PRIDE OF THE WHITE STAR LINE

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1920

TITANIC'S MAIDEN VOYAGE ENDS IN TRAGEDY

North Atlantic Ocean (JFK+50) One century and four years ago today, April 15, 1912, the pride of the White Star Line, RMS Titanic, the most luxurious cruise ship in the world, sank here in the North Atlantic.  The ship was in the process of making its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

The shipbuilders had said she was unsinkable, but when the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14th, six of her compartments were ripped open and her demise was just a matter of time.

40 year old first class passenger Elizabeth Shutes said...

"Suddenly a...quivering ran under me apparently the whole length of the ship.  Some one said 'Come quickly...an iceberg has just passed our window...we have just struck one.'"

On board were 2,206 souls including a crew of 898, but there were only twenty lifeboats available.  The great ship sank beneath the waves at 2:20 a.m.
About an hour later, Carpathia arrived at the scene and rescued 705 survivors.

According to a recent article in The Guardian, Captain Edward Smith was warned about "the presence of (the) mast of a submerged wreck in the Atlantic," before the ship disembarked.  The Captain returned the note bearing the warning to the messenger and it is being put up for auction later this month in London.

The Captain was also warned about the danger of icebergs in the North Atlantic but that warning came during the voyage.

SOURCES

"Revealed:  Titanic captain was warned before voyage--but not about icebergs," The Guardian, www.theguardian.com/

"The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912," Eyewitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/

RMS Titanic