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For other uses, see Titanic (disambiguation).

Career United Kingdom
The RMS Titanic departing Southampton, April 10, 1912. (The large amount of smoke is from the three tugboats Hector, Ajax & Vulcan.)
Class and type:	Olympic-class ocean liner
Ordered:	1907
Builder:	Harland and Wolff shipyard, Belfast, Ireland
Laid down:	31 March 1909
Launched:	31 May 1911
Christened:	Not christened, as per White Star Line practice
Status:	Sunk struck iceberg at 23:40 (ship\'s time) on 14 April 1912 sank the next day at 2:20. After seventy-three years, the wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, 12,500 feet (3,800 m) beneath the North Atlantic at 41 degrees 43\' 32"N, 49 degrees 56\' 49"W.
Homeport:	Liverpool
General characteristics
Displacement:	52,310 L/T
Length:	882 feet 9 inches (269 m)
Beam:	92 feet 6 inches (28 m)
Draught:	34 feet 7 inches (10.5 m)
Propulsion:	25 double-ended and 4 single-ended Scotch boilers at 215 psi. Two four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating engines each producing 15,000 hp (12 MW) at a speed of 75 rpm for two outboard wing propellers. One low-pressure (about 7 psi absolute) steam turbine producing 16,000 hp (13.5 MW) for the centre propeller at 165 rpm. Total 46,000 hp at 75 rpm; 59,000 hp at 83 rpm (37 MW).Mark Chirnside (2004). The \'Olympic\' Class Ships: Olympic, Titanic and Britannic. Tempus Publishing. Page 72. Book\'s Webpage Two bronze triple-blade wing propellers. One bronze quadruple-blade central propeller
Speed:	– service speed: 21 knots (40.6 km/h) (24.5 mph) – top speed: 23 knots (42.6 km/h) (26.5 mph)
Capacity:	3,547
Complement:	2,208 (maiden voyage) First-class: 324 Second-class: 285 Third-class: 708 Crew: 891 Survivors: 712 (estimate)

The RMS Titanic was a British Olympic-class ocean liner, owned by the White Star Line, that struck an iceberg on April 14 1912 and sank on the morning of April 15 1912 during her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to New York. Estimates vary, but approximately 1,520 people perished in the sinking which ranks as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history.Wels, Susan (1997). Titanic: Legacy of the world\'s greatest ocean liner. San Francisco, California, United States: Tehabi Books Inc., 11. The resulting media frenzy, the discovery of the wreck in 1985, and the box office successes of three major films and one broadway musical have perpetuated the fame. The great loss of life resulted in improved safety standards at sea, and affected many aspects of maritime law.

Building and design

In the early part of the 20th century, White Star Line was competing with rival Cunard Line, which dominated the luxury niche for Atlantic transit with the large and opulent vessels Lusitania and Mauretania, the largest and fastest liners afloat.

White Star ordered three ships to provide a weekly express service, with the goal of dominating the transatlantic travel business. The Olympic and Titanic at 882 feet long were larger, but not as fast as the Cunard liners. The third ship was slightly larger and delivered later due to the modifications after the loss of the Titanic, the Gigantic was renamed prior to launching to HMHS Britannic. These larger ships offered greater amenities than the Cunard sister ships.

Built at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland,Harland and Wolff. Titanic was designed by Harland and Wolff Chairman William Pirrie, head designer Thomas Andrews, and General Manager Alexander Carlisle, with the plans regularly sent to the White Star Line\'s Managing Director J. Bruce Ismay for suggestions and approval. Construction of the Titanic, funded by the American J. P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co. began on 31 March 1909. Titanic No. 401 was launched two years and two months later on 31 May 1911. Titanic\'s outfitting was completed on 31 March the following year.

Size comparison with a human, car, bus, and an Airbus A380.

RMS Titanic off the Isle of Wight on April 10 1912.

