Titanic ship systems. The sinking of the Titanic: a chronicle of the disaster, versions. The cause of the sinking and death of the Titanic passengers

100 years ago, on the night of April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Titanic liner sank, carrying more than 2,200 people.

Titanic is the largest passenger ship of the early 20th century, the second of three twin steamships produced by the British company White Star Line.

The length of the Titanic was 260 meters, width - 28 meters, displacement - 52 thousand tons, height from the waterline to the boat deck - 19 meters, distance from the keel to the top of the pipe - 55 meters, maximum speed - 23 knots. Journalists compared it in length to three city blocks, and in height to an 11-story building.

The Titanic had eight steel decks, located one above the other at a distance of 2.5-3.2 meters. To ensure safety, the ship had a double bottom, and its hull was separated by 16 waterproof compartments. Watertight bulkheads rose from the second bottom to the deck. The ship's chief designer, Thomas Andrews, stated that even if four of the 16 compartments were filled with water, the liner would be able to continue its journey.

The interiors of the cabins on decks B and C were designed in 11 styles. Third class passengers on decks E and F were separated from first and second class by gates located in different parts of the ship.

Before the Titanic set out on its first and last voyage, it was especially emphasized that there would be 10 millionaires on board the ship on its first voyage, and in its safes there would be gold and jewelry worth hundreds of millions of dollars. American industrialist, heir to a mining magnate Benjamin Guggenheim, millionaire with his young wife, assistant to US Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft Major Archibald Willingham Butt, US Congressman Isidore Strauss, actress Dorothy Gibson, wealthy public figure Margaret Brown, British fashion designer Lucy Christiane Duff Gordon and many other famous and wealthy people of that time.

On April 10, 1912, at noon, the Titanic superliner set off on its only journey along the route Southampton (Great Britain) - New York (USA), with stops in Cherbourg (France) and Queenstown (Ireland).

During the four days' journey the weather was clear and the sea was calm.

On April 14, 1912, on the fifth day of the voyage, several ships sent reports of icebergs in the area of ​​the ship's route. The radio was broken for most of the day, and many messages were not noticed by the radio operators, and the captain did not pay due attention to others.

In the evening, the temperature began to drop, reaching zero Celsius by 22:00.

At 23:00, a message was received from the Californian about the presence of ice, but the Titanic's radio operator interrupted the radio exchange before the Californian had time to report the coordinates of the area: the telegraph operator was busy sending personal messages to passengers.

At 23:39, two lookouts noticed an iceberg in front of the liner and reported it by telephone to the bridge. The most senior of the officers, William Murdoch, gave the command to the helmsman: “Rudder to port.”

At 23:40 "Titanic" in the underwater part of the ship. Of the ship's 16 watertight compartments, six were cut through.

At 00:00 on April 15, Titanic designer Thomas Andrews was called to the bridge to assess the severity of the damage. After reporting the incident and inspecting the ship, Andrews informed everyone present that the liner would inevitably sink.

There was a noticeable tilt on the ship's bow. Captain Smith ordered the lifeboats to be uncovered and the crew and passengers to be summoned for evacuation.

By order of the captain, the radio operators began sending distress signals, which they transmitted for two hours, until the captain relieved the telegraph operators of their duties a few minutes before the sinking of the ship.

Distress signals, but they were too far from the Titanic.

At 00:25, the coordinates of the Titanic were accepted by the ship Carpathia, which was located 58 nautical miles from the site of the wreck of the liner, which was 93 kilometers. ordered to immediately head to the site of the Titanic disaster. Rushing to help, the ship was able to reach a record speed of 17.5 knots - with the maximum possible speed for the ship being 14 knots. To do this, Rostron ordered to turn off all appliances that consume electricity and heating.

At 01:30 the operator of the Titanic telegraphed: “We are in small boats.” By order of Captain Smith, his assistant, Charles Lightoller, who led the rescue of people on the left side of the liner, put only women and children in the boats. The men, according to the captain, were supposed to remain on deck until all the women were in the boats. First Mate William Murdoch on the starboard side to the men if there were no women or children in the line of passengers gathering on deck.

At about 02:15, the Titanic's bow dropped sharply, the ship moved forward significantly, and a huge wave rolled across the decks, washing many passengers overboard.

At about 02:20 minutes the Titanic sank.

At about 04:00 in the morning, approximately three and a half hours after receiving the distress signal, the Carpathia arrived at the site of the Titanic's wreck. The ship took on board 712 passengers and crew members of the Titanic, after which it arrived safely in New York. Among those rescued were 189 crew members, 129 male passengers and 394 women and children.

The death toll, according to various sources, ranged from 1,400 to 1,517 people. According to official data, after the disaster, 60% of passengers were in first class cabins, 44% in second class cabins, 25% in third class.

