At noon on April 10, 1912, the Titanic prepared to cast off under the command of Captain Edward J Smith. Captain Smith was the most popular of all White Star Line officers, and was commonly known as “EJ”. After completing the maiden voyage of the Titanic, Captain Smith was planning to retire.
A near accident marred the beginning of the Titanic’s journey. While being towed away from her Southampton berth by tugboats, the Titanic nearly collided with a smaller ship, the New York. A quick turn by Captain Smith, along with swift intervention by the tugboat Vulcan, prevented a dangerous crash.
Despite this mishap, it was a happy leave-taking, and thousands of people had gathered on the quay to see the ship off. That evening, the ship arrived in Cherbourg, France, to pick up more passengers. Then the Titanic steamed towards Queenstown, Ireland, scheduled as its final stop before going to New York City. There were now an estimated 2,200 passengers and crew members aboard.
On Thursday, April 11 the Titanic finally headed out to the open sea. The weather was beautiful, if cold, and the early days of the voyage were uneventful. The atmosphere aboard the ship was cheerful and at ease. Passengers spent most of their time eating fantastic meals, relaxing, and exploring the ship.
Then disaster struck on the night of April 14, 1912. The seas were remarkably calm, but before retiring for the night, Captain Smith instructed First Officer Murdoch to watch out for ice and “alert him” right away if anything happened.
At 11.40 p.m., Lookout Frederick Fleet saw a huge iceberg loom up out of nowhere. He instantly alerted the officers on the bridge. With barely 30 seconds to make a decision, Officer Murdoch ordered “hard a-starboard!” and tried to steer out of the way, but the starboard side of the Titanic scraped violently against the iceberg. Metal tore, rivets popped, and water began rushing through the hull of the ship. It had been a glancing, but ultimately fatal, blow.
Captain Smith instantly came to the bridge and summoned ship designer Thomas Andrews to go below and inspect the damage with him. Andrews came to the quick – and tragic – realization that the Titanic would sink within the next hour or two.
In the meantime, most of the passengers and crew were unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Many passengers noticed a slight “bump” or “jarring” or “scraping”, and some were even awakened from a sound sleep. But since they assumed the Titanic was unsinkable, almost no one was terribly concerned.
Around midnight, Captain Smith gave orders to uncover the lifeboats and load the women and children first. There were over 2,200 people aboard, and at full occupancy the lifeboats could carry only 1,178. Captain Smith and his fellow crew members tried very hard to keep this information from the passengers, to prevent panic. In order to keep up morale, the band, led by Wallace Hartley, began to play. With total disregard for their own safety, they continued to play on the Boat Deck until the very end.
Wireless operators Phillips and Bride were busy sending out “CQD” and “SOS” distress signals. Many ships responded, although most of them were too far away to be able to help. The Carpathia, about 58 miles away, immediately began rushing to the rescue, but it would take her several hours to arrive. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the disaster concerns a nearby ship, the Californian. She may have been as close as four or five miles away, although the exact distance has never been established. Her radio operator had gone to bed, so she never got the distress calls – nor did she respond to the distress rockets the Titanic began shooting into the sky.
Throughout the night, the Titanic’s passengers and crew members were – with very few exceptions – remarkably brave in the face of danger. Men routinely stepped back and gave up their lives in order to save women and children. In some cases, wives stayed behind with their husbands in a courageous example of the “till death do us part” marriage promise. There are many wild legends of officers firing guns to keep frantic passengers at bay, and men dressing as women in order to sneak on to boats but there is really no way of knowing exactly what occurred. White Star Managing Director Bruce Ismay took a place in one of the last available boats, and was condemned as a coward for the rest of his life.
Once the last lifeboats were gone, there were still about 1,500 people aboard the Titanic – almost all of whom were now doomed. The bow was completely underwater, and the ship was sinking rapidly. Captain Smith told his crew that they had performed nobly, and that it was “every man for himself”. He was never seen again. During all of this, the band kept playing. Their selfless devotion to duty is one of the most inspiring stories to come out of the tragedy.
At about 2.15 a.m., the ship snapped in two and the bow slipped under water. Slowly, the stern of the ship began to rise up into the air. The front funnel broke off and slammed into the water, crushing a number of people who were trying to swim away. The stern stood up in the air until it was almost exactly perpendicular, and then it, too, disappeared beneath the water’s surface.
