15 Haunting Photos Of The Titanic You Need To See
The Titanic is one of the greatest tragedies of the past century. In 1909, it was announced that building works had begun on the "biggest, fastest and most luxurious liner yet." Three years later, the ship set sail from Southampton to New York, with the finest of clients on board as millionaires and movie stars were counted amongst the passengers.
Tragically on the night of Sunday, April 14th, 1912, the ship struck an iceberg - puncturing the side as it began to sink. Just three hours later, the remains of the Titanic lay on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 1,503 people total died, including passengers and crew, and the sinking still to this day remains one of the most heartbreaking.
Charlotte Collyer, a survivor who was 31-years-old when the ship sank, recalled, "There was scarcely anyone who had not been separated from husband, child or friend. I had a husband to search for, a husband whom in the greatness of my faith, I had believed would be found in one of the boats. He was not there." These following tragic photos are a reminder of the horrific event.
15 Drawing Plans For The Doomed Titanic
The Titanic was doomed from the start - measuring at 269 meters (882 feet) in length, it was the largest man-made moving object on Earth. In 2007, The Telegraph reported, "Research suggests that, even if the ocean liner had not struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage, structural weaknesses made it vulnerable to any stormy sea."
The above photo is of the engineering team who first drafting the plans for the ship. The ship sank just two hours and 40 minutes after the collision with the iceberg, then less than two hours later the rescue boats arrived. If the ship would have floated for just two hours longer, more people could have survived however it was so badly constructed this was not possible. Instead, the Titanic snapped in the middle with the added pressure of the water flushing on board. Despite all the safety flaws, they still claimed the Titanic was "practically unsinkable."
14 Waving Goodbye To Their Loved Ones
On April 11th, 1912, the Titanic set sail and hundreds of spectators waved goodbye to their loved ones. The Manchester Guardian wrote, "The White Star Liner Titanic, which left Southampton for New York yesterday on her first Atlantic voyage, surpasses in size and luxury, but especially in luxury, anything else afloat." There were 324 first class passengers on board, 284 second passengers, and 709 third class passengers.
The ship itself needed to burn around 600 tons of coal a day which was hand shoveled into the large furnaces by a team of 176 men who worked below deck for hours each day. More than 100 tons of ash was then ejected into the sea each day as the ship sailed along. Despite the manpower, nothing could predict what lay ahead for those on board.
13 The First Class Lounge
The interior of the first class lounge was inspired by the Ritz Hotel in London. There was also an additional pool, gym, Turkish bath, a kennel for their dogs and even a squash court. A daily newspaper was printed for the rich and the affluent - the Atlantic Daily Bulletin so they could keep up with the news as they sailed across the ocean.
The bar was fully stocked with more than 20,000 bottles of beer, 1,500 bottles of wine and 8,000 cigars. The wealthiest passenger on board was Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, who at the time was considered one of the richest people in the world. His personal fortune was estimated at $150 million, which today would make him a billionaire several times over. Astor did not survive the sinking, his body was later picked up by a rescue boat as he lay floating in the ocean.
12 "Iceberg, Straight Ahead"
In 2012, marking the 100th year since the Titanic sank, pictures of the iceberg were released to the public. Reports from eyewitnesses on board said that the iceberg was 200 to 400 feet long. On April, 14th, 1912, the Titanic hit the iceberg four days into its voyage and began to sink during the early hours of the morning in the North Atlantic Ocean.
A steward from another liner named Prinze Adelbert, took the above photo of the iceberg soon before the Titanic struck it. Although he was unaware of what had happened, he noticed a thin red line on the bottom of the iceberg which later turned out this was paint from the Titanic as it scraped the side. There was no saving the ship following the level of damage that was caused.
11 The Lookout Who Spotted The Iceberg
Frederick Fleet was a British sailor employed as a lookout on the Titanic. He was the first crewman to spot the iceberg and he rang the bridge to shout, "Iceberg, right ahead!" He was too late - just 37 seconds later the ship struck the side of the iceberg. At 11.39 pm, five of the ship's compartments ruptured along the starboard side. He was ordered to stay on duty for twenty minutes then at midnight, he was relieved from duty as it was obvious the ship was in serious trouble.
Fleet later testified in court, "We could have seen it a bit sooner." When asked how much sooner, he replied, "Well, enough to get out of the way." Fleet was one of the survivors on board, although in later life he suffered from depression and took his own life in 1965 aged 77-years-old.
10 The Lifeboats Were Not Filled To Capacity
On board, there were 20 lifeboats, enough for 1,158 people. The ship itself was designed to carry 32 lifeboats but this was later reduced to a smaller number as they felt the deck looked too "cluttered" and this would spoil the ocean view for first class passengers.
Each lifeboat could have held 40 to 65 passengers although many of the lifeboats were not full to capacity - the one above left the ship with just 30-35 passengers. Only 706 passengers and crew made it into the boats and 1,522 people who were left behind died in the ocean. According to documents published following the inquiry, safety inspector Maurice Clarke expressed just five hours before the ship set sail there were not enough lifeboats on board but he was worried he might lose his job if he openly expressed his concerns.
9 An Overturned Lifeboat
The first ship to respond to the Titanic's distress call was the Cunard Line's RMS Carpathia. They sailed for three and a half hours at their top speed of 17 knots until they reached the point where the final distress call had been received. As they sailed, preparations were made on board to rescue all survivors - first aid stations were assembled, life boats fixed to the side and hot beverages prepared.