RMS Titanic 1912

Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269 m) long and 92 feet 6 inches (28 m) at the beam.titanic statistics and dimensions. She had a Gross Register Tonnage of 46,328 tons, and a height from the water line to the boat deck of 60 feet (18 m).titanic statistics and dimensions. Her three propellers were driven by two four-cylinder, triple-expansion, inverted reciprocating steam engines and one low-pressure Parsons turbine.Technical facts about the Titanic. Steam was provided by 25 double-ended and 4 single-ended Scotch-type boilers fired by 159 coal burning furnaces that made possible a top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h).RMS Titanic Facts & Figures. Only three of the four 63 foot (19 m) tall funnels were functional; the fourth, which served only as a vent, was added to make the ship look more impressive.Titanic\'s funnels. Titanic could carry a total of 3,547 passengers and crew and given the prefix RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) as she carried mail.

She was thought by The Shipbuilder magazine to be "practically unsinkable."Titanic - unsinkable. Titanic had a double-bottom hull, containing 44 tanks for boiler water and ballast to keep the ship safely trimmed and balanced at sea.TRMA Tech Feature of the Month: Titanic\'s Double Bottom. Titanic Research & Modeling Association. TMcom (June 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-21. (Later ships also had a double-walled hull). Titanic exceeded the lifeboat standard, with twenty lifeboats, though not enough for all passengers. Titanic was divided into sixteen compartments. Dividing doors were held up in the open position by electro-magnetic latches that could be closed by a switch on the ship\'s bridge and by a float system installed on the door itself.Titanic\'s bulkheads & watertight compartments.

Fixtures and fittings

The Grand Staircase of the Olympic: identical to the Titanic\'s first class section.

In her time, Titanic surpassed all rivals in luxury and opulence. She offered an on-board swimming pool, a gymnasium, a Turkish bath, libraries in both the first and second-class, and a squash court.RMS Titanic facts. First-class common rooms were adorned with elaborate wood panelling, expensive furniture and other decorations.Titanic:A voyage of discovery. In addition, the Café Parisien offered cuisine for the first-class passengers, with a sunlit veranda fitted with trellis decorations.Titanic-construction.

The ship incorporated technologically advanced features for the period. She had an extensive electrical subsystem with steam-powered generators and ship-wide electrical wiring feeding electric lights. She also boasted two wireless Marconi sets, including a powerful 1,500-watt radio manned by operators who worked in shifts, allowing constant contact and the transmission of many passenger messages.Wireless and the Titanic.

Comparisons with the Olympic

The Titanic closely resembled her older sister Olympic, but there were a few differences. Two of the most noticeable were that half of the Titanic\'s forward promenade A-Deck (below the boat deck) was enclosed against outside weather, and her B-Deck configuration was different from the Olympic. The Titanic had a specialty restaurant called Café Parisien, a feature that the Olympic did not have until 1913. Some of the flaws found on the Olympic, such as the creaking of the aft expansion joint, were corrected on the Titanic. The skid lights that provided natural illumination on A-deck were round; while on Olympic they were oval. The Titanic\'s wheelhouse was made narrower and longer than the Olympic\'s.Titanic\'s Blueprints [Roy Mengot] db-09 These, and other modifications, made the Titanic 1,004 gross tons larger than the Olympic and thus the biggest active ship in the world during its maiden voyage in April 1912.

Passengers and crew

Main articles: List of passengers on board RMS Titanic and List of crew members on board RMS Titanic

Crew

The Titanic was commanded by Commodore Edward John Smith, the White Star Line\'s most senior captain. The chief officer was to be William Murdoch, but he was demoted to first officer after Smith brought with him his chief officer from the Olympic, Henry T. Wilde.

The rest of the ship\'s officers were Second Officer Charles Lightoller, Third Officer Herbert Pitman, Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe and Sixth Officer James Moody.

Passengers

Second-class passengers included journalist Lawrence Beesley,Mr Lawrence Beesley. Encyclopedia Titanica. Father Thomas R.D. Byles, a Catholic priest on his way to the United States to officiate at his younger brother\'s weddingFr Thomas R.D. Byles. Encyclopedia Titanica. and Michel Navratil, a Frenchman who had kidnapped his two sons, Michel Jr. and Edmond.Mr Michel Navratil. Encyclopedia Titanica. Both J. P. Morgan and Milton S. HersheyHinkle, Marla, "Behind The Chocolate Curtain." The Morning News, February 8, 2004. had plans to travel on the Titanic but cancelled their reservations before the voyage.

