Titanic Timeline Captain Edward John Smith was born on this day in Hanley, Staffordshire. December 12th, 1862 Joseph Bruce Ismay was born on this day in Waterloo, Merseyside. January, 18th, 1868 Thomas Henry Ismay purchases the struggling White Star Line , which operated traditional sailing vessels centred mainly on the diminishing Australian gold rush trade. 1869 Thomas Henry Ismay creates the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the house flag of which is the familiar burgee of the White Star Line , a red background with a five-pointed white star in the centre. The formation of this company is the beginning of Ismay's dream of providing a top quality service to the United States and Canada. 1869 - 1870 Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff begin construction of Oceanic , the first of many fine ships for the fledgling White Star Line . It's the beginning of a long and fruitful period between the owners and the builders. September 21st, 1872 Chief Officer Henry Tingle Wilde was born on this day in Liverpool, England.

February 7th, 1873 Chief Designer of the Olympic-class liners , Thomas Andrews , was born on this day. February 28th, 1873 First Officer William McMaster Murdoch was born on this day in Dalbeattie, Scotland. March 30th, 1874 Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller was born on this day in Chorley, England. November, 20th, 1877 Third Officer Herbert John Pitman was born on this day in Somerset, England. November 21st, 1882 Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe was born on this day in Conway, Wales. March 23rd, 1884 Fourth Officer Joseph Groves Boxhall was born on this day in Hull, England. August 21st, 1887 Sixth Officer James Paul Moody was born on this day in Scarborough, England. 1891 Joseph Bruce Ismay , son of Thomas Henry, joins the White Star Line as a partner. 1894 William J. Pirrie is made chairman of Harland and Wolff .

1898 Morgan Robertson publishes Futility , a novel about an ocean liner, the Titan, which sinks on the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage after a collision with an iceberg . The book bears many spookily-similar aspects to the sinking of the Titanic. November 23rd, 1899 Thomas Henry Ismay died at his Dawpool home, leaving the way clear for his son Joseph Bruce Ismay to take over the running of the White Star Line . 1902 The White Star Line is taken-over by American financier J. Pierpoint Morgan. His shipping trust, the International Mercantile Marine (I.M.M.), now effectively runs the company. 1904 Joseph Bruce Ismay becomes president of J. Pierpoint Morgan's I.M.M., and is allowed complete control, such is Morgan's respect for Ismay . 1907 William J. Pirrie invites Joseph Bruce Ismay to his London residence, Downshire House, for a dinner party, the purpose of which is to discuss the construction of two massive new ocean-liners for the White Star Line .

Pirrie and Ismay hope the Olympic-class liners will rival Cunard's transatlantic speedsters, Mauretania & Lusitania, not for speed, but for opulence and grandeur. July 1908 White Star Line officially approve the design of the Olympic-class liners with Harland and Wolff . The initial order of two ships will be followed by a third in time. Because of the huge size of these mammoth new vessels, Harland and Wolff have to build huge new slip ways to accommodate them, with a huge gantry spanning them. December 16th 1908 Olympic , first of the Olympic-class liners , is born as her keel is laid down in Belfast. Construction of what will become the world's largest vessel has begun. March 31st 1909 Harland and Wolff lay down the keel on yard No. 401; Titanic is born. October 20th 1910 Olympic , the first of the trio, is launched at Harland and Wolff . She is the world's largest man-made moving object, but not for long.

May 31st 1911 Titanic is launched in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people in Belfast, the second of the Olympic-class liners to take to the waters. June 14th, 1911 Southampton witnesses the departure of the world's largest liner, Olympic , on her maiden voyage to New York. July 1911 Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line agree upon a proposed sailing date for Titanic ; 20th March 1912. September 20th 1911 Olympic is badly damaged in a collision with the Royal Navy cruiser H.M.S. Hawke. As workers are diverted to undertake repairs to Olympic , work on Titanic slows a little, and her sailing date will have to be revised. October 1911 The White Star Line announce the revised date for Titanic's departure on her maiden voyage ; 10th April, 1912. November 30th, 1911 Britannic II 's keel is laid on this day in Belfast.

February 3rd 1912 Titanic is dry-docked at Harland and Wolff's Belfast yard in the Thompson Dry Dock . March 8th, 1912 Titanic leaves the Thompson Dry Dock , and returns to the fitting-out wharf. March 25th 1912 Titanic's lifeboats are tested at Belfast. March 31st 1912 Titanic is now largely complete as far as the fitting-out process goes, however, internally there is still much to be done. April 2nd 1912 Titanic sails for the very first time under her own power as she undergoes her delayed sea trials in Belfast Lough. April 3rd 1912 Titanic arrives in Southampton just after midnight after journeying down from Belfast. April 5th 1912 Titanic is 'dressed' in her signal flags and pennants as a Good Friday tribute to the people of Southampton , the only time this happens in her short life. April 6th 1912 Today is recruitment day, when all the still-remaining vacancies on the ship's crew are filled. Coal and cargo begin to be loaded today too.

April 8th 1912 All of the fresh food for the forthcoming maiden voyage begins to be loaded at Southampton, England . April 10th 1912 Titanic's sailing day has finally arrived, and Captain E. J. Smith comes aboard at 7.30am. Titanic's maiden voyage finally gets underway at 12 noon. She sails across the English Channel to Cherbourg , her first port of call, arriving there just after 6.00p.m.. After a couple of hours or so of embarking some new passengers, and disembarking some of the ones who boarded at Southampton , she heads across the Irish Sea to Ireland. April 11th 1912 Titanic arrives at Queenstown, now known as 'Cobh', and once more drops-off passengers, whilst taking-on board some new ones for the voyage to New York. April 11th - 12th 1912 Titanic covers 386 miles, which included the stop at Queenstown, Ireland. April 12th -13th 1912 Titanic covers 519 miles, during which time she received many warnings of ice.