When they reached the destination, there was no sign of the Titanic. They switched off the engine at 3.30am and began to search with spotlights for any sign of survivors. The sea was dark and nobody could be seen - the crew made preparations to turn around and set sail. Finally, as if by a miracle, one of the crewmen caught sight of a flare in the distance from a lifeboat and by 8.30am, 705 people were saved from the icy waters.
8 Waiting For The Survivors
Three days after the Carpathia rescued the survivors, the ship finally arrived in New York. Funds had been raised to help with medical aid for those who were in need. There was much speculation, as many people believed the Titanic would be towed back to New York - unaware the wreckage now laid at the bottom of the ocean.
One first class passenger told the newspapers about their journey from the middle of the ocean to New York. Recalling, "For four days the company lived together in this strange assortment of undress costume, some in ball gowns, many in nightdresses and only a few fully clothed." More than 40,000 people gathered to greet their loved ones as they returned but were left heartbroken when they realized their loved ones were not on board.
7 The Fatalities From The Sinking
Some of the survivors were rescued from the freezing cold ocean but such brutal conditions had been fatal to many. Freezing cold water carries heat away from the body 25 times faster than cold air at the same temperature. First, an attempt to create more heat is generated through shivering, then the body core temperature will drop and within twenty minutes body functions and mental judgment will begin to deteriorate. The final stage is disorientation, unconsciousness and eventually death.
King George V stated, "The Queen and I are horrified at the appalling disaster which has happened to the Titanic and at the terrible loss of life. We deeply sympathize with the bereaved relatives and feel for them in their great sorrow with all our hearts." The Captain and crew of the Carpathia crew were later awarded a silver cup and gold medals for their heroic rescue attempt.
6 A Paperboy Breaks The News
Paperboy Edward "Ned" Parfett was one of the first to break the news to those in England about the sinking of the Titanic. The image is an iconic moment in history and Parfett's nephew, 87-year-old Ned Walsh (who was named after his Uncle) told The Surrey Mirror, "It is incredible how many people have seen that image of him. He was merely holding up the news placard, he is just doing his job."
In 1918, aged just 22-years-old, his Uncle was killed when a German shell fell on a store where he was collecting a clean uniform. His nephew added, "I was born six years after he was killed, in 1924. I knew of him through family but the first time I was aware of the picture was when it was used in a book published in 1933. It is just something I have become used to over the years."
5 Orphans of the Titanic
Brothers Michel and Edmond Navratil became known as the "Titanic orphans" when they were rescued aged just 4 and 2-years-old. When the ship hit the iceberg, they were both placed on the last lifeboat that left for safety - leaving their father behind. When they finally arrived in New York, a frantic search to reunite them with their mother had begun.
After an intense search for a whole month, their 21-year-old mother finally arrived in New York to be reunited with her sons. She said that she did not want to raise her children to remember the disaster, saying, "I do not want them to think about that. They must only be happy from now on - only happy. No more distress." Edmond died during the first World War and Michel became one of the longest living survivors, dying peacefully aged 92-years-old.
4 The Wreckage
There was much fascination surrounding the wreckage of the Titanic over the years. Finally, in 1985, thanks to advances in sonar technology the vessel was finally discovered by oceanographer Robert Ballard. He filmed the debris, including a large section of the ship and the stern, which lies where the ship had snapped in half above the surface. It is estimated that one hundred years from now, the wreckage will be unrecognizable as the water eats away at the steel and iron.
The Titanic now lays at a depth of more than 13,000 feet below surface level and special equipment had to be specially designed to withstand the water pressure. A remote controlled deep-towed video camera connected to a swimming robot tied to a cable on a leash was constructed and became the first to uncover the remains of the ship.
3 Artifacts from the Wreckage
Many artifacts were found from the wreckage decades after it sank. Bracelets, gloves, napkins, pocket watches and cutlery sets were all recovered and sold at an auction. It's a dark reminder of just how many separate lives were on board the ship.
Survivor Laura Mabel Francatelli, who was 30-years-old when the ship sank, recalled, "At daybreak, when we saw the lights of (the rescue ship) about 4 miles away, we rowed like mad, and passed icebergs like mountains. At last about 6:30am, the dear Carpathia picked us up, our little boat was like a speck against that giant. Then came my weakest moment, they lowered a rope swing, which was awkward to sit on, with my life preserver 'round me. Then they hauled me up, by the side of the boat. At last, I felt a strong arm pulling me onto the boat."
2 Director James Cameron's Discoveries
Titanic director James Cameron had visited the ocean floor where the remains of the ship lay more than 33 times whilst researching his blockbuster movie. He told The New York Times, "We've seen shoes. We've seen pairs of shoes, which would strongly suggest there was a body there at one point. But we've never seen any human remains."
James Delgado, the director of National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, who assisted with Cameron's research also spoke about how heartbreaking the scenes were. He revealed, "This is an appropriate time to note the human cost of that event, and the fact that in this special place at the bottom of the sea, evidence of the human cost, in the form of the shattered wreck, the scattered luggage, fittings and other artifacts, and the faint but unmistakable evidence that this is where people came to rest, is present."
1 Laid To Rest
Another survivor, Elizabeth Shutes, who was 40-years-old when the ship sank recalled how frantically the survivors tried to navigate the lifeboats once they were out in the ocean. She recalled, "Our men knew nothing about the position of the stars, hardly how to pull together. Two oars were soon overboard. The men's hands were too cold to hold on."
She added, "Then across the water swept that awful wail, the cry of those drowning people." The following morning, more than 300 bodies were pulled from the ocean. The story of the Titanic remains one of the most heartbreaking incidents that resulted in such a loss of life which could have been avoided had the right safety procedures been in place. 648 men, 108 women, and 56 children will always be remembered.