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FASCINATING FACTS
Titanic‘s story is filled with incredibly interesting details—some well-known, others surprising. Satisfy your curiosity by exploring the information below and see how well you know the Ship of Dreams, her voyage, sinking, and continued legacy.
Basic Facts About Titanic
titanic 101
How big was Titanic? Titanic was the largest Ship built prior to 1912 and the largest moving object built by man.
Where was Titanic built? Titanic was built in Belfast, modern-day Northern Ireland.
Who built Titanic? Titanic was built by the shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff.
How long did it take to build Titanic? It took 36 months to complete.
Who owned Titanic? Titanic was a White Star Line ship, and one of three Olympic-class ships: Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic.
What does R.M.S. stand for? She was a Royal Mail Ship (RMS), which meant she was allowed to carry mail and other shipped cargo.
How big was Titanic?
TITANIC LENGTH: 882 ft 9 in (nearly four city blocks long)
WIDTH: 92 fT 6 in
height: 175 feet (11 stories high)
CAPACITY: 3,510 passengers and crew
LIFEBOATS: 14 standard boats, 2 emergency boats, and 4 collapsible (total capacity was 1,178)
Displacement (weight): 52,310 tons
Gross Tonnage: 46,329 tons
SPEED: 21 to 24 knots (28 to29 miles per hour)
1907 - The idea for Titanic and other Olympic class ships is created.
March 31, 1909 - Titanic’s keel is laid, and construction begins.
May 31, 1911 - Titanic launches and moves to second stage to install her interiors.
February 3, 1912 - Titanic moves to third stage and is cleaned and painted.
April 2, 1912 - Titanic completes her sea trials and officially becomes a White Star Line ship.
April 3–10, 1912 - Provisions, crew, and captain are acquired in Southampton, England.
April 10, 1912 - Passengers, cargo, and mail board in Southampton, England, and Cherbourg, France
April 11, 1912 - Titanic picks up her final passengers and mail in Queenstown, Ireland (modern-day Cobh).
April 12–14, 1912 - Passengers and crew spend days at sea.
April 2, 1912 - Titanic completes her sea trials and officially becomes a White Star Line ship.
April 14, 1912 11:40 p.m - Titanic collides with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
April 15, 1912 2:20 a.m - Titanic fully sinks below the ocean surface.
April 18, 1912 - Titanic Carpathia, the rescue ship, arrives in New York City, U.S.A., with Titanic survivors.
September 1, 1985 - Titanic wrecksite is discovered.
July 1987 - First expedition embarks to retrieve artifacts for conservation led by RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST).
1994–1996 - RMST is granted and reconfirmed salvor-in-possession and custodianship over the wrecksite of Titanic.
April 15, 2012 - Centenary events held around the world to commemorate Titanic.
Today - Ongoing conservation work is done on all recovered artifacts, which are on display at Exhibitions all over the world.
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TODAY
advanced exploration
TITANIC 401
Construction
Titanic's promotional material states she is "designed to be" and "practically" unsinkable—the first part was dropped, and the rest is history.
John Pierpont (J. P.) Morgan merged multiple major shipping lines under a corporate trust, the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), which included the White Star Line. Many people assume the wealthy tycoon provided financial backing for the construction of Olympic-class ships. White Star Line was actually turning enough profit to likely finance its construction independently, but in order to support the IMM monopoly, the shipping line had to mortgage its entire fleet in order to raise the necessary capital.
Titanic had four funnels, also known as smokestacks. Three were exhaust vents for the boilers that ran the engines, and they released dark, billowing smoke. The fourth funnel—closest to the stern—was added to balance the Ship's profile, provide some extra ventilation for the kitchens and smoke room, and make the Ship look grander. If Titanic had had fewer funnels, people might have questioned whether she was more impressive than her competition—ships like Cunard’s Lusitania and Mauritania—which both had four funnels.
The styles of décor included Louis XIV, Empire Italian Renaissance, Georgian, Regence, Queen Anne, and Old Dutch. It took 10 months to fit out and decorate Titanic for her maiden voyage.
"Hull" refers to the body of a ship. Titanic’s hull was built from 2,000 1-inch-thick steel plates held together by more than 3 million rivets. Hydraulic riveting was used wherever possible, but most of the work was carried out manually by a five-person riveting team. The hull weighed 26,000 tons and contained more than 2,000 portholes. Despite some claims, brittle steel and faulty rivets were not the cause of the sinking.
“Screw” is another term for a ship’s propeller. Titanic had three bronze propellers that weighed a total of 93 tons, hence a triple-screw system. Titanic's central propeller measured approximately 17 feet and weighed 22 tons, while the other two were each about 1½ times larger and weighed 38 tons.
voyage on board
The most expensive cabins on the Ship were the two Parlor Suites, also known as "The Millionaire's Suites." Each would have cost about $4,350 in 1912, which is over $140,000 in today's money! One was occupied by first-class passenger Charlotte Cardeza and her son, Thomas, while the other housed White Star Line Managing Director J. Bruce Ismay.
