Titanic Timeline
1867
-Thomas Henry Ismay purchases the White Star Line, a line of sailing
vessels, originally founded about 1850 - and mainly engaged in trade
centered on Australian goldfields.
1869
-Ismay forms the Oceanic Stream Navigation Company in order to
establish White Star as a high-class steamship service in the
Atlantic passenger trade.
1869-1870
-First ships built for White Star by Belfast shipbuilders Harland &
Wolff.
1891
-J. Bruce Ismay admitted to partnership of the White Star Line. He
takes over after his father's death in 1899.
1894
-William J. Pirrie becomes chairman of Harland & Wolff.
1898
-American author Morgan Robertson publishes the novel Futility in
which a British passenger liner called the Titan hits an iceberg and
sinks on her maiden voyage without enough lifeboats in the month of
April in the North Atlantic. The fictional ship is eerily similar to
the yet-to-be conceived Titanic in size, speed, equipment, numbers
of passengers (both rich and poor), and those lost.
1902
-The White Star Line purchased by the International Mercantile
Marine Company, a shipping trust headed by U.S. financier J.
Pierpont Morgan. While White Star ships will still fly the British
flag and carry British crews, the company is essentially controlled
by American interests.
1904
-J. Bruce Ismay, age 41, with Morgan's full support, becomes
president and managing director of International Mercantile Marine
with complete control. As well, Harland & Wolff chairman William J.
Pirrie becomes a director of Mercantile Marine.
1907
-At a dinner party in William J. Pirrie's London mansion, Ismay
discusses the construction of two huge ships (with a third to be
added later) to compete with the luxury, size, and speed of rival
lines. These ships are to be known as the Olympic class of liners,
and are intended specifically to beat out the Cunard Line for the
Atlantic luxury passenger trade.
1908
July 29: White Star owners, including Ismay, approve in principle
the design plan for the Olympic class ships prepared by builders
Harland & Wolff under direct supervision of Lord Pirrie, with the
assistance of his nephew Thomas Andrews.
July 31: A contract letter is signed for construction in the Belfast
shipyards of Olympic, Titanic, and a third sister ship (Britannic)
to follow. Ultimate decisions of design, equipment, and decoration
are to be made by J. Bruce Ismay. The size of Titanic will be 882
feet 9 inches long, 94 feet wide, and 100 feet high to the bridge
level. Final cost: £1,500,000 or approx. $7,500,000. New docks have
to accommodate the size of these ships. Harland & Wolff build
specially strengthened slips to take their weight, and a new gantry
under which the will be built.
December 16: Keel laid down for Harland & Wolff yard number 400 -
Olympic construction begins.
1909
March 31: Keel laid down for Harland & Wolff yard number 401 -
Titanic construction begins.
1910
October 20: Olympic hull successfully launched.
1911
May 31: Titanic hull successfully launched, witnessed by more than
100,000 people. At the time, (together with Olympic) she is the
largest man-made object ever moved. Twenty-two tons of tallow, soap,
and train oil are used to grease the slipway bed to coat and protect
against the enormous three-tons-per-square-inch pressure of the
freshly painted hull. Titanic towed by tugs to fitting-out basin.
Outfitting begins.
June: Olympic leaves on her maiden voyage.
July: First projected date agreed on by White Star and Harland &
Wolff for Titanic's maiden voyage - March 20, 1912.
September 20: Olympic (with Captain Edward J. Smith who would later
captain Titanic) has her hull badly damaged in collision with Royal
Navy cruiser Hawke. Titanic's maiden voyage delayed due to necessary
diversion of workers and materials to repair Olympic.
October 11: White Star officially announces new date for Titanic's
maiden voyage in the London Times - April 10, 1912.
1912
January: Sixteen wooden lifeboats are installed on Titanic under
Welin davits (designed to handle two or three boats). The original
designer, Alexander Carlisle (who was no longer in the employ of
Harland & Wolff) had suggested davits capable of carrying more
boats, but presented it as an economy measure, and not in the
interests of increased safety. Outdated British Board of Trade
regulations mean that Titanic's 20 lifeboats (including four
"collapsible" canvas-sided lifeboats) actually exceed requirements
by ten percent capacity.
