The RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. More than 1.5k passengers and crew perished with the ship. There was a lot that went into the ultimate disaster status of the accident, including lack of binoculars, refusal to acknowledge warnings of thick ice, and lack of safety boats.
In the early 1910s, photographs were a newer, less advanced technology. The photos of the Titanic are hard to come by, but there are many incredible photos that have been swept under the rug. These photos show what the Titanic looked like, what life was like on the ship, and who was on the ship, and what their role was.
"Titanic" Name Meaning
The RMS Titanic was, at the time, the biggest passenger ship in the world. It was 882 feet long, 175 feet high, and over 46k tons. The name "titanic" was given to the ship due to its huge size and stature. The name only added to the hype!
The Titanic "Orphans"
This is a photo of Michel and Edmon Navratil, ages 4 and 2. They were named Louis and Lola since the boys were too young to give their own names. They were left orphaned, temporarily, after their father died on the Titanic. They made it to New York and were able to be claimed by their mother who saw this photo of them in a newspaper.
The Tragic Sinking
Although the tragic sinking event happened over 100 years ago, it's still commonly referenced in today's society. This is because the sinking of the Titanic was one of the worst tragedies in modern history. Out of the 2,224 passengers and crew on board, only 710 people survived.
Third Class Victims
The folks in the third class undercarriage were the poorest of the passengers. They also made up the majority of the passengers on board. They were kept towards the bottom of the ship and were unable to escape because the stewards locked the gates to keep them completely separated from the upper classes.
The Youngest Passenger
The youngest passenger was Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean. She was only 9 months old when she boarded the ship with her mother, father, and brother Bertram. She escaped with her mother and brother but lost her father in the sinking.
No Survivors Left
Millvina was the last living survivor of the Titanic. She passed away in 2009 at the age of 97. After she was cremated, her ashes were scattered from the docks in Southampton where she boarded the Titanic with her family.
Awaiting Survivors
Mass communication was not a thing in the early 1910s. The only way these people were able to find out if their loved ones survived or not was to wait around and find out at the dock.
The Stewardess Who Survived
Violet Jessop was a stewardess on the Titanic. Previously, she was on the RMS Olympic when it collided with a British warship in 1911. Four years after the Titanic sank, she survived the sinking of another ship, the Britannic. She went down in history as "The Unsinkable."
Misinformation Quickly Spread
The newspaper and journalism industry is plagued by competition. Everyone wants to be the first newspaper out with the news, which is exactly what happened with the Titanic. Sadly, the misinformation was already spreading and early reports claimed that everyone survived. It took days for people to even learn that anyone died.
Ticket Prices Back in the Day
Naturally, the ticket price for the Titanic was a bit astronomical. First-class tickets ranged from $30 to $4,350 ($775 to $112k). Second-class tickets were between $12 and $60 ($300 and $1.5k). The third-class tickets were between $8 and $40 ($200 and $1.1k). Even the most impoverished people had to most likely spend their life savings to get onto this ship.
"The Wreck of the Titan" by Morgan Robertson
This common "conspiracy" theory may be true. Fourteen years before the Titanic set sail, author Morgan Robertson wrote a novel titled The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility. Robertson wrote about the "world's largest ship" and how it struck an iceberg and sank. Some said that Robertson had "clairvoyance" while Robertson said he just knew ships really well.
What does "RMS" Mean?
All British ships had the letters "RMS" in front of the ship's name. This stands for "Royal Mail Ship" which are known to be the fastest and most reliable ships contracted by the British government to carry mail. It was a very powerful signature.
The Crew Gave Their Lives
Just less than one-third of the people on board the Titanic were crewmembers. A large majority of the crew lost their lives on the initial impact of the collision. Others were killed trying to save passengers from below decks and ended up drowning with them. There were five men on board ordered to protect the mail, and they all perished doing so.
The Wealthiest Passenger On Board
John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest person on board the Titanic. His net worth was around $85 million, which is up to $2 billion by today's standards. He and his pregnant wife were below deck when the collision happened. He helped her onto a lifeboat through a side window. His last words to her were: "The sea is calm. You'll be alright. You're in good hands. I'll meet you in the morning." He sadly died during the sinking.
Iconic Names Who Almost Set Sail
Since the Titanic was slotted to be a huge, historical voyage, a lot of wealthy folks wanted to get on board. There were many famous names who purchased tickets but ended up not going, including Hershey's Chocolate founder Milton S. Hershey, pioneering inventor Guglielmo Marconi, and American banking and steel magnate J.P. Morgan.
Running on Coal
The Titanic needed over 600 tons of coal per day to keep it moving. The ship used three furnaces where men, called firemen, would shovel coal into all day long. Sadly, they were first to perish mainly because the watertight doors automatically sealed them in to stop the rest of the ship from flooding.