In 2007, scientists using DNA analysis identified the body of an unknown child recovered after the incident as Sidney Leslie Goodwin, a 19-month-old boy from England. Goodwin, along with his parents and five siblings, boarded in Southampton, England as third-class passengers."Scientists Finally Solve Titanic Mystery", Associated Press, August 3, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Buried in a small plot in a Halifax cemetery, the baby was a poignant symbol of the children who perished on the vessel when it sank in 1912. In 2002, it seemed the mystery was solved; Canadian researchers said he was a thirteen-month-old Finnish boy. However, on Tuesday, a lead researcher said the child was actually the 19-month-old boy from England."

Disaster

Main article: Sinking of the RMS Titanic

Photograph of an iceberg in the vicinity of the RMS Titanic’s sinking taken on April 15 1912 by the chief steward of the liner Prinz Adelbert.

New York Times front page April 15 1912.

On April 10 1912, the Titanic departed from Southampton, England and travelled to Cherbourg, France where many first-class passengers boarded. On April 11 1912, the Titanic left Cherbourg en route to Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland where the Titanic picked up the majority of its third-class passengers. On April 12 1912, the Titanic sailed on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and was due to arrive at Pier 59 in New York City on Wednesday April 17 1912.

On the night of April 14, at 11:40 p.m., the Titanic struck an iceberg; just under three hours later, at 2:20 AM, on April 15 1912 the ship sank."Biggest Liner Plunges to the Bottom at 2:20 AM", New York Times, 16 April 1912. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. "The White Star liner Olympic reports by wireless this evening that the Cunard “Carpathia” reached, at daybreak this morning, the position from which wireless calls for help were sent out last night by the Titanic after her collision with an iceberg." The United States Senate investigation reported that 1,517 "Titanic" Disaster. Report of the Committee on Commerce. United States Senate. Washington: Government Printing Office. Retrieved on 2007-01-21. “See table Summary of Passengers and Survivors.” people perished in the accident, while the British investigation has the number at 1,490. (1912-07-30) Report on the loss of the S.S. Titanic, 69-70. Retrieved on 2007-01-21. “The most widely reported loss of life was 1,523. The inquiry was presented with twenty-six questions by the Board of Trade. Question 21 asked how many were saved (rather than how many were killed). A table in the answer gives "total on board saved" as 711 out of 2,201, implying that 1490 were killed. The answer also explains that 712 were rescued from Titanic\'s boats by the crew of Carpathia, but that one person died before Carpathia arrived at New York, leaving 711 survivors.” Regardless, the disaster ranks as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history, and is by far the best known. The media frenzy about the Titanic\'s famous victims, the legends about what happened on board the ship, the resulting changes to maritime law, Walter Lord\'s 1955 non-fiction account A Night to Remember, the discovery of the wreck in 1985 by a team led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel, and the box office success of the 1997 film Titanic (the highest-grossing film in history as of 2007) have sustained the Titanic\'s fame.

Contributing factors

Speed

The conclusion of the British Inquiry into the sinking was “that the loss of the said ship was due to collision with an iceberg, brought about by the excessive speed at which the ship was being navigated."Final Report of the British Board of Trade Inquiry At the time of the collision, it is thought that the Titanic was at her normal cruising speed of about 22 knots,British Inquiry - Testimony of JG Boxhall -Fourth Officer - ss "Titanic", Q15645 which was less than her top speed of around 24 knots. It was then common (but not universal) practice to maintain normal speed in areas where icebergs were expected.British Inquiry – Testimony of G Affeld, Marine Superintendent Red Star Line Q22583 & Q25615/16 It was assumed that any iceberg large enough to damage the ship would be seen in sufficient time to be avoided. After the sinking, the British Board of Trade introduced regulations instructing vessels to moderate their speed if they were expecting to encounter icebergs. The allegation that J. Bruce Ismay instructed or encouraged Captain Edward Smith to increase speed in order to make an early landfall is a common feature in popular representations of the disaster. There is no reliable evidence for this having happened.Paul Louden-Brown "The White Star Line; An Illustrated History 1869-1934"