February 3: Titanic successfully dry-docked at Belfast's Thompson
Graving Dock.
March: Engineering crew begins to assemble in Belfast, some actually
living on board ship.
March 25: Lifeboats are tested; swung out, lowered, and hoisted back
into position under davits.
March 31: Except for a few minor details in some passenger
staterooms, the outfitting of Titanic is complete. Her capacity
includes a size of 46,328 gross tons, with approximately 52,250 tons
of displacement, 46,000 horsepower with 29 boilers, 159 furnaces,
and funnels 73 feet above Boat Deck. She has three propellers and is
estimated to be able to make some 24 knots full speed (although this
is never put to the test). Although Titanic and her sister ship
Olympic are identical in dimensions, more staterooms and suites were
added to Titanic (plus structural additions) making her the heavier
of the two. Titanic is now the largest ship in the world.
April 1: Sea trials delayed due to high winds.
April 2 - 6:00 AM: Sea trials begin. Titanic assisted by two tugs
through Victoria Channel to Belfast Lough. All equipment tested,
including wireless. Speed and handling trials undertaken, including
various turning and stop-start maneuvers. Major stopping test
conducted: runs full ahead at 20 knots and then stops full astern.
2:00 PM: Running test conducted. She travels for about two hours
(about 40 miles) out into the open Irish Sea at an average speed of
18 knots, and then returns in two hours to Belfast. All tests meet
Board of Trade standards. Trials have lasted less than a day.
8:00 PM: Leaves Belfast (under Captain Bartlett) for overnight trip
to Southampton, her port of embarkation (about 570 miles).
April 3: Arrives port of Southampton just after midnight to begin
provisioning and staffing for maiden voyage.
April 5 - Good Friday: Titanic is "dressed" in panoply of flags and
pennants for a salute to the people of Southampton. Only occasion
she is ever "dressed."
April 6: Recruitment day for remainder, and majority, of crew.
General cargo begins to arrive. The final total cargo includes 559
tons and 11,524 separate pieces. As well, 5892 tons of coal are
loaded on board.
April 8: Fresh food supplies taken on board. All final preparations
overseen by ship's builder Thomas Andrews down to the tiniest
detail.
April 10, Wednesday - Sailing Day:
7:30 AM: Captain Edward J. Smith boards Titanic with full crew.
Officers have spent the night on board. Smith receives sailing
report from Chief Officer Wilde.
8:00 AM: Entire crew mustered, followed by brief lifeboat drill
using only two starboard boats, No's 11 and 15.
9:30 to 11:30 AM: Second-and-third-class boat-trains arrive and
passengers board ship.
11:30 AM: Arrival of first-class boat-train from London at dockside.
First-class passengers board and are escorted to cabins.
Noon: Titanic casts off and is towed from dock by tugs.
During downstream passage into River Test under her own steam, the
water displaced by Titanic's movement causes all six mooring ropes
on the New York to break and her stern to swing toward Titanic.
Quick action narrowly averts a collision by only four feet.
Departure delayed for an hour. This incident (along with the
Olympic-Hawke collision) indicates unfamiliarity with ships of this
size by those handling them.
1:00 PM: Titanic resumes 24-mile trip downstream to English Channel
en route to Cherbourg, France.
4:00 PM: Boat-train from Paris arrives Cherbourg. Late arrival
announced.
5:30 PM: Cherbourg - passengers finally board tenders and wait to be
ferried out to Titanic.
6:30 PM: Titanic rides at anchor in Cherbourg harbor, all lights
ablaze. Twenty-two cross-Channel passengers disembark, and some
cargo is unloaded.
8:00 PM: 274 Cherbourg passengers are all aboard and tenders return
to shore.
8:10 PM: Anchor raised and Titanic leaves for Queenstown, Ireland,
taking her through the English Channel and around England's south
coast.
April 11, Thursday morning: Captain Smith takes Titanic through some
additional practice turns en route to Queenstown to test
maneuverability.
11:30 AM: Titanic rides at anchor in Queenstown harbor, about two
miles from land. 113 third-class and seven second-class passengers
board from tenders with 1385 bags of mail. Seven passengers
disembark.