The last surviving passenger of the Titanic, who traveled on board the liner at the age of nine weeks, died on May 31, 2009 at the age of 97. The woman's ashes were scattered over the sea from the pier in the port of Southampton, from where the Titanic set off on its last voyage in 1912.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The sinking of the Titanic claimed the lives of 1,517 of the 2,229 passengers and crew (official figures vary slightly) in one of the worst maritime disasters in world history. 712 survivors were taken aboard RMS Carpathia. After this disaster, a great outcry swept through the public affecting attitudes towards social injustice, radically changed the way passengers were transported along the North Atlantic route, the rules for the number of lifeboats carried on board passenger ships were changed and the International Ice Survey was created (where merchant ships crossing the North Atlantic on... As before, precise information about the location and concentration of ice is transmitted using radio signals). In 1985, a major discovery was made, the Titanic was discovered at the bottom of the ocean and became a turning point for the public and for the development of new fields of science and technology. April 15, 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic. It became one of the most famous ships in history, and her image remains in numerous books, films, exhibitions and monuments.

TITANIC WRECK IN REAL TIME

duration - 2 hours 40 minutes!

The British passenger liner Titanic departs Southampton, England on her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. The Titanic called to Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland before heading west towards New York. Four days into the passage, she struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm, 375 miles south of Newfoundland. Just before 2:20 a.m., the Titanic broke up and sank. More than a thousand people were on board at the time of the accident. Some died in the water within minutes from hypothermia in the waters of the North Antaltic Ocean. (Frank O. Brainard Collection)

The luxury liner Titanic is pictured in this 1912 photograph as she left Queenstown for New York on her ill-fated final voyage. The ship's passengers included a list of the richest people in the world, such as millionaires John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim and Isidore Strauss, as well as more than a thousand emigrants from Ireland, Scandinavia and other countries seeking a new life in America. The disaster was met with shock and outrage around the world at the enormous loss of life and the failure of regulatory and operational parameters that led to this disaster. The investigation into the sinking of the Titanic began within days and led to significant improvements in maritime safety. (United Press International)

Crowd of workers. The Harland and Wolf shipyards in Belfast where the Titanic was built between 1909 and 1911. The ship was designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury, and was the largest ship afloat on her maiden voyage. The ship is visible in the background of this 1911 photo. (Photo archive / Harland & Wolff Collection / Cox)

Photo from 1912. In the photo, a luxurious dining room on board the Titanic. The ship was designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury, with an onboard gym, swimming pool, libraries, upscale restaurants and luxurious cabins. (Photo archive The New York Times / American Press Association)

Photo from 1912. Second class dining room on the Titanic. A disproportionate number of people - more than 90% of those in second class - remained on board because of the "women and children first" protocols followed by lifeboat loading officers. (Photo archive The New York Times / American Press Association)

Photo taken April 10, 1912, showing the Titanic leaving Southampton, England. The tragic sinking of the Titanic occurred a century ago, one of the reasons for the death, according to some, was the weak rivets used by the ship's builders in some parts of this ill-fated liner. (Associated Press)

Captain Edward John Smith, commander of the Titanic. He commanded the largest ship at that time making its maiden voyage. The Titanic was a massive ship - 269 meters long, 28 meters wide and weighing 52,310 tons. 53 meters separated from the keel to the top, almost 10 meters of which were below the waterline. The Titanic was higher above the water than most city buildings at the time. (The New York Times Archive)

First Mate William McMaster Murdoch is seen as a local hero in his home town of Dalbeattie, Scotland, but in the film Titanic was portrayed as a coward and a murderer. At a ceremony on the 86th anniversary of the sinking, Scott Neeson, executive vice president of the film's producers 20th Century Fox, presented a check for five thousand pounds sterling ($8,000) to Dalbeattie School as an apology for the painting to the officer's relative. (Associated Press)

It is believed that this iceberg caused the Titanic disaster on April 14-15, 1912. The picture was taken aboard the Western Union ship, Mackay Bennett, under the command of Captain DeCarteret. McKay Bennett was one of the first ships to reach the site where the Titanic sank. According to Captain DeCarteret, it was the only iceberg at the site when he arrived. It is therefore assumed that he was responsible for this tragedy. A collision with an iceberg caused the Titanic's hull plates to buckle inward in a number of places on board and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments into which water instantly poured out. Over the next two and a half hours, the ship gradually filled with water and sank. (United States Coast Guard)