The Stacks
The Titanic had four large stacks on top of the ship. This was to help ventilate the smoke from the furnaces through these funnels. When the water began to get into the ship, the firemen panicked about the reaction of the ice-cold water and the boiling hot furnaces. An explosion was avoided because they acted quickly to vent as much steam as possible from these stacks.
Surviving Stewards
Out of the 908 crew members on board, 421 of them were stewards (waiters and maids). Only 60 stewards survived, and 48 of them were women. The photo above shows steward Thomas Whitely. His leg was crushed when a piece of debris fell on him as he boarded a lifeboat.
It Wasn't the Captain
At the time of the collision with the iceberg, Captain Edward J. Smith was already in bed. First Officer William McMaster Murdoch was left at the helm. He was the one who had to make the call to turn the engines off to avoid the collision. Sadly, it was already too late by the time everything was set in motion.
Captain Edward J. Smith
Captain Edward J. Smith had a long career as a captain before his time on the Titanic. He was previously working on the RMS Olympic, the Titanic's sister ship. His last words were: "Well boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourself."
Warnings From Other Ships
Sadly, the Titanic was warned about ice several times the day the accident happened. A total of six messages from other ships were sent out, but only two were received due to the radio operators dealing with a major backlog of passenger messages.
No Binoculars
There were no binoculars in the crow's nest. It's still unclear as to why the binoculars were missing from the crow's nest. Frederick Fleet said had he been issues binoculars, he believes they would have avoided the disaster.
Return Trips Already Booked
The Titanic was supposed to stop in Manhattan, New York City to let the first and second-class passengers disembark. Then, it would travel to Ellis Island to let the third-class passengers disembark. Titanic had a return trip for April 20th scheduled and even another trip overseas on December 28th.
Extremely Fast Sinking
It's estimated that once the Titanic hit the iceberg, it took 2 hours and 40 minutes for the entire ship to go under. In the past, other ships took around 12 hours to fully sink. It's fully believed that if the Titanic stayed afloat longer, more people would have been saved.
The Iceberg Itself
This is the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. The day after it sank, a steward on another ship took a photo of the iceberg. The black mark on the side showcases where the Titanic made impact.
Lookout Frederick Fleet
The iceberg was first spotted by Frederick Fleet a minute before the Titanic hit it. Fleet immediately went to relay the message. By the time it reached the officers at the bridge, they had about 30 seconds until impact. Fleet survived the night but sadly committed suicide in 1965.
Where To Eat
On the B deck, a restaurant called à la Carte Restaurant was strictly for first-class passengers only. This restaurant was owned by Italian businessman Luigi Gatti, who died during the disaster. There was 66 staff for the restaurant, and only three survived.
The Orchestra
The film did not fabricate the orchestra playing during the sinking. They did their best to keep the passengers calm by playing some of their most upbeat songs. It's unclear what their final song was, but some rumors say it was the only "sad" song from the set. These men were rallied as heroes.
Not Enough Rafts
It's famously known that the Titanic had a dangerous lack of life rafts on board. There were only 20 rafts to accommodate the thousands of people on board. The Titanic was built to have 64 rafts on board, but the White Star Line wanted "uninterrupted views" of the ocean for the passengers.
Many Lost People
There were eight ships that were used to help collect the alive passengers and dead bodies from the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, many of the bodies were unidentifiable. Others were not found until months later. Only one-third of the bodies have ever been recovered. This photo shows a group of people waiting to hear the news of whether or not their loved ones lived through the disaster.
The Ship Split
The ship famously split in two when it began to sink into the ocean. It only took 15 minutes for the ship to end up on the ocean floor. It sank so quickly that it made an impact crater on the seafloor where it landed. The decks collapsed on top of one another.
George Washington Vanderbilt II
George Washington Vanderbilt II was the grandson of the famous Cornelius Vanderbilt of the Vanderbilt fortune. He was scheduled to travel on the Titanic and even had a ticket, but his sister-in-law convinced him not to go due to issues that ships have on their maiden voyages.
Author Theodore Dreiser
Author Theodore Dreiser was another famous name to have made plans to take the Titanic's maiden voyage. He ended up taking the advice of his publisher to not go on the Titanic and to take a less expensive, less historic ship for his voyage.
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick was an important American steel tycoon. He and his wife were slotted to take the trip. Days before the Titanic set off, his wife suffered a broken ankle. He chose to cancel their tickets so that she could recover.
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was a Nobel Prize winner and the inventor of the telegraph. He was offered a free trip on the Titanic due to his achievements, but he decided to hop on the Lusitania instead. His daughter later said in an interview that he chose the Lusitania because he had paperwork to do and he liked the telegraph operator on the Lusitania more.
When Alcohol Saves
This is probably the only time having too much alcohol in your system would save you. Head baker Charles Joughin survived the sinking of the ship by holding onto the ship and "riding" down with it. He was able to keep calm and warm due to the severe amount of whiskey he had before abandoning the ship. He was able to be picked up by a lifeboat.
