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Titanic
The RMS Titanic was a British luxury ocean
liner that sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to
New York after it rammed an iceberg about 400 miles or 640 kilometers
south of Newfoundland, Canada.
Date and time: April 15, 1912, 2:20
AM
Jack Phillips, the ship's
wireless operator, sent a telegram when the Titanic started to go
down, reading
"We are sinking fast passengers being
put into boats"
Phillips' wire was picked up by the
Russian SS Birma. But the steamer wasn't close enough to
help.
The Tragedy
About 1,500 people and Jack Phillips lost their lives. The exact figure can't be determined.
Only 705 people survived.
Women and children travelling first
class were put on the boats first and almost all of them made it.
First-class passengers survived by 60%. Third-class passengers by
25%.
Onboard were about 2228 passengers and
crew. Lifeboats were only enough for half of them.
At the time of its construction, the Titanic was the world's largest
ship and officially declared unsinkable. The publicity was enormous,
hence the proportional shock and devastation.
The Wreck
In 1985 the ship was located at
41°46¢ N 50°14¢
W
TITANIC MAP
The Survivors
Laura Mabel Francatelli was one of the
survivors.
Read more about Laura, provided by Discovery News.
Another
survivor was famous Molly Brown.
Titanic Trivia
James Cameron made the story into a
movie,
Titanic, 1997.
Check out Voyages in History.
More History
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