The Titanic

Shipbuilders referred to it as its build name or 801, but it was so popular that almost everyone knew its name. It was the largest, fastest, most luxurious ship of its time. It was called the Titanic, and the name fit. The Titanic was 883 feet long with 2 hulls of raw iron. Some people said the Titanic was unsinkable, but no one could have guessed that she would sink within the year.

The Titanic took 2 years to make, weighed 50,000 tons and was 11 stories tall. In April 1911, the Titanic floated for the first time. It would still need about a year until its maiden voyage, but it truly would be worth it.

The Titanic was supposed to sail from Southampton to New York. The trip would be about 2 days, so the Titanic would need a lot of food and even more coal. on April 14 1912, the Titanic set sail.

It was past midnight, and there were almost no waves so you couldn't see waves hitting the iceberg. Between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m, the lookout spotted a dark shadow right in the ship's path. He rung the bell 3 times and said, "iceberg ahead." 1st officer William Murdoch rapidly closed the bulkheads that block water but it was too late. The iceberg had punctured too many of the Titanic's 16 compartments and the Titanic would sink in less than 3 hours!!!

The original blueprint for the Titanic had more than enough lifeboats for everyone on board but builders were ordered to only build 20 lifeboats, only enough for half of the passengers so 1st class passengers could have more room to stroll around the deck. Captain Smith ordered women and children to get into the lifeboats but some women refused. Some people thought that the Titanic was still unsinkable, and getting into a lifeboat was just an order until the ship was righted. The mechanics tried to keep the lights on but eventually the lights went out, and the Titanic split in two. The bow (front of a ship) plummeted toward the sea floor and the stern (back of a ship) floated for a little bit longer and then slid underneath the sea.

Survivors couldn't believe that the Titanic had sank in less than 180 minutes. Some people didn't want to go to New York anymore. They just wanted to go home. When almost everyone had given up, they saw lights on the distance. The Carpathia had arrived!!!

Finally the Carpathia had arrived in New York. People were running up and down the deck hoping that their loved ones were still alive. Everyone wanted to know why the unsinkable Titanic had sunk.

The Titanic may remain in two pieces on the bottom of the ocean but it will sail endlessly on the edge of our imagination...haunting us forever.

Fun Facts

• The titanic's bell recovered after the ship sank, appears on display.
• A doorknob from the 1st class section of the ship was auctioned on 2012.
• The stewards keys are exhibited in England.
• A first class chandelier was found among the wreckage (gold).
• A diamond necklace which belonged to a passenger named Amy was recovered from the ship and auctioned.