Lifeboats

There were not enough lifeboats for all of the people on board. The most recent law required a minimum of sixteen lifeboats with capacity for 962 occupants for ships weighing 10,000 tons or larger. This law was enacted in 1894 when the largest emigrant steamer was the 12,952-ton Lucania; eighteen years later, the 52,000-ton Titanic had room for 3,547 passengers. Titanic had four extra collapsible lifeboats, bringing total lifeboat capacity to 1,178.TIP | British Wreck Commissioner\'s Inquiry | Report | Board of Trade\'s Administration

In the busy North Atlantic sea lanes, it was expected that the emergency response from other vessels would be rapid and the lifeboats would only be used to ferry people between vessels, with boats from the rescuing vessels available as well. Full provisioning of lifeboats was not considered necessary. In anticipation of stricter standards from the British Board of Trade, davits capable of handling up to four boats per pair of davits were designed by Alexander Carlisle and installed to give a total potential capacity of 64 boats. Testimony of Alexander Carlisle at British Inquiry; however, the additional boats were never fitted. Harold Sanderson, Vice President of International Mercantile Marine denied that this was done to reduce costs during the British Inquiry.Testimony of Harold Sanderson at British Inquiry - Question #19398

Swifter action might have saved lives. After the collision, one hour was spent evaluating damage and making decisions before lowering the first lifeboat. Two teams, one on each side of the ship efficiently launched all sixteen lifeboats in eighty minutes. However, some boats were launched with far less than capacity, the most notable being lifeboat #1, with a capacity of forty, launched with only twelve people aboard. Included in the first launched were lifeboats 6, 7, and 8, each of which were equipped to hold sixty-five but were launched with only twenty-eight on board each boat.Robin Gardener & Dan van der Vat, The Riddle of the Titanic (London: Orion 1995) p136 It is speculated that fear of small boats and over confidence in the ship\'s ability to remain afloat led to delays in boarding the lifeboats.^{[original research?]}

Chivalry by passengers during the lifeboat evacuation led to the expression "Women and children first" becoming synonymous with the TitanicLogan Marshall (2004). Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters. ISBN 1419147358. Retrieved on 2008-02-27. , despite the fact that the practice originated 60 years earlier with the sinking of HMS Birkenhead.

Actions taken on bridge

The memorial to the Titanic\'s engineers in Southampton.

It is possible that if Titanic had not altered its course, but reversed its engines and had run head-on into the iceberg, the damage would only have affected the first or first two compartments. The ship had three propellers; reciprocating steam engines drove the outboard propellers, and a steam turbine drove the centre propeller. The reciprocating engines were reversible, but the turbine was not; however, reversing the rotation was not instantaneous and may not have been possible in the short time between sighting and impact. Encyclopedia Titanica, http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic_prime_mover.html#_ftnref13

The liner SS Arizona had such a head-on collision with an iceberg in 1879 and, although badly damaged, managed to make it to St John\'s, Newfoundland for repairs, though Titanic\'s speed was higher than Arizona\'s.

Faults in construction or substandard materials

Women\'s Titanic Memorial in Washington, D.C..