Even though many of the lifeboats had room for more people, only one made a point of going back to pick up survivors. That boat found only four people left alive, one of whom died later.
At about 4.30 a.m., the Carpathia steamed up, after a risky journey through dangerous fields of ice. Her commander, Captain Rostron, demonstrated astonishing seamanship and grace under pressure. The survivors were brought onboard, and the Carpathia set sail for New York City. Just over 700 people survived, while more than 1,500 perished.
A whole century later, the night the Titanic sank is remembered as one of darkness and courage, nobility and despair. For the most part, the very best of humanity was on display – with the very worst of results. It is a night that will never be forgotten.
Timeline
1898 A writer named Morgan Robertson publishes a story called “Futility”. It is a prophetic tale about a ship, named the Titan, that hits an iceberg and sinks on its very first voyage. The ship does not have enough lifeboats, and many of its passengers die.
1907 The International Mercantile Marine Company, known as IMM, is being run by J Bruce Ismay, who controls the White Star Line of ships. He and William J Pirrie, head of a construction company called Harland and Wolff, decide to build two new ships, the Titanic and the Olympic.
1909 Construction begins on the Titanic at a Harland and Wolff site located in Belfast, Ireland.
May 31, 1911 The Titanic is launched for the first time.
January 1912 Sixteen lifeboats are installed on the Titanic. She has the capacity to handle many more, but the law in Britain does not require them. The Titanic is also provided with four collapsible lifeboats.
March 31, 1912 The Titanic is fully outfitted and ready to commence her maiden voyage as the largest and most luxurious ship ever built.
April 2, 1912 Tests (known as sea trials) are conducted on the Titanic. They are completed in about half a day. That evening, the ship departs for Southampton, England.
April 3, 1912 Cargo and supplies are loaded on to the ship in Southampton, and the first crew members are hired.
April 6, 1912 The rest of the crew is hired, many of them local residents of Southampton.
Wednesday, April 10, 1912
7.30 a.m. Captain Edward J Smith, who will command the ship, boards the Titanic.
8.00 a.m. Two lifeboats are tested in a short drill.
9.30–11.00 a.m. Second- and third-class (also known as steerage) passengers begin to board the ship.
11.30 a.m. Boarding begins for first-class passengers.
Noon The Titanic sets out on its maiden voyage, but is delayed by a near collision with a much smaller ship, the New York.
6.30 p.m. The Titanic arrives at her first stop, Cherbourg, France, and almost 300 more passengers are ferried to the ship. She is an hour late.
8.10 p.m. The Titanic heads for its next stop – Queenstown, Ireland.
Thursday, April 11, 1912 The Titanic ha
s travelled 386 uneventful miles in near-perfect weather.
Saturday, April 13, 1912 The superb weather continues, and the Titanic completes another 519 miles.
10.30 p.m. Another ship, the Rappahannock, sends a warning of severe ice.
Sunday, April 14, 1912
9.00 a.m. An ice warning is received from the Caronia.
11.40 a.m. Another ice warning comes from the Noordam.
1.42 p.m. Yet another ice warning is sent by the Baltic.
1.45 p.m. Still another ice warning arrives, from the Amerika.
7.30 p.m. Three iceberg warnings are sent by the Californian.
9.20 p.m. Captain Smith goes to bed, ordering Second Officer Lightoller to wake him if there are any problems.
9.40 p.m. Another ice warning comes in, this time from the Mesaba.
10.00 p.m. First Officer William Murdoch relieves Lightoller on the bridge.
10.55 p.m. The Californian, only a few miles away, tries to send another ice warning, but the overworked Titanic telegraph operator tells them to “Shut up!”
11.30 p.m. The telegraph operator on the Californian signs off for the night.
11.40 p.m. Titanic lookouts Fleet and Lee spot a large iceberg in the calm ocean and call down to the bridge. Officer Moody tells them, “Thank you.” Officer Murdoch, who is currently in charge, is unable to steer out of the way, and the starboard side of the ship is torn open in the resulting crash.
11.50 p.m. The first five compartments of the ship are filling with water, as is Boiler Room 6. (A stubborn coal fire that raged in the Boiler Room may have weakened its strength.)
Monday, April 15, 1912
Midnight Captain Smith and Thomas Andrews, the builder of the ship, go on a quick tour to inspect the damage. Andrews estimates that the Titanic will sink within two hours. Captain Smith has distress calls sent to nearby ships with the message that the Titanic is going down and is in desperate need of help. Responses begin to come in from everyone except the nearby Californian. Initially, Operators Phillips and Bride use the traditional “CQD” signal. Later, they switch to the new “SOS”.