Passengers and some crew members were evacuated by lifeboats, many of which were launched only partially full. This photograph of a lifeboat from the Titanic approaching the rescue ship Carpathia, was taken by Carpathia passenger Louis M. Ogden and was on display in the 2003 exhibition of photographs that relate to the Titanic (bequeathed to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, by Walter Lord). (National Maritime Museum/London)

Seven hundred and twelve survivors were brought aboard from lifeboats on the RMS Carpathia. This photograph taken by Carpathia passenger Louis M. Ogden shows the Titanic lifeboat approaching the rescue ship, Carpathia. The photograph was part of an exhibition in 2003 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, named after Walter Lord. (National Maritime Museum/London)

Although the Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, it lacked lifeboats enough to accommodate all those on board. Due to outdated maritime safety regulations, she carried only enough lifeboats for 1,178 people—a third of her total passenger and crew capacity. This sepia photograph depicting the recovery of the Titanic's passengers is one of the memorabilia about to go under the hammer at Christies in London, May 2012. (Paul Tracy/EPA/PA)

Press representatives interview Titanic survivors disembarking the rescue ship, Carpathians, May 17, 1912. (American Press Association)

Eva Hart is depicted as seven years old in this photograph taken in 1912 with her father, Benjamin, and mother Esther. Eve and her mother survived the sinking of the British liner Titanic on April 14, 1912, but her father died during the disaster. (Associated Press)

People stand on the street waiting for the arrival of Carpathia after the sinking of the Titanic. (Photo archive The New York Times/Wide World)

A huge crowd gathered in front of the White Star Line office on lower Broadway in New York City to receive the latest news about the sinking of the Titanic on April 14, 1912. (Associated Press)

The New York Times editorial board at the time of the sinking of the Titanic, April 15, 1912. (Photo archive of The New York Times)

(Photo archive of The New York Times)

Two messages that were sent from America by Lloyds insurers in London in the mistaken belief that other ships, including the Virginian, were on their way to help when the Titanic sank. These two memorable messages are due to go under the hammer at Christies in London in May 2012. (AFP/EPA/Press Association)

Laura Francatelli, and her employers Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, standing on a rescue ship, Carpathians (Associated Press/Henry Aldridge & Son/Ho)

This vintage print shows the Titanic shortly before leaving on its maiden voyage in 1912. (New York Times Archive)

A photograph released by Henry Aldridge and Son/Ho auction in Wiltshire, England, April 18, 2008 shows an extremely rare Titanic passenger ticket. They were auctioning the complete collection of the last American Titanic Survivor by Miss Lilian Asplund. The collection consists of a number of important objects, including a pocket watch, one of the few remaining tickets for the Titanic's maiden voyage and the only example of the direct emigration order the Titanic thought to exist. Lillian Asplund was a very private person, and because of the terrible event she witnessed, on a cold April night in 1912, she rarely spoke about the tragedy that claimed the lives of her father and three brothers. (Henry Aldridge)

(National Maritime Museum/London)

Breakfast menu on board the Titanic, signatures of survivors of the disaster. (National Maritime Museum/London)

The bow of the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, 1999 (Institute of Oceanology)

The image shows one of the Titanic's propellers on the ocean floor during an expedition to the site of the tragedy. Five thousand items are scheduled to go under the hammer as a single collection on April 11, 2012, 100 years after the sinking of the ship (RMS Titanic, Inc, via Associated Press)

Photo August 28, 2010, released for the premiere of the exhibition, Inc.-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, shows the starboard side of the Titanic. (Prime Exhibitions, Inc.-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

Dr. Robert Ballard, the man who found the Titanic's remains almost two decades ago, returned to the site and took stock of the damage from visitors and hunters for "souvenirs" of the ship. (Institute of Oceanography and Archaeological Research Center/University of Rhode Island Grad. School of Oceanography)

The giant propeller of the sunken Titanic lies on the floor of the North Atlantic in this undated photograph. The propeller and other parts of the famous ship were seen by the first tourists to visit the wreck in September 1998.

(Ralph White/Associated Press)

A 17-ton part of the Titanic's hull rises to the surface during an expedition to the site of the tragedy in 1998. (RMS Titanic, Inc, via Associated Press)

July 22, 2009, photo of the 17-ton part of the Titanic, which was raised and restored during an expedition to the site of the tragedy. (RMS Titanic, Inc, via Associated Press)

Gold-plated American Waltham pocket watch, property of Karl Asplund, in front of a contemporary watercolor painting of the Titanic by CJ Ashford at Henry Aldridge & Son auctions in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, April 3, 2008. The watch was recovered from the body of Karl Asplund who drowned on the Titanic, and is part of Lillian Asplund, the last American to survive the disaster. (Kirsty Wigglesworth Associated Press)