Hull breaching with failed rivets

Soon after the discovery of the wreck site, scientists, naval architects, and marine engineers began questioning how faulty design features and poorly manufactured materials may have played a role in her sinking. Numerous ideas have been suggested, including poorly designed safety doors, brittle steel and the variable quality of rivets that held the hull plating together.Garzke, William H., Jr., David K. Brown, Paul K. Matthias, Roy Cullimore, David Wood, David Livingstone, H.P. Leighly, Jr., Timothy Foecke, and Arthur Sandiford. Titanic, The Anatomy of a Disaster. Proceedings of the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, SNAME, Jersey City, New Jersey. However, it is more likely that a combination of these issues and other circumstances were major contributing factors to the sinking. It is possible that if the watertight bulkheads had completely sealed the ship\'s compartments, the ship would have stayed afloat (these only went 3 m above the waterline).^{[citation needed]}

Titanic\'s hull plates were held together by rivets, metal pins which clamp structural components together. In 1912, welding technology was still in its infancy; shipbuilders continued to use riveting almost exclusively for the next 20 years. Modern day forensic metallurgists suggest that the rivets of the Titanic were of substandard quality, resulting in weak points that led to structural failure during the collision. Tim Foecke, Metallurgy of the RMS Titanic, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST-IR 6118, February 4, 1998 J. Hooper McCarty, PhD Thesis, The Johns Hopkins University, 2003Jennifer Hooper McCarty and Tim Foecke (February 2008). What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries. ISBN 0806528958. These weaknesses were not detectable with the inspection techniques of the early 20th century.

New research (2005-2006) into the sinking by the History Channel revealed a critical weakness in the expansion joint which may have been a significant contributer to the failure of the ship. http://boards.historychannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700015194&tstart=0&mod=1200589353554http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=225262

Long-term implications

The sinking of the RMS Titanic was a factor that influenced later maritime practices, ship design, and the seafaring culture. Changes included the establishment of the International Ice Patrol, a requirement for twenty-four-hour radio watch keeping on foreign-going passenger ships, and new regulations related to lifeboats.^{[citation needed]}

International Ice Patrol

Main article: International Ice Patrol

The Titanic disaster led to the convening of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in London, on 12 November 1913. On 30 January 1914, a treaty was signed by the conference that resulted in the formation and international funding of the International Ice Patrol, an agency of the United States Coast Guard that to the present day monitors and reports on the location of North Atlantic Ocean icebergs that could pose a threat to transatlantic sea lane traffic. It was also agreed in the new regulations that all passenger vessels would have sufficient lifeboats for everyone on board, that appropriate safety drills would be conducted, and that radio communications on passenger ships would be operated all day along with a secondary power supply, so as not to miss distress calls. In addition, it was agreed that the firing of red rockets from a ship must be interpreted as a distress signal (red rockets launched from the Titanic prior to sinking were mistaken by nearby vessels as celebratory fireworks, delaying rescue). This treaty was scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 1915 but was upstaged by World War I.

Ship design changes

The sinking of Titanic changed the way passenger ships were designed. Many existing ships, such as the Olympic, were refitted for increased safety. Besides increasing the number of lifeboats on board, improvements included reinforcing the hull and increasing the height of the watertight bulkheads. The bulkheads on Titanic extended 10 feet (3 m) above the waterline; after Titanic sank, the bulkheads on other ships were extended higher to make compartments fully watertight. While Titanic had a double bottom, she did not have a double hull; after her sinking, new ships were designed with double hulls; also, the double bottoms of other ships, including the Olympic,

Lynch, Don; Marschall, Ken (1997). Titanic - An Illustrated History, 2nd edition, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 218. ISBN 0-340-56271-4. “Following the Titanic disaster, the Olympic spent six months at Harland and Wolff undergoing an extensive refit that extended the double bottom up the sides of the vessel to give her a "double skin"....”

were extended up the sides of their hulls, above their waterlines, to give them double hulls.

Alternative theories and myths

As with many famous events, many alternative theories about the sinking of Titanic have appeared over the years. Theories that it was not an iceberg that sank the ship or that a curse caused the disaster have been popular reading in newspapers and books. Titanic experts have debunked most of these theories by showing that the evidence on which these theories are based is inaccurate or incomplete.

