Source : The Guardian
On 10 April 1912 the Titanic set sail from Southampton dock, heading for New York with thousands of passengers and crew on board. No one could predict the disaster about to befall the 'unsinkable' ship.
RMS Titanic, then the largest ship in the world and widely believed to be unsinkable, left Southampton dock on 10 April 1912, bound for New York with more than two thousand passengers and crew members on board.
Tickets ranged from £7 15s for steerage to £870 for the most impressive suites, which included two bedrooms, sitting room, private bathroom and a room for the servants, as well as a private balcony, the latest thing.
Titanic's provisions for the journey included 75,000 lbs of fresh meat, 35,000 eggs, 40 tons of potatoes, 1,000 lbs of tea and 15,000 bottles of ale and stout.
The day after the Titanic set off on her maiden voyage, the Guardian's leader writers marvelled at how far removed such first class travel was from 'old-fashioned people's ideas of a sea voyage'. Titanic was fitted out with luxurious lounges, squash courts, top restaurants and concert halls.
It was a maiden journey that was to end in disaster for the Titanic's passengers and crew. On 14 April 1912, at 11.40 pm, the Titanic struck an iceberg; three hours later, at 2.20 am, she sank, claiming over 1,500 lives. Little more than 700 passengers and crew survived the tragedy.
One survivor, a Mr. Beesley, told the Press Association when he reached New York that 'there was no panic or rush to the boats, and there were no scenes of women sobbing hysterically, such as one generally pictures happening at such times.'
The British inquiry held in the wake of the disaster found little fault with the Titanic's Captain, EJ Smith; though the ship was travelling at too high a speed they determined he was merely following an accepted method of navigation that had, until then, resulted in no loss of life.
The inquiry did however criticise Stanley Lord, then master of the Californian, for failing to respond to Titanic's distress signals, suggesting that his ship may have 'saved many, if not all, of the lives that were lost' if he had done so. Lord was dogged by the accusation for the remainder of his life.
Quote:
Southampton commemorates Titanic anniversary
It was exactly 100 years ago, on Tuesday April 10, 1912, when the ill-fated Titanic sailed from the English port city of Southampton.
And the mood was suitably somber on Tuesday, when a series of events were held there in honor of the ship’s anniversary. More than 650 descendants of those on board met for a ceremony at the exact same place where the Titanic set sail. Southampton was home to more than a third of the more than 1,500 people who died when the ship hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage to New York.
Those who gathered threw flowers and wreaths into the water, before a minute of silence. Poignantly, a recording of the Titanic‘s whistle was heard across the docks at midday, which denotes when she left her mooring. The service concluded with the hymn “Nearer My God To Thee,” which it’s been said was played by the ship’s musicians as the Titanic sank.
Vanessa Beecham, who lives in the area, paid tribute to her great uncle Edward Biggs, a fireman aboard who died aged just 21. “I enjoyed the ceremony which was tasteful and moving,” she told the Press Association. “It was a worry during the anniversary that the families would be forgotten in all the razzmatazz like the cruise that left a few days ago, but this was lovely.”
After the service, the focus was on the future as well as remembering the grim events of the past. Firstly, many of the city’s schoolchildren paraded through the streets, holding photos of the ship’s crew. And the parade ended at the new SeaCity Museum, which contains a permanent exhibit to the Titanic, and was opened by gold medal Olympian James Cracknell. And in a sea of confetti, the museum was declared open by eight year old Henry Ward, whose great grandfather was a fireman onboard and survived the disaster. Amid tragedy, there can always be shoots of optimism.
World's biggest Titanic attraction opens in Belfast
The largest Titanic visitor attraction in the world opened in the ship's Belfast birthplace on Saturday, some 100 years after the doomed liner was built in the same yards.
Almost 100,000 tickets for Titanic Belfast, a striking aluminium-clad building which tells the famous ship's story through special effects, interactive screens and a ride, have been sold ahead of the opening.
Organisers hope the £97 million ($155 million, 116 million euro) centre can boost tourism in the British province , which was torn apart by sectarian strife for three decades until the late 1990s.
"We want to bring people to Northern Ireland not just to see what a generation 100 years ago were able to achieve, but what this generation can achieve in this new era of peace," said First Minister Peter Robinson.
Cyril Quigley, a 105-year-old who watched the Titanic's launch more than a century ago, joined the province's leaders at the opening of the building, which takes the form of four of the ship's huge prows.
"All I saw was this big thing sliding out into the water," Quigley said as he recalled watching with his parents. "I was only four and half."
Quigley said the new centre, which rose from the derelict Harland and Wolff shipyard, was "wonderful".
"I often thought they would make another plastic ship here and have it as a restaurant or something, but this is fantastic," he said. "It's like our Sydney Opera House."
The biggest, most ambitious ship of the age hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton to New York, sinking on April 15, 1912. Of the 2,224 people aboard, 1,514 perished.
Organisers hope the six-storey Titanic Belfast, which also features a banqueting space containing a replica of the ship's grand staircase, will attract 425,000 visitors in its first year, including many from Asia.
Having to be in Belfast and in the Titanic Quarter every friggin' day....I swear to god I know everything there is to know by now...
My Great-Great Grandfather was meant to be working in the engine rooms one the maiden voyage but his wife went into labour with my Great Granny. Lucky. It's such a big deal here, feels like we are celebrating a tragedy rather than commemorating though.
If you don't have anything relevant to say about the Titanic...why bother? Disrespectful and apathetic much?
Why are you getting so angry? I only said OK because I was speechless, "Potassium to you?" "Bitch?" Who says that?! There is something wrong with you, rude.
Are personal insults to strangers okay on this forum?
Why are you getting so angry? I only said OK because I was speechless, "Potassium to you?" "Bitch?" Who says that?! There is something wrong with you, rude.
Quote:
Warning Received
Clearly I was not alone in thinking that was pointless. K is the symbol on the periodic table for Potassium, not relevant.
If you aren't going to discuss the topic at hand there is no point in posting, being that I had family working on the ship etc I do feel very strongly about it and am entitled to, thanks though.
Why are you getting so angry? I only said OK because I was speechless, "Potassium to you?" "Bitch?" Who says that?! There is something wrong with you, rude.
Are personal insults to strangers okay on this forum?
Nobody's forcing you to post. If you're "speechless," don't. And don't derail the thread either.
Has anyone else seen the Titanic Belfast building? It is phenomenal. If anyone is interested in the Titanic story or just in history it is such a must.
I can't wait to go when the crowds die down a little.
This is pretty cool now, Titanic Belfast dock in 1912 and now, I find it particularly cool cause I go to school down there and it blows my mind a little to be honest...the history there.
I cried my eyes out the other day just thinking about this horrible disaster. Also how the situation was handled by everyone. People were ignorant in those times and it resulted in many deaths. So sad
*minute of silence*