Currency, part of the Titanic collection, is photographed in a warehouse in Atlanta, August 2008. The owner of the largest trove of Titanic artifacts is putting the huge collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, to mark the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. (Stanley Leary/Associated Press)

Photos of Felix Asplund, Selma and Karl Asplund and Lilian Asplund, at Henry Aldridge and Son auctions in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, April 3, 2008. The photographs were part of Lillian Asplund's collection of Titanic-related items. Asplund was 5 years old in April 1912 when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from England to New York. Her father and three siblings were among the 1,514 killed. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

Exhibits at the Titanic Artifact Exhibit at the California Science Center include binoculars, a comb, dishes and a broken incandescent light bulb, February 6, 2003. (Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images, Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times)

Spectacles among the wreckage of the Titanic were among the Titanic's choice artifacts. (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

Golden Spoon (Titanic Artifacts) (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

The chronometer from the Titanic Bridge is on display at the Science Museum in London, 15 May 2003. The chronometer, one of more than 200 artifacts salvaged from the sinking of the Titanic, was on display at the launch of a new exhibition dedicated to its ill-fated maiden voyage, along with bottles of perfume. The exhibition took visitors on a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic, from its conception and construction, to life on board, and its sinking into the Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. (Alastair Grant/Associated Press)

Titanic speed meter logo and articulated lamp. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Artifacts of the Titanic are displayed in the media for preview purposes only, to announce the historical sale is complete. a collection of artifacts recovered from the Titanic wreck site and a display of highlights from the collection at sea by the Intrepid, Air & SpaceMuseum January 2012. (Chang W. Lee / The New York Times)

Cups and pocket watches from the Titanic are displayed during a Guernsey auction press conference, January 5, 2012. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images, Brendan McDermid/Reuters Michelle Boutefeu/Getty Images-2)

Spoons. RMS Titanic, Inc. is the only company authorized to remove elements from the ocean floor where the Titanic sank (Douglas Healey / Associated Press)

Gold mesh wallet. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The April 2012 edition of National Geographic magazine (available on iPad) features new images and drawings from the Titanic wreck that remains on the sea floor, gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12,415 feet (3,784 m). (National Geographic)

Two propeller blades peek out from the sea darkness. This optical mosaic is assembled from 300 high-resolution images. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The first full view of the legendary shipwreck. The photo mosaic consists of 1,500 high-resolution images using sonar data. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

Side view of the Titanic. You can see how the hull lay on the bottom and where the fatal places of the iceberg impact are. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

(COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

Understanding this tangle of metal presents endless challenges for specialists. Says one: “If you interpret this material, you must love Picasso.” (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

The Titanic's two engines lie in a gaping hole in the stern. Wrapped in “rusticles”—orange stalactites made of iron that eat bacteria—these massive structures, four stories high, were the largest moving man-made objects on Earth at the time. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

Many have seen the film about the disaster of the largest liner in human history, the Titanic. They know, for example, in which ocean the Titanic sank, and that the cause of its death was a collision with an iceberg, but, unfortunately, not everyone is well aware of the history of this disaster, as well as the true causes of the ship's sinking.

This ship was truly a miracle of that time, built by the English company White StarLine. In height it was approximately the same as an eleven-story high-rise building, and in length as three large blocks. The ship was equipped with 8 decks and had 16 waterproof compartments, which ensured a high level of safety for this liner.

Despite such a powerful and strong design, the Titanic sank to the bottom during its first voyage. There is still a lot of discussion around the death of this giant of shipbuilding and many questions arise related to its disaster. For example, how and why the ship sank, in what year the Titanic sank, etc.

In what year did the Titanic sank, the first test and entry into the ocean?

Let's try to sort out all the nuances in order and reveal all the secrets of the death of this giant ship. So, the Titanic set off on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Before this, in 1911, the liner was first released into the waters of the World Ocean for a test voyage. The ship remained on this test cruise until April 1912, when it arrived at the English port of Southampton, and already on April 10 of the same year, the Titanic set off on its first and, unfortunately, last voyage. Just five days later, on the night of April 14-15, the ship collided with an iceberg, as a result of which it sank in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Of all the passengers on board, more than 1,500 people died.

Secrets and mysteries of the Titanic disaster

The commission that investigated the death of this ship was unambiguous in its conclusions and placed full responsibility on the ship's captain, Smith. He was accused of driving too fast on an ice field at night even though he had been warned of the danger. But there are many other mysteries and secrets in this story.

So, in 1985, a group of oceanographers led by Robert Ballard managed to lift a lot of debris from the ship from the bottom and examine them in detail. As a result, scientists made a sensational discovery. It turns out that the structure of the ship was made of low grade steel, which caused the bottom of the ship to split.