Use of SOS

The sinking of the Titanic was not the first time the internationally recognised Morse code distress signal "SOS" was used. The SOS signal was first proposed at the International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea in Berlin in 1906. It was ratified by the international community in 1908 and had been in widespread use since then.^{[citation needed]} The SOS signal was, however, rarely used by British wireless operators, who preferred the older CQD code.^{[citation needed]} First Wireless Operator Jack Phillips began transmitting CQD until Second Wireless Operator Harold Bride suggested, half-jokingly, "Send SOS; it\'s the new call, and this may be your last chance to send it".^{[cite this quote]} Phillips, who was to perish in the disaster, then began to intersperse SOS with the traditional CQD call.

Novel\'s foreshadowing

In 1898, Morgan Robertson published a book called Futility in which a ship called Titan sinks after colliding with an iceberghttp://www.lux-aeterna.co.nz/Titan.htm. There are striking similarities between the \'Titan\' and the Titanic\' disaster such as both ships sank in the North Atlantic Ocean during the month of April, both ships did not have enough lifeboats and were allegedly travelling at an excessive speed, and both were considered the largest ship of their time.http://www.lux-aeterna.co.nz/Titan.htm However, there are also major differences between the story and reality which suggest no real foreshadowing (for example, the Titan has auxiliary sails and also sank a ship beforehand).

Other myths

A similar legend states that the Titanic was given hull number 390904 (which, when seen in a mirror or written using mirror writing, looks like "NO POPE"). This is a myth.Urban Legends Reference Pages: Titanic No Pope Titanic\'s yard number was 401; Olympic\'s was 400. Another myth states that Titanic was carrying a cursed Egyptian mummy, often named Princess of Amen-Ra. The mummy, nicknamed "Shipwrecker" after changing hands several times and causing many terrible things to happen to each of its owners, allegedly exacts its final revenge by sinking the famous ship.Urban Legends Reference Pages: Mummy on the Titanic Another myth says that the bottle of champagne used in christening Titanic did not break on the first try, which in sea lore is said to be bad luck for a ship. In fact, Titanic was not christened on launching, as it was White Star Line\'s custom not to do so.[http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/construc.htm TITANIC - A Voyage of Discovery.

Rediscovery

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For seventy years after the disaster, it was widely believed that the Titanic had sunk intact. Although there were several passengers who insisted that the ship had broken in two as it sank (including Jack Thayer, who even had another passenger draw a set of sketches depicting the sinking for himTitanic: Demographics of the Passengers.), the inquiries believed the statements of the ship\'s officers and first-class passengers that it had sunk in one piece.

In 1985, when the wreck was discovered by Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER, Robert Ballard and his crew, they found that the ship broke in two as it sank. It was theorised that as the Titanic sank, the stern rose out of the water. It supposedly rose so high that the unsupported weight caused the ship to break into two pieces, the split starting at the upper deck. This became the commonly accepted theory.

In 2005, new evidence suggested that in addition to the expected side damage, the ship also had sustained damage to the bottom of the hull (keel). This new evidence seemed to support a less popular theory that the crack that split the Titanic in two started at the keel plates. Jack Thayer’s sketches support this proposition.

Titanic\'s bow as seen from the Russian MIR I submersible.

The idea of finding the wreck of Titanic and even raising the ship from the ocean floor had been perpetuated since shortly after the ship sank. No attempts even to locate the ship were successful until 1 September 1985, when a joint French-American expedition,Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Discovery of the Titanic led by Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER and Dr Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, sailing on the Research Vessel Knorr, discovered the wreck using the video camera sled Argo. It was found at a depth of 12,536 feet (3,821 m), south-east of Newfoundland at 41°43′32″N, 49°56′49″W,Titanic Wreck Location, Titanic-Titanic.com 13 nautical miles (24 km) from where Titanic was originally thought to rest.

The most notable discovery the team made was that the ship had broken in two, the stern section lying 1,970 feet (600 m) from the bow section and both facing in opposite directions. There had been conflicting witness accounts of whether the ship broke apart on the surface or not, and both the American and British inquiries found that the ship sank intact. Up until the discovery of the wreck, it was generally assumed the ship did not break apart. In 2005, a theory was presented that a portion of Titanic\'s bottom broke off right before the ship broke in two."Scientists ponder Titanic discoveries", CNN, December 5, 2005. The theory was conceived after an expedition sponsored by The History Channel examined the three hull pieces.Lindsay, Jay. "Scientists unveil new discoveries from Titanic wreck", Associated Press, December 5, 2005.