1:30 PM: The starboard anchor is raised for the last time and
Titanic departs on her first Trans-Atlantic crossing for New York.
Estimated total number of passengers on board: 2227. (Exact total
unknown due to
discrepancies in passenger/crew lists.)
April 11 to 12: Titanic covers 386 miles in fine, calm, clear
weather.
April 12 and 13: Titanic covers 519 miles. Fine weather continues.
Various ice warnings received, which is not uncommon for April
crossings.
April 13, 10:30 PM: Heavy ice pack warning signaled by passing
Rappahannock, which has sustained damage coming through the ice
field.
April 14, Sunday: 9:00 AM: Titanic picks up wireless message from
Caronia warning of field ice and icebergs in 42ºN, from 49º to 51ºW.
10:30 AM: Divine service held in first-class dining saloon.
11:40 AM: Dutch liner Noordam reports "much ice" in about the same
position as the Caronia.
Noon: As usual, the ship's officers gather on the wing of the
navigating bridge to calculate daily position with sextants: "Since
noon Saturday, 546 miles."
1:42 PM: Iceberg warning received via the Baltic and "large
quantities of field ice" in latitude 41º 51'N, longitude 49º 52' W
about 250 miles ahead of Titanic. Message delivered to Captain
Smith. Smith later gives it to J. Bruce Ismay, who puts it in his
pocket.
1:45 PM: "Large iceberg" warning received via German liner Amerika
(41º 27' N, 50º 8' W). Message not sent to the bridge.
5:30 to 7:30 PM: Air temperature drops ten degrees to 33ºF.
5:50 PM: Captain Smith alters ship's course slightly south and west
of normal course - possibly as a precaution to avoid ice.
6:00 PM: Second Officer Lightoller relieves Chief Officer Wilde on
the bridge.
7:15 PM: First Officer Murdoch orders forward forecastle hatch
closed to stop the glow from inside interfering with crow's nest
watch above.
7:30 PM: Three warning messages concerning large icebergs
intercepted from the Californian (42º 3' N, 49º 9' W). Message
delivered to bridge. Captain attending dinner party below. Ice now
only 50 miles ahead.
8:40 PM: Lightoller gives order to look after ship's fresh water
supply, as outside seawater is now close to freezing.
8:55 PM: Captain Smith excuses himself from dinner party, goes
directly to bridge, and discusses calm and clear weather conditions
with Lightoller, as well as visibility of icebergs at night.
9:20 PM: Captain Smith retires for the night with the order to rouse
him "if it becomes at all doubtful..."
9:30 PM: Lightoller sends message to crow's nest to watch carefully
for icebergs until morning.
9:40 PM: Heavy ice pack and iceberg warning received from the Mesaba
(lat. 42º N to 41º 25' N, long. 49º W to 50º 30' W). Message
overlooked. Wireless operators busy with passenger traffic.
Altogether the day's six ice warnings show a huge field of ice some
78 miles long directly ahead.
10:00 PM: Lightoller relieved on bridge by First Officer Murdoch.
Lookouts in crow's nest relieved. Warning to watch for icebergs
passed between the watches. Temperature is 32º F, sky cloudless, air
clear.
10:30 PM: Sea temperature down to 31º F.
10:55 PM: Some 10 to 19 miles north of Titanic, the Californian is
stopped in ice field, and sends out warnings to all ships in area.
When the Californian's wireless operator calls up Titanic, his ice
warning is interrupted by a blunt "Keep out! Shut up! You're jamming
my signal. I'm working Cape Race." The Californian's sole operator
listens in to Titanic's wireless traffic and then at 11:30 turns off
his set and retires for the night, as is the custom.
11:30 PM: Lookouts Fleet and Lee in crow's nest note slight haze
appearing directly ahead of Titanic.
11:40 PM: Titanic moving at 20½ knots. Suddenly, lookouts see
iceberg dead ahead about 500 yards away towering some 55-60 feet
above the water. They immediately sound the warning bell with three
sharp rings and telephone down to the bridge: "Iceberg right ahead."