There was also a hypothesis that the Titanic broke up even before it hit the iceberg. Low quality steel could not withstand such loads and cracked. After carefully examining the metal from which the rods and rivets in the ship's structure were made, scientists discovered a high level of scale concentration in it. It makes the steel very brittle, which can subsequently lead to its rapid destruction. Proof of the validity of this version is the fact that the creators of the Titanic planned to complete its construction as soon as possible. This haste became the second reason for the death of the ship.

Scientists believe that if high-quality steel had been used as a material for the manufacture of rods and rivets, which play a major role in the safety of the ship, then perhaps the disaster could have been avoided.

Of course, in the sinking of the Titanic, in addition to the use of low-quality material, other factors also played a role:

• ignoring the ice danger at night by the captains;
• the negligent attitude of the ship's crew to their duties (after all, the entire captain's staff was warned that there was an iceberg ahead);
• inconsistency of seats in lifeboats - thus, out of more than 2 thousand passengers, only about 700 were able to be landed on lifeboats, the rest went under water. But this is also confirmed by the fact that these boats were originally designed for only 1,178 people, and, according to various sources, there were more than 2 thousand people on board.

conclusions

As you can see, despite the fact that the Titanic was one of the largest liners of that time and was equipped with all safety rules, the slightest neglect of simple rules, the negligent attitude of the captain to their duties and the haste in the process of building this ship led to its sinking during the first exit into the open ocean. Until 1985, not all the facts were known about this terrible disaster. People knew in which ocean the Titanic sank, approximately how many people died, and also that the ship was wrecked as a result of a collision with an iceberg. But after research, a team of scientists led by Ballard was able to reveal many new details about the true cause of the disaster of this ship.

Incredible facts

The sinking of the Titanic is one of the main tragedies of the 20th century.

This is a terrible event armed many myths, speculations and rumors.

But few people know what happened to the passengers of the fateful flight, who managed to survive the worst maritime disaster of the century.

The following selection of documentary photos will give a complete picture of what happened next to those who managed to escape from the sinking ship.

Titanic passengers photo

Frederick Fleet

This photo shows 24-year-old British sailor Frederick Fleet a few days after the sinking of the Titanic. The guy was the first to notice the iceberg.

He took part in two world wars. In 1965, after a prolonged depression, Fleet took his own life.

As for the events on the Titanic, events developed approximately as follows:

On April 10, 1912, the ship set out on its first and last voyage. The huge liner was racing at full speed from Southampton to New York.

On April 14, 1912, at 23.39 pm, Friedrich Fleet noticed an iceberg right ahead, which ultimately destroyed the Titanic.

Two hours and 40 minutes later, colliding with a huge boulder, he sank.

Of the 2,224 people on board the “unsinkable” ship, only about 700 people fit into the lifeboats, thanks to which they remained alive.

The remaining 1,500 people died stranded on the sinking ship or died within minutes of hitting the frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Shortly before dawn on April 15, the flotilla of survivors was spotted by the steamship Carpathia, which arrived at the site of the sinking of the Titanic. By 9 am, all surviving passengers were aboard the Carpathia.

Titanic iceberg photo

Iceberg that sank the Titanic.

The surviving passengers of the Titanic in boats swim up to the ship Carpathia, April 15, 1912.

All the same surviving passengers in boats after a shipwreck.

Sketch of the sinking Titanic.

Sketch of a sinking ship by surviving passenger John B. Thayer. After some time, the drawings were supplemented by Mr. P.L. Skidmore (P.L. Skidmore) is already on board the ship "Carpathia" April 1912.

The surviving passengers of the Titanic try to stay warm on board the Carpathia.

When Carpathia headed to New York, it was decided to send radio messages. So the news about the tragedy spread quite quickly.

People were shocked, relatives of the passengers were in panic. In search of information about their loved ones, they attacked the offices of the White Star Line shipping company in New York, as well as in Southampton.

Some of the rich and famous surviving passengers and victims were identified before the Carpathia arrived at port.

But relatives and friends of lower-class passengers, as well as the families of crew members, continued to remain in the dark about the fate of their relatives.

The lack of connections prevented them from knowing the news immediately and they had to wait in painful uncertainty.

Carpathia arrived in New York Harbor on the rainy evening of April 18th. The ship was surrounded by more than 50 tugboats carrying journalists. They shouted and called out to survivors, offering money for first-hand interviews.

A reporter from one of the major American publications, who was on board the Carpathia at that time, had already managed to interview the survivors. He placed his notes in a floating cigar box and threw them into the water so that the publication's editor could catch the message and get the scoop first.

After all the lifeboats were launched at Pier 59, owned by the White Star Line. The ship itself docked at Pier 54. In pouring rain, the ship was greeted by an anxious crowd of 40,000 people.