The bow section had embedded itself more than 60 feet (18 m) into the silt on the ocean floor. Although parts of the hull had buckled, the bow was mostly intact, as the water inside had equalised with the increasing water pressure. The stern section was in much worse condition. As the stern section sank, water pushed out the air inside tearing apart the hull and decks. The speed at which the stern hit the ocean floor caused even more damage. Surrounding the wreck is a large debris field, with pieces of the ship (including a large amount of coal), furniture, dinnerware and personal items scattered over one square mile (2.6 km²). Softer materials, like wood and carpet, were devoured by undersea organisms, as were human remains.

Later exploration of the vessel\'s lower decks, as chronicled in the book Ghosts of the Titanic by Charles Pellegrino, showed that much of the wood from Titanic\'s staterooms was still intact. A new theory has been put forth that much of the wood from the upper decks was not devoured by undersea organisms but rather broke free of its fixings and floated away. This is supported by some eyewitness testimony from the survivors.

In April 1996, RMS Titanic Inc., which holds salvage rights to the Titanic organized a cruise from Boston, Massachusetts to the site of Titanic\'s sinking. The company intended to bring to the ocean\'s surface a small section of Titanic\'s hull among other relics. Among those on board the cruise ship was 99-year old Titanic survivor Edith Eileen Haisman. Ms. Haisman was fifteen years old when the ship sank and had vivid memories from that night.http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/item/5253/

Condition of the wreck

Scientists such as Robert Ballard are concerned that visits by tourists in submersibles and the recovery of items from the wreck are hastening its decay. Underwater microbes have been eating away at Titanic\'s iron since the ship sank, but because of the extra damage visitors have caused, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that "the hull and structure of the ship may collapse to the ocean floor within the next 50 years." Several scientists and conservationists have also complained about the removal of the crow\'s nest on the mast by a French expedition.

Ballard\'s book, Return to Titanic, published by the National Geographic Society, includes photographs showing the deterioration of the promenade deck and damage caused by submersibles landing on the ship. The mast has almost completely deteriorated, and repeated accusations^{[attribution needed]} were made that it had been stripped of its bell and brass light by salvagers. Ballard\'s own original discovery images however, clearly show that the bell was never actually on the mast - it was recovered from the sea floor.^{[citation needed]} The French submersible Nautile allegedly is responsible for crashing into the crow\'s nest and causing it to fall from the mast.^{[citation needed]} Even the memorial plaque left by Ballard on his second trip to the wreck was alleged to have been removed; Ballard replaced the plaque in 2004. Recent expeditions, notably by James Cameron, have been diving on the wreck to learn more about the site and explore previously unexplored parts of the ship before Titanic decays completely.

Ownership and litigation

Titanic Memorial, grounds of Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland.

Titanic\'s rediscovery in 1985 launched a debate over ownership of the wreck and the valuable items inside it. On 7 June 1994, RMS Titanic Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions Inc., was awarded ownership and salvaging rights by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.Comprehensive resume of ownership questions (See Admiralty law)Corporate Profile. RMS Titanic, Inc.. Retrieved on February 1, 2006. Since 1987, RMS Titanic Inc. and its predecessors have conducted seven expeditions and salvaged over 5,500 historic objects. The biggest single recovered object was a 17-ton section of the hull, recovered in 1998.Expeditions. RMS Titanic, Inc.. Retrieved on February 1, 2006. Many of these items are part of travelling museum exhibitions.

In 1993, a French administrator in the Office of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Equipment, Transportation, and Tourism awarded RMS Titanic Inc\'s predecessor title to the relics recovered in 1987.