Sixth Officer Moody on bridge acknowledges warning, relays message
to Murdoch who instinctively calls "hard-a-starboard" to helmsman
and orders engine room to stop engines and then full astern. Murdoch
then activates lever to close watertight doors below the waterline.
Helmsman spins wheel as far as it will go. After several seconds
Titanic begins to veer to port, but the iceberg strikes starboard
bow side and brushes along the side of the ship and passes by into
the night. The impact, although jarring to the crew down in the
forward area, is not noticed by many of the passengers. Thirty-seven
seconds have elapsed from sighting to collision.
11:50 PM: During first ten minutes after impact, water rises 14 feet
above the keel, forward. First five compartments begin to take on
water. Boiler room No. 6, five feet above keel, is flooded in eight
feet of water.
12:00 AM: Mail room, 24 feet above keel, begins taking enough water
to float mail bags. Following reports to Captain Smith, now on the
bridge, of water pouring into number 1, 2, and 3 holds, and boiler
room No. 6, and his own rapid tour to inspect damage with Thomas
Andrews, Smith asks Andrews for his assessment. Andrews calculates
the ship can stay afloat from one to two-and-a-half hours only. This
is based on the mathematical certainty that if more than four holds
are flooded, once a compartment fills with water, the water will
spill into the next compartment and so on. Titanic's bow begins to
sink. The ship is doomed. Captain Smith orders CQD distress call for
assistance sent out over ship's wireless. Titanic's estimated
position: 41º 46' N, 50º 14' W. Boilers shut down and relief pipes
against funnels blow off huge noisy clouds of steam.
April 15, Monday: 12:05 AM: Squash court, 32 feet above keel is
awash. Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats and to get the
passengers and crew ready on deck. Only enough room in the lifeboats
for 1,178 of the estimated 2,227 on board if every boat is filled.
12:10 to 1:50 AM: Several crew members on the Californian, some 10
to 19 miles away, see lights of a steamer. A number of attempts to
make contact with the ship with Morse lamp fail. Rockets are
observed, but as they appear so low over the ship's deck, and make
no sound, they do not seem like distress rockets, and no great
concern is taken. Distance between ships seems to increase until
they are out of sight of each other.
12:15 to 2:17 AM: Numerous ships hear Titanic's distress signals,
including her sister ship the Olympic, some 500 miles away. Several
ships, including Mount Temple (49 miles away), Frankfort (153
miles), Birma (70 miles), Baltic (253 miles), Virginian (170), and
Carpathia (58 miles) prepare at various times to come to assist.
12:15 AM: Band begins to play lively ragtime tunes in first-class
lounge on A Deck, later moving up to Boat Deck near port entrance to
Grand Staircase.
12:20 AM: Order given to start loading lifeboats with women and
children.
12:25 AM: Order given to start loading the lifeboats with women and
children first. The Carpathia, southeast some 58 miles, receives
distress call and immediately heads full speed to rescue.
12:45 AM: The first lifeboat, starboard No. 7, is safely lowered
away. It can carry 65 people, but leaves with 28 aboard. First
distress rocket fired. Eight rockets will be fired altogether.
Fourth Officer Boxhall observes vessel approach Titanic and then
disappear despite attempts to contact her with Morse lamp. Boat No.
4 begins loading between 12:30 and 12:45.
12:55 AM: First port-side boat No. 6 lowered with only 28 aboard,
including Molly Brown and Major Peuchen. Starboard No. 5 is lowered.
Ismay is chastised by Fifth Officer Lowe for interfering with his
command. (41 aboard - room for another 24.)
1:00 AM: Starboard boat No. 3 is lowered with only 32 aboard
including 11 crew.
1:10 AM: Starboard No. 5 is lowered (capacity 40) with only 12
aboard, including Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, and seven crew.
Port-side No. 8 loaded and lowered carrying only 39 people. It is
steered in the water by the Countess of Rothes.
1:15 AM: Water reaches Titanic's name on the bow and she now lists
to port. The tilt of the deck grows steeper. Boats now begin to be
more fully loaded.
1:20 AM: Starboard No. 9 leaves with some 56 people aboard. Titanic
has now developed a noticeable list to starboard.