A third-class ticket at Titanic cost $40, which is approximately $1,200 in today’s currency. Up to 10 people resided in third-class rooms. The rooms were divided by gender, often splitting families.
A third-class ticket at Titanic cost $40, which is approximately $1,200 in today’s currency. Up to 10 people resided in third-class rooms. The rooms were divided by gender, often splitting families.
The room number "13" was not used on the Ship across all classes because of the superstition that the number is unlucky.
Yes, all classes on board Titanic were fitted with restroom facilities. However, only two bathtubs were available for the 709 third-class passengers. Third-class cabins were equipped with water basins, but passengers would have to travel to different parts of the Ship to use one of the communal toilets, if a chamber pot wasn't available. Some first-class cabins had private bathrooms.
Men, women, and children had designated times to use certain amenities, including the gymnasium, heated swimming pool, and Turkish bath. First-class passengers had the luxury of paying for a ticket to the swimming pool for 25¢, while a ticket for the squash court (as well as the services of a professional player) cost 50¢.
First-class passengers dined on 10-or-more-course meals, while third-class meals were simpler but considered high-quality for the time. In fact, Titanic was one of the first ships to offer multiple meals a day on board for third class.
Sixty chefs and chefs' assistants worked in Titanic's five kitchens. They ranged from soup and roast cooks to pastry chefs and vegetable cooks. There was also a kosher cook to prepare meals for Jewish passengers, which were served on specific dishware marked with a designated pattern.
The Grand Staircase went all the way from the Boat Deck down to the Reception Room outside the Dining Saloon on D-Deck and then continued down to E-Deck—that's six of Titanic's 11 stories! The Grand Staircase was paneled in oak and included a wrought-iron-and-milk-glass skylight.
Titanic was carrying dragon's blood as cargo. Brown Brothers and Company shipped 76 cases of dragon's blood to the United States on Titanic. Dragon's blood is the sap from a type of palm tree found in the Canary Islands. It was used to color wood varnish and women's makeup.
One of the most exotic objects in Titanic's cargo was The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a collection of quatrains (four-line stanzas of poetry). The copy was adorned with 1,050 precious stones, each set in gold.
Captain Smith was said to be very cheerful and well-liked by the wealthy who traveled on White Star ships. He was often referred to as the "Millionaire's Captain." It is speculated that, at 62 years of age and after 38 years with White Star, Captain Smith intended for Titanic to be his last voyage before retirement, although no concrete evidence suggests so.
Titanic had its own newspaper, the Atlantic Daily Bulletin, prepared on board the Ship. In addition to news articles and advertisements, it contained a daily menu, the latest stock prices, horse-racing results, and society gossip.
DISASTER
At first, most of the passengers did not believe Titanic was really sinking. Many thought she simply had dropped a propeller blade or was practicing a drill. The late hour, darkness, and cold weather deterred people from leaving an "unsinkable" Ship, which was why the first lifeboat left about 25% full, even though it had room to carry 65 people.
The forward part of the Boat Deck was a promenade space for first-class passengers, and the rear part was for second-class passengers. Therefore, people from these classes had the best chance of getting into lifeboats simply because they could access them quickly and easily. Third-class passengers, meanwhile, had to navigate multiple decks and seemingly endless and unfamiliar hallways, while breaking social rules that excluded lower classes from upper-class spaces.
Titanic hired eight musicians to entertain the passengers in first and second classes, divided into a quintet and trio. They prepared hundreds of pieces of music, one of which is especially remembered on the night of the sinking. Many accounts claim to have heard the band playing "Nearer My God to Thee" as the musicians went down with the Ship.
At the time of Titanic's sinking, the temperature of the water was only 28°F (-2°C). Most of those struggling in the water in their life jackets would have succumbed to hypothermia, while others may have had heart attacks.
These are both distress signals used to call for help. Titanic was one of the first ships in distress to send out an SOS signal. The wireless operator used "SOS" after using the traditional code of "CQD," followed by the Ship's call letters, MGY.
Aftermath
Only two lifeboats returned to look for survivors after the Ship sank. They pulled up an estimated 12 people, though only 9 of them survived.
The Board of Trade only required Titanic to carry 16 lifeboats, enough for 1,178 people, despite having the capacity to carry 3,510 passengers. At the time, lifeboat regulations were based on a ship's tonnage rather than capacity. Technically, Titanic had more lifeboats than were required by law, which totaled 20. The White Star Line was not blamed for Titanic's sinking because the Board of Trade feared that this would result in lawsuits that would hurt the line's profits, damage the reputation of British shipping, and cause thousands of customers to switch to German or French liners. Regulations soon changed to match the capacity and size of the large vessels of the time.