In a motion filed on 12 February 2004 RMS Titanic Inc. requested that the District Court enter an order awarding it "title to all the artifacts (including portions of the hull) which are the subject of this action pursuant to the Law of Finds" or, in the alternative, a salvage award in the amount of $225 million. RMS Titanic Inc. excluded from its motion any claim for an award of title to the objects recovered in 1987, but it did request that the district court declare that, based on the French administrative action, "the artifacts raised during the 1987 expedition are independently owned by RMST." Following a hearing, the district court entered an order dated 2 July 2004, in which it refused to grant comity and recognize the 1993 decision of the French administrator, and rejected RMS Titanic Inc\'s claim that it should be awarded title to the items recovered since 1993 under the Maritime Law of Finds.

RMS Titanic Inc. appealed to the United States Court of Appeals. In its decision of 31 January 2006United States Court of Appeals for the fourth circuit, R.M.S. TITANIC, INCORPORATED vs. THE WRECKED AND ABANDONED VESSEL - January 31, 2006PDF (127 KiB) the court recognized "explicitly the appropriateness of applying maritime salvage law to historic wrecks such as that of Titanic" and denied the application of the Maritime Law of Finds. The court also ruled that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the "1987 artifacts", and therefore vacated that part of the court\'s 2 July 2004 order. In other words, according to this decision, RMS Titanic Inc. has ownership title to the objects awarded in the French decision (valued $16.5 million earlier) and continues to be salvor-in-possession of Titanic wreck. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the District Court to determine the salvage award ($225 million requested by RMS Titanic Inc.).Commented excerpts of the Court of Appeals decision.

Popular culture

In Nacht und Eis (1912). Image from the 1912 German film that dramatised the tragedy.

Main article: RMS Titanic in popular culture

The sinking of Titanic has been the basis for many books, games, and award-winning movies. In the summer of 1912, the first book, "The Sinking of the Titanic" and the first movie, In Nacht und Eis were introduced. In 1953 the film Titanic was released starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck. In 1958, A Night to Remember, an adaptation from Walter Lord\'s novel of the same name, was released and remained the most popular Titanic movie until the 1997 release of Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That film won eleven Academy Awards and holds the record for the highest box office gross of all time (matched by Ben-Hur in 1959 and The Return of the King in 2003). Broadway musicals like Titanic, which opened in New York in 1998 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, were successful as well.

Last living survivor

Millvina Dean, who was only two months old at the time of the sinking, is the only living survivor of the Titanic. Currently ninety-six years old, she has remained active in Titanic-related events and lives in Southampton, England.

Recent survivors\' deaths

Barbara Dainton (née West) (May 24, 1911 – October 16, 2007)
Lillian Asplund (October 21, 1906 – May 6, 2006)

For more, see Recent survivors\' deaths

100th anniversary

On 15 April 2012, the one-hundredth anniversary of the sinking of Titanic is planned to be commemorated around the world. By that date, the Titanic Quarter in Belfast is planned to have been completed. The area will be regenerated and a signature memorial project unveiled to celebrate Titanic and her links with Belfast, the city that built the ship.BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Titanic tourist project unveiled

References

External links

NOAA, Ocean Explorer: Titanic 2004 Expedition: - Public outreach site for explorations sponsored by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration - A rich collection of images, video, audio and podcast.
Encyclopedia Titanica, an invaluable source of information concerning the sinking of the Titanic, including over 10000 biographies and articles.
Titanic-Titanic.com, A popular source of facts, information, photographs and much more about the White Star Liner RMS Titanic.
Titanic Historical Society
Titanic Inquiry Project Complete transcripts of both the US Senate and British Board of Trade inquiries into the disaster, along with their final reports.
Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder A biography of the Titanic\'s designer
PBS Online - Lost Liners
Ocean Planet:How Deep Can they Go?

RMS Titanic is at coordinates 41°43′32″N 49°56′49″W / 41.725556, -49.946944 (RMS Titanic)Coordinates: 41°43′32″N 49°56′49″W / 41.725556, -49.946944 (RMS Titanic)
Six-page New York Times feature article, April 28, 1912

Records
Preceded by *Olympic*	World\'s largest passenger ship 1911 – 1912	Succeeded by *Olympic*

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