12.05 a.m. Captain Smith orders that the lifeboats be readied and that all passengers put on their life belts. If fully loaded, the lifeboats can carry only 1,178 people. There are approximately 2,200 people on board the Titanic.
12.15 a.m. The Titanic’s band begins to play “lively” music to help prevent a panic.
12.25 a.m. The lifeboats begin to be loaded with women and children.
12.45 a.m. The first lifeboat – Lifeboat 7 – is lowered away, holding only 28 passengers. It has room for 65. Simultaneously, the first distress rocket is fired, as the Titanic’s officers try to get the attention of a ship (thought to be the Californian) that they can see in the distance.
12.55 a.m. Lifeboat 7 leaves, with Lifeboat 5 soon to follow. The boats are still not fully loaded.
1.00 a.m. Lifeboat 3 leaves.
1.10 a.m. Lifeboat 1 leaves. It has only 12 passengers aboard. It can hold 40.
1.15 a.m. The Titanic is visibly sinking.
1.20 a.m. Lifeboat 9 leaves, more fully loaded than any boat so far, but still not filled to capacity.
1:25 a.m. Lifeboat 12 leaves.
1:30 a.m. Lifeboat 14 leaves.
1.35 a.m. Lifeboat 13 leaves.
1.40 a.m. Collapsible Boat C leaves, with J Bruce Ismay boarding at the last minute. He is later heavily criticized for this.
1.45 a.m. The Titanic sends out its final message to the Carpathia. Lifeboat 2 leaves.
1.55 a.m. Lifeboat 4 leaves.
2.05 a.m. Almost all of the lifeboats have gone. Collapsible Boat D is being loaded with women and children.
2.17 a.m. Captain Smith releases the crew from their duties and tells them to try to save themselves, since nothing more can be done. Collapsibles A and B are washed overboard by the rushing water. Later on, survivors will cling to them.
2.20 a.m. The Titanic sinks. Approximately 1,500 people – passengers and crew – die in the disaster.
3.30 a.m. Lifeboats spot rockets being fired by the Carpathia, which is speeding to the rescue.
4.10 a.m. The Carpathia picks up passengers from the first lifeboat it encounters, Lifeboat 2.
8.30 a.m. After several hours of rescue work, the final lifeboat, Lifeboat 12, is picked up. At the same time – hours too late to help – the Californian appears.
8.50 a.m. The Carpathia sets out for New York City with an estimated 705 survivors aboard.
April 18, 1912 The Carpathia arrives in New York.
April 19–April 25, 1912 Under the committee leadership of Senator William Smith, the United States Senate conducts hearings to investigate the sinking.
May 2–July 3, 1912 A similar inquiry, run by British authorities, takes place in England, attempting without much success to assess blame for the disaster.
April 1913 The International Ice Patrol is formed in the hope of preventing another tragedy like the Titanic. It is administered by the United States Coast Guard.
November 1955 A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord, is published. Almost 50 years later, it is still considered the best book ever written about the Titanic.
September 1, 1985 American scientist Dr Robert Ballard and his crew, along with French scientist Jean-Louis Michel, discover the wreck, lying more than three kilometres below the ocean’s surface.
July 1986 Dr Ballard explores the wreck and takes underwater photographs of it.
There have been a number of dives since Dr Ballard’s discovery. Crews have recovered everything from dishes to clothing to furniture.
December 1997 James Cameron releases his $200 million epic film version of Titanic. It scoops eleven Oscars and captures the world’s imagination, reawakening interest in the disaster.
July 1998 The big piece – a twenty tonne section of the hull is the largest artifact to ever be raised from the wreck.
May 2009 Millvina Dean, the last of the 700 survivors, dies at the age of 97.
April 2012 The centenary of the sinking of the Titanic will be marked by many new publications, exhibitions, and two major television dramas.
For Holly.
While the events described and some of the characters in this book may be based on actual historical events and real people, Margaret Anne Brady is a fictional character, created by the author, and her diary and its epilogue are works of fiction.
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Published in the US by Scholastic Inc, 1998
First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2001
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Text © Ellen Emerson White, 2001
Cover illustration © Richard Jones, 2008
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