People wait outside the offices of the White Star Line shipping company in New York for news.

Lifeboats, thanks to which several hundred people survived.

Lifeboats berthed at the White Star Line in New York City, April 1912.

People await the arrival of Carpathia in New York.

Huge crowds of family and friends stand in the rain, awaiting the arrival of the steamship Carpathia in New York, April 18, 1912.

About 40 thousand people are waiting for Carpathia.

Those who managed to survive the fateful voyage on the Titanic were met at the port in New York by family and friends, as well as numerous media representatives.

Some mourned the dead, some wanted autographs, and some tried to interview survivors.

The next day, the US Senate convened a special hearing on the disaster at the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

The Titanic's entire crew numbered 885 people, of whom 724 were from Southampton. At least 549 people did not return home from the fatal flight.

Surviving crew members.

Surviving crew from left to right, first row: Ernest Archer, Friedrich Fleet, Walter Perkis, George Symons and Frederick Clachen.

Second row: Arthur Bright, George Hogg, John Moore, Frank Osman and Henry Etsch.

People surrounded the Titanic survivor.

A crowd of people in the port of Devonport surrounded a man who survived the Titanic to hear first-hand what it really was like.

Payment of compensation to victims.

April 1912

J. Hanson, seated on the right, is District Secretary of the National Seamen's and Firemen's Union. The people around him are the surviving passengers of the Titanic, who receive compensation as victims of the disaster.

Relatives await the surviving passengers of the Titanic.

People wait on the Southampton railway platform for their loved ones who survived the sinking of the Titanic.

Relatives in Southampton greet their loved ones.

Relatives are waiting for the surviving crew members.

Relatives are waiting for the surviving Titanic crew to disembark in Southampton.

People are returning to their homes in England. The disaster claimed the lives of 549 crew members. There were 724 people from Southampton who worked on the ship, ranging from seaman to cook or postman.

Relatives a few minutes before meeting with surviving relatives.

Survivors of the Titanic

Relatives greet shipwreck survivors as they arrive in Southampton.

A surviving crew member kisses his wife, who was waiting for him on land at Plymouth, April 29, 1912.

Stewards testifying after the shipwreck.

The surviving stewards stand outside the courthouse. They are invited to testify to the commission investigating the Titanic disaster.

A surviving passenger of the Titanic signs autographs for passers-by.

Titanic survivors

25. The Pascoe brothers, members of the crew of the ill-fated ship, were lucky, all four of them survived.

Orphans of the Titanic

April 1912

At first, the two children who miraculously escaped could not be identified.

The children were later identified as Michelle (4 years old) and Edmond (2 years old) Navratil. To get on the ship, their father took the name Louis Hoffman and used the fictitious names Lolo and Mamon for the children.

The father, with whom the children sailed to New York, died, as a result of which difficulties arose with the real names of the brothers.

However, later they were still able to be identified and the babies were safely reunited with their mother.

In this photo, Edmond and Michelle Navratil, now grown up, and their mother.

Cameraman Harold Thomas Coffin is questioned by a Senate committee at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, May 29, 1912.

29. Baby Titanic

A nurse holds newborn Lucien P. Smith. His mother Eloise was pregnant with him when she and her husband returned from their honeymoon aboard the Titanic.

The baby's father died in the accident.

Eloise subsequently married another survivor of the terrible flight, Robert P. Daniel.

And finally, a photograph of the Titanic itself on the day when it set out on its first and last fateful voyage...

The Titanic first made headlines as the largest ship in human history, and its maiden voyage was to make the long journey across the Atlantic in April 1912. As everyone knows, instead of a triumphant voyage, the history of shipping was supplemented by a great disaster. On its fourth day of voyage 105 years ago, 643 kilometers off the coast of Nova Scotia, the ship hit an iceberg and sank within 2 hours and 40 minutes. On that terrible day, 1,500 passengers died, most of whom died not from injuries or asphyxia, but from hypothermia. Few people managed to survive in the icy water of the Atlantic Ocean, the temperature of which dropped to -2 °C in April 1912. Don’t be surprised, water may well remain liquid in such cold weather, considering that in the ocean it is a solution of salt with other nutrients, and not pure H2O.

But if you look deeper into the history of the Titanic, you will also find stories of people who acted decisively during an unforeseen disaster, avoided death and helped others who were drowning. Over 700 people survived the disaster, although for some it was a matter of luck. Here are 10 stories from survivors of the most tragic Atlantic disaster.