1:25 AM: Port-side boat No. 12 is lowered with 40 women and children
on board. Two seamen are put in charge of boat. After Titanic sinks,
this boat is tied together with boats 4, 10, 14 and collapsible D.
Later on survivors are moved from boat 14 to the other boats by
Fifth Officer Lowe so he can return to pick up swimming passengers.
Boat 12 is subsequently overloaded with 70 passengers, many rescued
from collapsible D.
1:30 AM: Signs of panic begin to appear among some passengers on the
ship. As port-side boat 14 is lowered with 60 people, including
Fifth Officer Lowe, a group of passengers appears ready to jump in
the already full boat, and Lowe fires shots into the air to warn
them away. Titanic's distress calls now near desperation. "We are
sinking fast" and "Women and children in boats. Cannot last much
longer"
1:35 AM: Port-side No. 16 is lowered with over 50 people. Starboard
boat No. 13 leaves with 64 people, mostly second and third-class
women and children. Starboard boat No. 15 is lowered 30 seconds
later with 70 aboard and barely avoids collision with boat 13 as it
is lowered on top of No. 13. The latter pulls away in the water in
the nick of time.
1:40 AM: Most of the forward boats have now away, and passengers
begin to move to the stern area. Ismay leaves on collapsible C (39
aboard), the last starboard-side boat launched. The forward Well
Deck is awash.
1:45 AM: Last words heard from Titanic by the Carpathia on her way
to the rescue - "...Engine room full up to boilers..." Port-side
boat No. 3 is lowered and leaves with only 25 people. She can carry
40.
1:55 AM: John Jacob Astor, refused entry to port-side boat No. 4 by
Lightoller, sees his wife off safely as boat is lowered with 40
women and children and some crew aboard. In the rush, 20 places in
the boat are left empty.
2:00 AM: Water now only ten feet below Promenade Deck.
2:05 AM: There are now still over 1,500 people left on the sinking
ship. Collapsible D is one of the last boats left. It has room for
47 people. To prevent a rush on the boat, Lightoller waves (and
possible fires) his pistol into the air and crew members form a
circle around it, with arms locked together, and allow only women
and children aboard. The boat is lowered with 44 aboard. Titanic's
forecastle head sinks under water, the tilt of her decks growing
steeper.
2:10 AM: Captain Smith releases wireless operators from their
duties.
2:17 AM: Philips continues to send last radio message. Captain Smith
tells crew members, "It's every man for himself," and is seen
returning to the bridge, possibly to await the end. Thomas Andrews,
the ship's builder, is seen alone in the first-class smoking room
staring into space. Titanic's bow plunges under, enabling the
ensnared collapsible B to float clear upside down. Father Thomas
Byles hears confession and gives absolution to over one hundred
second and third-class passengers gathered at the aft end of the
Boat Deck. The ship's band stops playing. Many passengers and crew
jump overboard. Titanic's forward funnel collapses, crushing a
number of swimming passengers. Collapsible A now floats free and
about two dozen people in the water grab hold of it. It clears right
side up, but is swamped and dangerously overloaded. Lowe, in boat
No. 14, saves them just before dawn. Probably as many as half,
however, have died.
2:18 AM: A huge roar is heard as all moveable objects inside Titanic
crash toward the submerged bow. The ship's lights blink once and
then go out. Many survivors witness the ship break in two. The bow
half sinks.
2:20 AM: Titanic's broken-off stern section settles back into the
water, righting itself for a few moments. Slowly it fills with water
and again tilts its stern high into the air before slowly sinking
into the sea. Over 1,500 souls are lost in the "greatest maritime
disaster in history."
3:30 AM: The Carpathia's rockets sighted by lifeboats. Her normal
speed is 14½ knots, but she has raced to the rescue at a shuddering
17½ knots.
4:10 AM: First boat, No. 2, is picked up by the Carpathia. Ice float
all about the disaster area amid debris from Titanic.
5:30 AM: The Californian advised by the Frankfort of the loss of
Titanic and makes for the disaster area.
5:30 to 6:30 AM: Collapsible A survivors rescued by boat No. 14, and
collapsible B by boats 4 and 12.
