In 1912, history of the titanic RMS Titanic set sail from Belfast Lough on its inaugural voyage. Only in Belfast can one trace her story back to its source and experience first-hand those responsible for designing and building her. Relive its excitement during that era when Belfast was at its pinnacle of power!

 The history of titanic ship

On April 14th 1912, while sailing from Southampton England to New York United States on its inaugural voyage, RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg. Out of 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, only 705 survived despite claims by its builders that she would remain unsinkable even under adverse sea conditions; instead it took less than three hours for it to sink despite earlier estimates suggesting she should float at least 2-3 days should disaster strike. So why did it sink – was it due to material failure or larger design flaws which went undetected? Let us analyze why she went down from an engineer’s perspective.

At its launch, the Titanic was the world’s largest ship ever constructed – at 230m long and 25 stories tall, she weighed 46,000,000 kg and boasted 16 major watertight compartments designed to seal off quickly in case of punctured hulls; thus rendering her unsinkable.

History of the titanic sinking

On April 14th, although wireless operators had received several ice warnings from other ships in the area, Titanic continued its journey at nearly full steam through darkness. By the time lookouts spotted an enormous iceberg only about quarter-mile away from its bow (front), its collision was unavoidable.

Imagine trying to avoid an immediate head-on collision in a car; that sounds difficult? Now imagine doing that for an object 20,000 times heavier, like the Titanic! Even with engines reversed and rudder turned hard left immediately upon seeing an iceberg approaching from behind; turning and slowing took an incredible distance due to her immense mass and incredible momentum driving forward. Without sufficient distance for course adjustment or alteration to take place before her path collided with it and it hit it right side up, leaving 100 meters of the right side hull damaged above and below waterline before colliding head on with her iceberg collision caused severe damage both above and below waterline on right side hull damage on that right side hull side collision damage on right side.

The Build

Imagine their amazement as this magnificent ship took shape before their very eyes: at 882 feet six inches it was longer than any building ever constructed before, weighing 46,328 tonnes and becoming the world’s largest manmade moveable object ever known! Titanic would become known as a floating palace: first to feature steam baths, heated swimming pools with electric escalators, hot and cold water in every cabin and state-of-the-art gym facilities along with squash courts inspired by Versailles; over 100,000 people lined Belfast Dock on 2 April 1912 to cheer her departure – over 100,000 spectators came out to cheer her off on her maiden voyage.

The Disaster

At 11.40pm on Sunday 14 April while sailing south of Newfoundland at 20 knots, Titanic ran into an enormous iceberg, fatally wounding its hull. The berg grazed along its starboard or right side below the waterline and cut open five of Titanic’s watertight compartments; had only one or two compartments been compromised it may have survived, but so much damage occurred that its watertight integrity had been irretrievably breached causing its final doomed fateful voyage.

The Tragedy

Within three hours after hitting an iceberg, survivors watched helplessly from lonely lifeboats as the last remnants of their great liner submerged beneath the waves. Within hours they would be rescued by RMS Carpathia and taken onward to New York; unfortunately over 1500 crew and passengers had perished beneath those waves; this grief was felt worldwide but most deeply felt here in Belfast where of 2,240 passengers and crew on board more than 1,500 perished during the tragedy.

The Discovery

On September 1st 1985, her wreck was finally located by Dr Robert Ballard and his team titanic submarine .Their findings confirmed that Titanic’s designer and workers who dedicated so much time and energy into building her were not to blame; rather the cause of Titanic’s sinking lay elsewhere: its collision with an iceberg caused it to go down April 14-15th 1912.

The Legacy

Today, Titanic ,titanic submarine and her story remain timeless classics for people of all ages to admire and learn more about. While there are hundreds of Titanic exhibitions and museums worldwide, only Belfast allows visitors to trace her incredible story in the city where she first set sail.