equipped to carry 64 lifeboats, but only had 20 on board.
The lifeboats had a capacity of 65 people each, but the first one only carried 28 people.
31.6% of the passengers and crew on board that night survived the boat sinking.
53.4% potentially could have survived if there had been more lifeboats that were filled to capacity.
The sea temperature at the time of sinking was 2 degrees.
The Titanic’s wreckage lays at a depth of 12,600 feet.
MORE : Incredible 3D scan of Titanic reveals wreck as never seen before
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