10. Frank Prentice – crew member (warehouse assistant)

Just before the Titanic finally sank, the stern of the ship briefly rose into the air perpendicular to the water level. At the same time, crew member Frank Prentice, one of the last people on the ship, and two of his comrades decided to jump from the sinking liner into the cold water. One of his colleagues hit the Titanic's propeller during the fall, but Prentice managed to fly 30 meters to the water, where his friend's lifeless body was already waiting for him. Fortunately, Frank was soon picked up by a lifeboat.

Prentice's story is easy to verify, especially since his watch stopped at exactly 2:20, which is the exact time of the Titanic's final plunge into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Remarkably, Prentice survived another shipwreck a few years later while serving aboard the USS Oceanic during World War I.

9. Eight Chinese passengers from third class

It may be surprising, but if you read the accounts of the large-scale evacuation of the sinking Titanic, you will realize that at first it was a very civilized process. All passengers obediently followed the orders of the ship's crew, and many of them were happy to give their places in the rescue boats to women and children. They did this voluntarily and without coercion. Panic did not deprive people of prudence and honor. At least not all of them and not at once.

But if you want to know how passengers survived an early 20th century shipwreck with a more practical approach to the ordeal, you'll be interested to hear about the 8 Chinese immigrants who boarded the legendary ship, all on the same ticket. They were a group of people from Guangzhou who had lost their jobs due to the coal crisis and were sailing home to Hong Kong.

Their names changed in different immigration reports, but today this is no longer important. When the iceberg struck, seven of them sneaked into the rescue boats before those lifeboats were sent to the landing sites. The Chinese hid in boats under blankets and remained unnoticed for a long time. Five of them survived. The eighth Chinese man also suffered a shipwreck - he was picked up by lifeboat No. 14 (which also saved Harold Phillimore, about whom we will talk a little later). Saving 6 people from a group of 8 comrades is not a bad statistic, but it’s difficult to call their behavior heroic.

8. Olaus Jorgensen Abelzeth – second class passenger

Olaus Jorgensen Abelseth was a Norwegian shepherd who worked on a cattle farm in South Dakota. He was returning home from a trip after visiting relatives when he boarded the Titanic in April 1912 with five members of his family.

During the evacuation of the Titanic, people were seated on lifeboats for certain reasons. An adult male could board a rescue boat only if he had good experience in navigation, which would be useful to operate a vessel in the waters of the open ocean. There were only 20 lifeboats, and each of them had to have at least one experienced sailor present.

Abelseth had six years of sailing experience, a former fisherman, and he was offered a place in the next boat, but the man refused. This was because some of his relatives did not know how to swim, and Olaus Jorgensen decided to stay with them to take care of his family's survival. When the Titanic completely sank, and Olaus's relatives were nevertheless washed into the water, the man remained afloat in the cold ocean for a full 20 minutes until he was rescued. Once Abelseth was on the boat, he actively helped rescue other shipwreck victims by pumping out those frozen in the icy water.

7. Hugh Woolner and Maurits Björnström-Steffanszon – first class passengers

Hugh Woolner and Mauritz Björnström-Steffansson were sitting in the smoking lounge when they heard about the iceberg strike. The gentlemen escorted their friend to the lifeboats and helped the Titanic crew in organizing the loading of women and children into lifeboats. Hugh and Maurits were on the lower deck when they decided to jump into the last lifeboat while it was being lowered. Their jump was made 15 minutes before the final sinking of the Titanic, so it was a “now or never” attempt.

Björnström-Steffanszon successfully jumped into the boat, but Woolner was less fortunate and missed. However, the man managed to grab the edge of the boat, and his friend managed to hold Hugh while he was hanging over the ocean. Woolner was eventually helped into the boat. It was a rescue full of drama.

6. Charles Join - crew member (chief baker)

Most victims of the Titanic died from hypothermia (hypothermia) within 15 to 30 minutes in the icy water, but Charles Joughin is proof that every rule has its exceptions. Join was drunk when the ship hit the iceberg. Despite the emergency conditions and his drunken state, the baker greatly helped other drowning people by throwing deck chairs and chairs overboard the Titanic so that people would have something to grab onto and not drown. After the liner finally sank under the water, Charles drifted in the area of ​​the crash site for more than two hours until he was washed up on one of the rescue ships.

Survival experts attribute Join's success to the fact that alcohol raised his body temperature, and also to the fact that, as the baker himself claimed, he was careful not to plunge his head into icy water. Some critics have questioned whether the man was in the water that long, but the fact remains and Join has witnesses from the lifeboat.

5. Richard Norris Williams – First Class Passenger

Richard Norris Williams was traveling first class with his father, and together they sailed to a tennis tournament. After the iceberg collision, both of them remained calm, demanding the bar be opened, and spent some time at the gym. The Williamses even managed to help one passenger when they realized that this was not the time to be idle.