The Severe Income Gap
The Titanic had a beautiful Turkish Bath area that was only available to first class passengers. This area included steam rooms and massage tables. The 700 third-class passengers had to share two bathtubs.
Honeymooners
There were 13 couples on board who were celebrating their honeymoons. Three couples were killed in the sinking, while four couples saw their other half die. Six couples survived.
Lifeboat Drill
Oddly enough, a lifeboat drill was scheduled for the morning that the Titanic sank. For unknown reasons, Captain Smith decided to cancel it. Experts agree that this drill would not have saved any lives, but it is a bit of a weird coincidence.
Ignoring The Warning
Nine minutes before the collision between the Titanic and the iceberg, the SS Californian signaled that it had halted for the night due to being in a field of ice. The radio operator at the time cut them off during their transmission and signaled back that he was too busy transcribing passengers' messages.
Unskilled Boaters
Sadly, the crew was not properly trained when it came to the lifeboats. As a whole, they practiced one drill. During that time, many of the crew members realized that they didn't even know what they were supposed to be doing. Even if the ship did have 64 boats, many people doubt that they would have been successfully launched.
The Location of the Disaster... Days Before
This photo was taken on April 4, 1921... just days before the Titanic sank. This is the exact location where the collision happened. As you can see, the water was extremely icy and treacherous.
Heading to Safety
In the midst of it all, passengers on board the ships that saved the Titanic passengers ended up taking photos of the historic moments. They were obviously packed to the brim.
The Infamous Iceberg
It's believed that this is a photo of the iceberg that the Titanic struck. This was taken months later from another ship that happened to be passing through the infamous area.
The Main Dining Hall
This is a photo of the main dining hall on the Titanic. It's less fancy than the others, but still nicer than what the people on the lower decks got. This is another photo from before the passengers were loaded on.
Two Top Men
This is a photo of Captain Edward J. Smith and Purser Hugh Walter McElroy. The photographer, Rev. F.M. Browne, got off at the Queenstown stop and subsequently survived the sinking. Smith and McElroy perished.
The Famous Cafe
First-class dining halls looked much different than everyone else's. This photo was taken just before the passengers were loaded onto the ship.
On-Board Playground
There were plenty of kids on board, so naturally they needed a place to play. There were designated areas of playtime for the kids above deck so that they could get out of their parents hair for a bit. This photo was taken three days before the ship went down.
Taking a stroll
The lifeboats were always at the ready. There were only 20 on board so that passengers like these folks didn't have any skewed vision of the sea as they took a stroll.
The Last Photo
This is the last photo taken of the Titanic from the shore. It's silhouette leaves a very ominious feeling. The ship was never photographed like this again.
The Unsinkable
The Titanic was known to be the toughest ship out there. It was labeled as unsinkable and indestructible. Obviously, that was sadly not the case, and appropriate safety measures and procedures were not in place.
Saying Goodbye
The titanic send-off was highly anticipated. Family and friends of the passengers stayed along the coastline to see their loved ones off. Sadly, this was the last time many of them would see each other again.
First-Class Lounging
First-class passengers were gifted with a reading and writing room. This is one of the many rooms that they were offered. Second and third-class patrons got nothing like this.
Trial Run
This is the Titanic doing a trial run off of the coast of Belfast, Northern Ireland. This was taken on April 2nd, 1912. The trials didn't get any more crazy than this.
View from the Carpathia
The Carpathia is one of the ships that helped secure the Titanic's passengers. This is a photo of when one of the lifeboats was getting hoisted onto the ship. The haunting images show the shivering cold survivors huddled together.
Recovering
These survivors are safely on board the Carpathia. They were given blankets and clothes by the passengers soon after the rescue. This photo was taken on April 15, 1912.
Visiting The Titanic Now
Now that the Titanic has been found, you can go and visit it on the ocean floor! It costs $59k per person to take the deep dive down there. A company called Deep Ocean Expeditions runs the event.
73 Years Later
It took experts a long time to find the wreckage. Teams of scientists, historians, and divers searched in the area for decades. It was mainly difficult to find because of the inaccurate coordinates of its location. It was found in 1985 by Robert Ballard.
The Ritz Hotel
The Titanic was famously modeled after the Ritz Hotel in London. The grand staircase was a big indicator of the inspiration. The ship also had squash courts, a swimming pool, and even a fully functioning gym.
The Engineers Who Perished
Every Titanic engineer died during the event. They remained below deck to help keep the power running. A memorial was erected in Southampton in 1914 to honor the brave engineers who undoubtedly saved lives.
The Titanic II?
Australian millionaire Clive Palmer recently made plans to build a replica of the Titanic. The project now has a scheduled 2022 launch date, but it's unclear where they are in the process. Palmer is also known for his Jurassic Park replica golf course and resort.