Guzman 1

Camille Guzman Mrs. Register World Literature 30 October 2013 Titanic Research Essay A modern marvel to history, some may call the sinking of the Titanic. A ship that was deemed unsinkable by many people of the early 1900s met its fate in the early hours of April 15, 1912, when the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg. Elizabeth Shutes a Titanic survivor recounted her experience saying Suddenly a queer quivering ran under me, apparently the whole length of the ship. Startled by the very strangeness of the shivering motion, I sprang to the floor. This quiver would later kill more than one thousand five hundred people making this one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. The RMS Titanic was a British passenger line that was set to sail from South Hampton UK, to New York City. When the Titanic was built in 1909 and completed in 1912 it was the largest moving human-made object in the world (Douglas). The Titanic was built by a ship company called the White Star Line which also made two other ships the Olympic and the Britannica. All three of the ships made by the White Star Line were made to be known for their comfort and luxury rather than speed (Historyoftitanic.com). The Titanic gave hope to the people for the future, as this ship was a huge technological advance for the early 1900s. The RMS Titanic was eight hundred and eighty two and a half feet long, ninety two and a half feet wide and one hundred and seventy five feet high and could hold over three thousand people

Guzman 2

(Rosenberg). The Titanic could hold over sixty four lifeboats and had a carrying capacity of forty six thousand three hundred and sixty eight tons furthering its status as the largest object in the world made by humans (Britannica.com). To many people the RMS Titanic was invincible, making it that much more ironic that it sunk. The Titanic set sail from South Hampton UK on April 10, 1912. The passenger ship held a total of one thousand three hundred and sixteen passengers and eight hundred and eighty five crew members on that day (Douglas). The ship carried the poor, middle class and the wealthy. The Titanic made a stop to France, Ireland, and by the time the Titanic left Queenstown on April 11, 1912 the Titanic was carrying over two thousand crew and passengers (Rosenberg). The boat had ten decks, which seven were used for the passengers and the other three were used for the crew. First class passengers had the finest accommodations which included Turkish baths, a swimming pool, a smoking room and a dining hall which included a restaurant. The accommodations were made out of the finest materials, the walls of the smoking room were made out of mahogany, embedded with mother pearl (Titanicandco.com). The bedrooms of first class were exquisite, there were thirty nine private suites and luxurious cabins for the rich, the staterooms were all decorated with different periodic styles which included Queen Anne and Louis XVI (Titanicandco.com). Second class had many of the same amenities including smoke rooms and libraries. Second class had standard cabins and not as many of the finer things like the periodically decorated rooms. The third class or the steerage as many called them, was much more modest and didnt have luxurious items like first and second class did. The rooms were small and private, and the third class had a smoking room and a general room which included a dining hall (Titanicandco.com). Overall all rooms and areas were unique making the passengers experience a time to remember.

Guzman 3

The RMS Titanic was set to dock in New York April 17, 1912; those plans were ruined in defiantly. Back in 1912 the times were not so technologically advanced so the ships did not have the proper warning systems as modern ships have today. A nearby ship the Californian sent a message to the Titanic at 10:55 saying Ice report, surrounded by ice (Douglas). The captain of the Titanic ignored and did not heed to these warnings and proceeded going full speed. At approximately 11:40 PM an iceberg was spotted by Fredrick Fleet an observer on his port (Titanicandco.com). The ship hit the iceberg and the ice punched holes a long a three hundred foot stretch, making the six out of sixteen water tight compartments fill with water (Douglas). The ships fate was soon in the hands of the captain and how fast the lifeboats could be assembled. There were twenty lifeboats on the Titanic meaning enough to save one third of the crew and passengers, the boat could hold up to sixty four lifeboats but did not this trip (historyofthetitanic.com). Children and women were the first to be on the lifeboats. With the water compartments filling quickly realistically the boat had one to two hours before it sunk. The front filled with water and sunk as the back was in the air, creating such a pressure on the middle of the boat causing the boat to crack (Douglas). Titanic sank at 2:20 AM April 15, 1912. The Titanic distress calls were answered by Carpathia at 4:10 AM in which seven hundred and five people were saved, while over one thousand five hundred people died (Rosenberg). First class passengers survived at a much higher rate than third class. Only three percent of first class women died unlike the fifty four percent of third class. A new beginning for most was ruined tragically by a disaster which in the end killed more than half of the passengers on the RMS Titanic. The aftermath of the Titanic was huge. On April 18, 1912 huge crowds in New York City awaited the arrival of Carpathia, and families were either told devastating or good news about

Guzman 4

their loved ones. Over the next months three hundred and six bodies were found and one hundred and sixteen of those were buried at sea (Clarkson). This disaster prompted a number of changed in the world of shipping including upgraded lifeboat capacity, and better signaling. Trials on the titanic were conducted, and all was quiet about the Titanic for over sixty years. Most of the Titanic was lost but on September 1, 1985 the wreck of the Titanic was discovered by Bob Ballard (Douglas). The ship wreck and the discovery of the Titanic inspired the biggest blockbuster of all time James Camerons The Titanic. Cameron came up with a fictionalized account of the sinking of the Titanic that starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet who are members of different social classes who fall in love on the ship (Titanicandco.com). The film started production in 1195 and was released to the public on December 19, 1997. The film Titanic had a worldwide success accumulating a grand total of 2.18 billion dollars in revenue and counting, making it the second highest grossing film of all time, behind Avatar. In conclusion the day of April 15, 1912 was devastating to the entire world. Innocent lives were lost, and ships would never operate the same again. Sadly the Titanic was a learning experience for the future, and has better improved how ships are operated modern day. Titanic is still being talked about today in 2013 and remains to be one of the worlds greatest mysteries.