As a result, Richard had the opportunity to watch as his father was covered by a chimney and carried out to sea by one of the waves that washed a collapsible boat of the Collapsible A model into the ocean. It was one of the last 2 boats on board the sinking Titanic, and the crew did not physically have time to prepare both these life-saving equipment for boarding people and properly launching them into the water.

Later, on board the British steamer Carpathia, the first to come to the aid of the victims of the Titanic, doctors advised the surviving Norris to amputate both frostbitten legs. The athlete opposed the doctors’ recommendations, and contrary to the initial predictions of doctors, he not only did not lose his legs, but also restored their functionality. Moreover, the man returned to tennis and won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games. In addition, he was decorated for distinguished service in the First World War.

4. Rhoda "Rose" Abbott - Third Class Passenger

Everyone knows the naval rule of “women and children first,” but not everyone knows how strict it was. If a boy was over 13 years old, he was no longer considered a child. This did not suit third class passenger Rhoda Abbott, who was not going to give up her two sons, aged 13 and 16. Abbott gave up her place on the boat so she could stay with her children until the end. She was a woman of strong convictions, a member of the Christian humanitarian mission of the Salvation Army and a single mother. Rhoda grabbed each child's hand and together they jumped overboard the sinking ship.

Unfortunately, both of her sons drowned, and the mother-heroine surfaced without them. Like Richard Norris Williams, Rose clung to the side of the capsized Collapsible A. Her legs suffered from hypothermia almost as badly as the tennis player's legs. Abbott spent 2 weeks in the hospital, but this does not change the fact that she was the only woman to survive swimming in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean the night the Titanic sank.

3. Harold Charles Phillimore – crew member (steward)

The famous character of Rose Decatur, played by Kate Winslet in the James Cameron film (Rose Decatur, James Cameron, Kate Winslet), was fictional, but the prototype for this romantic story may have been the example of steward Harold Charles Phillimore.

The man was found clinging to floating debris amid a sea of ​​corpses as the last lifeboat arrived at the crash site in search of survivors. Phillimore shared part of a drifting wooden beam with another passenger, which in Cameron's story Rose Decatur did not do, allowing the love of her life to die of hypothermia. After his tragic shipwreck, Harold Phillimore continued his naval career, achieving outstanding success and earning medals for his service in the Navy during the First World War.

2. Harold Bride - representative of Marconi Wireless

Harold Bride was one of two telegraph operators for the British company Marconi Wireless, whose task was to provide communications between the ship's passengers and the mainland. Bride was also responsible for navigational messages and warnings from other vessels. At the time of the sinking, Harold and his colleague James Phillips were allowed to leave their post in order to escape as quickly as possible, but both of them kept the Titanic in touch with the rest of the world until the final minutes of the legendary steamer.

The telegraph operators worked until water began to fill their cabin. Then they realized that it was time to leave the ship. The colleagues boarded the last lifeboat, known as Collapsible B. Unfortunately, during the launch, it turned upside down, stranding all its passengers in the icy water. Harold Bride's feet were so frozen that he had difficulty climbing the rescue ladder aboard the British steamship Carpathia when it arrived at the scene of the accident to help the surviving victims.

On the way to his salvation, Harold swam past a dead body, which turned out to be his comrade James Phillips, who died that terrible night from hypothermia. Bride subsequently did not like to talk in public about what had happened because he was "deeply affected by the whole experience, especially the loss of his colleague and friend Jack Phillis."

1. Charles Lightoller – captain of the second rank

Charles Lightoller began his maritime career at the age of 13, and by the time he served on the Titanic as a captain second rank, he had seen a lot. Before landing a contract with the British shipping company White Star, which owned the giant steamship, Lightoller had already survived a shipwreck in Australia, a cyclone in the Indian Ocean, and hitchhiking from western Canada to England after participating in a failed gold prospecting in the Yukon. .

When the Titanic struck an iceberg, Lightoller was one of the first to launch lifeboats into the water. At approximately 2:00 (20 minutes before the liner completely sank), his superiors ordered him to get into the boat and save himself, to which Charles bravely replied something like this: “no, it’s damn unlikely that I will do that” (not damn likely).

He eventually found himself in the water, swam to the capsized Collapsible B, which we mentioned above, and helped maintain order and morale among the survivors. The officer made sure that the boat did not capsize again with all the passengers on board, and seated the people so that no one was washed away into the icy ocean.

Captain Second Rank Charles Lightoller was the very last person rescued to jump from the Titanic into the Atlantic Ocean, and he was lifted aboard the Carpathia almost four hours after rescuers from other ships appeared. In addition, he was the most senior among all surviving crew members, and, according to the charter, participated in hearings of the US Congress on the tragic sinking of the Titanic.