8:30 AM: Last boat, No. 12, picked up by the Carpathia. Lightoller
is the last survivor to come on board. The Californian arrives at
side of the Carpathia, and then steams through disaster area to
undertake final check for survivors.
8:50 AM: The Carpathia leaves area bound for New York. She carries
705 survivors. An estimated 1,522 souls have been lost. Ismay wires
White Star New York offices: "Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank
this morning after collision with iceberg, resulting in serious loss
of life. Full particulars later."
April 17: Hired by White Star, the Mackay-Bennett leaves Halifax to
search for bodies at disaster site.
April 18, 9:00 PM: Carpathia arrives New York. She outruns hordes of
newspaper reporters in boats clamoring for news. As the Carpathia
passes Statue of Liberty, 10,000 people are on hand to watch.
Titanic's lifeboats hang at her sides. She passes the Cunard pier
(no. 54) and steams on up-river to the White Star piers, there to
lower Titanic's boats. The Carpathia then returns to the Cunard pier
to finally unload the survivors.
April 19 to May 25: Inquiry into the Titanic disaster undertaken by
United States Senate Inquiry, headed by Senator William A. Smith.
Eighty-two witnesses are called.
April 22: White Star sends the Minia out from Halifax to help
overtaxed Mackay-Bennett, which has picked up 306 bodies. The Minia
finds only another 17 after a week-long search.
April 24: As Titanic's sister ship Olympic is about to leave
Southampton, her "black gang" (stokers) go out on strike. They will
not work on a ship that does not carry enough lifeboats. 285 crew
desert ship, and the Olympic's voyage is canceled.
May 6: White Star sends out the Montmagny from Sorel, Quebec, to
help search for bodies. Recovers four.
May 15: White Star sends out the Algerina from St. John's,
Newfoundland. Recovers only one body. Altogether the White
Star-commissioned ships find a total of 328 bodies.
May 2 to July 3: British Board of Trade Inquiry is conducted. 25,622
questions are asked of 96 witnesses, including such expert witnesses
as the inventor of radio, Marconi, and the explorer Sir Ernest
Shackleton regarding ice and icebergs. The only passenger witnesses
are Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon and J. Bruce Ismay. Other
witnesses include Captain Lord of the Californian, Lightoller who
endures 1,600 questions alone, members of the crew, the ship's
owners, and the members of the British Board of Trade. The final
judgment recommends "more watertight compartments in ocean-going
ships, the provision of lifeboats for all on board, as well as a
better lookout."
1913
April: International Ice Patrol created to guard sea lanes of North
Atlantic under direction of U.S. Coast Guard.
1914
February: Titanic's second sister ship, Britannic, is launched.
1916
November: Britannic, converted to a hospital ship, is sunk by German
mines.
1929
November 18: The Grand Banks Earthquake is thought to have triggered
a huge underwater mudslide which some feel may have buried wreck of
Titanic in same vicinity.
1935
After 24 years of safe and reliable service, including war service
carrying troops, and four major refittings, Olympic is retired. She
has crossed the Atlantic 500 times, steamed a million and a half
miles, and earned the nickname "Old Reliable."
1980
July: U.S. entrepreneur and explorer Jack Grimm funds scientific
expedition which sets out to locate wreck of Titanic. Dogged by bad
weather and equipment malfunction, expedition fails to find Titanic.
1981
June: Jack Grimm's second sets out to locate Titanic, but again
fails to find the wreck.
1983
July: Third and final expedition funded by Jack Grimm fails to find
Titanic.
1985
September 1: Franc-American scientific expedition led by Dr. Rober
Ballard finally discovers and photographs remains of the wreck of
Titanic at a depth of 12,460 feet on the ocean floor.
1986
July: Dr. Ballard returns to Titanic with a second expedition.
Landing the submersible Alvin on her decks, he explores and
photographs the entire wreck and debris field in detail.
1987
The U.S. Congress moves to make Titanic an international memorial. A
French expedition recovers approximately 900 artifacts from the
Titanic wreck.
1995
Director James Cameron begins production on a movie based on the
disaster starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.