In the haste to get news about what happened, many news outlets initially claimed that all passengers had survived and the Ship was being towed to land, while another claimed they all had been ferried to a nearby ship. Headlines would eventually print the reality that Titanic sank. However, the number and names of survivors continued to change by the day and following weeks as more information became available.
Dorothy Gibson was a 28-year-old silent screen star on board Titanic. She would later star in Saved from the Titanic, the first Titanic movie, made only one month after the disaster in 1912. Her costume was the dress she had worn on the night of the sinking.
Unfortunately, no. Two-month-old Millvina Dean was the youngest passenger on board and passed away as the last survivor of Titanic. She died on May 31, 2009, at the age of 97.
Wrecksite
Despite common belief, there are no human remains at the wrecksite due to oceanic conditions and sea life.
Upon exploring the wrecksite, it was discovered that the iceberg had created a series of openings along Titanic's starboard side. This disproved the previously held theory that she had suffered a 300-foot-long gash in the hull.
When Titanic was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, the previously calculated position for where the Ship had sank turned out to be incorrect. The coordinates Titanic gave as her location on the night of the tragedy were farther west—nearly 13 miles away.
Titanic was traveling east to west on her transatlantic voyage, but in an attempt to miss the iceberg, she turned hard-a-starboard. This arced her around the ice as she collided and faced her north after the engines stopped. As Titanic split, her bow plummeted to the ocean floor in the same direction. This is why Titanic's bow is found facing north on the ocean floor.
Explorations of the wrecksite disproved or confirmed certain long-held beliefs. This included the fact that the Ship had indeed broken in half, despite the discrepancies of many eyewitness accounts and the publicly accepted idea that she had sunk in one piece. That is why movies before her discovery in 1985 depict Titanic sinking intact. Jack Thayer, a first-class passenger on Titanic, firmly believed that Titanic had sunk in two pieces and even drew a depiction.
ADVANCED EXPLORATION
PASSENGERS & CREW
Titanic Population Breakdown
Passengers
Crew
Male
Female
Children
*Each icon represents 10 individuals
Male Passengers: 787
Female Passengers: 401
Children: 129
Male Crew Members: 868
Female Crew Members: 23
Total Aboard: 2,208
Passengers: 1,317
Crew: 891
Titanic Population by Class
First Class
Second Class
Third Class
Crew
*Each icon represents 10 individuals
First Class: 324
Second Class: 284
Third Class: 709
Crew: 891
Survival vs. Loss
Lives Saved
First Class
Second Class
Third Class
Crew
Females
Males
Lives Lost
First Class
Second Class
Third Class
Crew
Females
Males
*Each icon represents 10 individuals
Overall Survival vs. Loss
Survivors: 712
Perished: 1,496
Gender-Based Survival
Female: 59 saved, 130 lost
Male: 353 saved, 1,366 lost
Class-Based Survival
First Class: 62% survived
(201 saved | 123 lost | Total: 324)
Second Class: 42% survived
(118 saved | 166 lost, Total: 284)
Third Class: 26% survived
(181 saved | 528 lost, Total: 709)
Crew: 24% survived
(212 saved | 679 lost, Total: 891)
Titanic Population Breakdown
Passengers
Crew
Male
Female
Children
Male Passengers: 787
Female Passengers: 401
Children: 129
Male Crew Members: 868
Female Crew Members: 23
Total Aboard: 2,208
Passengers: 1,317
Crew: 891
Titanic Population by Class
First Class
Second Class
Third Class
Crew
First Class: 324
Second Class: 284
Third Class: 709
Crew: 891
Survival vs. Loss
Lives Saved
First Class
Second Class
Crew
Third Class
Females
Males
Overall Survivors: 712
Overall Female Survivors: 359
Overall Male Survivors: 353
First Class Survivors: 201 (62%)
Second Class Survivors: 118 (42%)
Third Class Survivors: 181 (26%)
Crew Survivors: 212 (24%)
Lives Lost
First Class
Second Class
Crew
Third Class
Females
Males
Overall Perished: 1,496
Overall Female Lives Lost: 359
Overall Male Lives Lost: 1,366
First Class Lives Lost:123
Second Lives Lost: 284
Third Lives Lost: 528
Crew Lives Lost: 679
Follow the Journey
Follow us for a behind-the-scenes look at real Titanic artifacts, conservation efforts, expeditions and more!
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#DiscoverTITANIC and the full story on our blog 👇
🎟️ https://www.discovertitanic.com/titanic-history/blog/
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Discover #LoveonTITANIC and the real people who sailed into history. ❤️🛳️
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#JosephLaroche was the only Black passenger on #TITANIC. A Haitian-born engineer, he faced racial barriers but never let them define him. His journey was one of resilience, love for his family, and a pursuit of a better future.
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