April 13th 1912 Titanic receives a warning from the Rappahannock of heavy pack ice. April 14th 1912 09.00am: Titanic receives a message from the Caronia warning of field ice and icebergs at 42° N, from 49° to 51°. 10.30am: Divine services held in first class dining room. 11.40am: Noordam reports 'much ice' in area previously reported by Caronia . Noon: Ship's officers gather on wing bridge to calculate Titanic's position. 01.42p.m.: Fellow White Star Line stable mate Baltic reports 'large quantities of field ice' located at latitude 41° 51' N, longitude 49° 52' W, about 250 miles ahead of Titanic . This message was delivered to Captain Edward John Smith , who in turn passed it to Joseph Bruce Ismay , who pocketed the message. 01.45p.m.: Warning received from Amerika of 'large iceberg' in vicinity of 41° 27' N. 50' 8' W.

05.30 - 07.30p.m.: Surrounding air temperature plummets by 10 degrees to 33° F. 05.50p.m.: Captain Edward John Smith alters Titanic's course slightly to the south and west of the usual course, perhaps as a precaution to avoid the reported ice. 06.00p.m.: Second Officer Charles Lightoller relieves Chief Officer Henry Wilde on the bridge. 07.15p.m.: First Officer William Murdoch orders the forecastle hatch to be closed as the glow from it was interfering with the lookouts vision in the crow's nest up above. 07.30p.m.: Three warnings of large icebergs are received from the Californian in the vicinity of 42° 3' N, 49° 9' W. These messages are delivered to the bridge. Captain Edward John Smith is attending a dinner party in the first class dining room. 08.40p.m.: Second Officer Charles Lightoller passes-on orders to Titanic crew to look after the ship's fresh water supply, as temperature of surrounding sea water is close to freezing.

08.55p.m.: Captain Edward John Smith leaves the dinner party and returns to the bridge, discussing the clear weather and the visibility of icebergs at night with Second Officer Charles Lightoller . 09.20p.m.: Captain Edward John Smith retires for the night, with orders to wake him 'if if becomes at all doubtful'. 09.30p.m.: Second Officer Charles Lightoller advises the lookouts in the crow's nest to watch carefully for icebergs until morning. 09.40p.m.: Heavy pack ice and iceberg warning received from Mesaba, in vicinity of latitude 42° N to 41° 25', longitude 49° W to 50° 30' W, however, the message was overlooked as radio operators are busy with passenger traffic. 10.00p.m.: Second Officer Charles Lightoller relieved by First Officer William Murdoch on the bridge. The lookouts are also relieved, with the new watch in the crow's nest advised to watch for icebergs . 10.30p.m.: Sea temperature down to 31° F.

10.55p.m.: Approximately 10 - 15 miles north of Titanic , the Californian is stopped in field ice, and sends out warnings to all shipping in the area. The Californian contacts the nearby Titanic with a further warning of ice, and receives a by a very blunt, 'Keep out. Shut up. You're jamming my signal. I'm working Cape Race '. Californian's radio operator listens to Titanic's messages for a short while, then closes at 11.30p.m. 11.30p.m.: The lookouts in the crow's nest note a slight haze appearing directly ahead of the Titanic . 11.40p.m.: Titanic is moving at slightly-less than 21 knots, when suddenly, the lookouts see an iceberg directly ahead, approximately 500 yards away. The lookouts immediately sound the warning bell with three rings, and then telephone the bridge with the message, 'Iceberg right ahead'.

First Officer William Murdoch , upon hearing the message, calls 'hard-a-starboard' to the helmsman, and at the same time orders the engine room to stop engines, and then full astern, and at the same time, he activates the watertight doors below. After several seconds, Titanic begins to veer to port, but it's not enough, and she makes contact with the iceberg down her starboard side. 11.50p.m.: Only ten minutes after the impact, water has risen 14 feet above the keel forward. First five watertight compartments begin to take on water. 00.00a.m.: Titanic's mail room, 24 feet above the keel, has flooded with enough water to float some mailbags. Reports of damage from various parts of the ship begin to arrive on the bridge where Captain Edward John Smith is now located. Water is flooding into holds 1, 2 and 3, and boiler room 6, so Captain Edward John Smith and Thomas Andrews begin a rapid tour of the ship below-decks to see the damage first-hand, and then Captain Edward John Smith asks Thomas Andrews for his opinion.

Thomas Andrews calculates that Titanic will stay afloat for between one to one-and-a-half hours. April 15th 1912 12.05a.m. Titanic's squash court is now awash, Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats and muster crew and passengers . only room in lifeboats for 1,178 of 2,227 if every lifeboat filled to capacity. 12.15 - 2.17a.m. - Various ships hear Titanic's distress calls. Among them is her sister, Olympic (500 miles away), Mount Temple (49), Frankfort (153), Birma (70), Baltic II (243), Virginian (170), and of course, Carpathia (58). 12.15a.m. - Titanic's Band begin to play in the First Class Lounge. Later, they move outside of their warm confines to play on the port side of the Boat Deck. 12.20a.m. - The seaman's quarters, 48 feet above Titanic's keel on E Deck, are flooded. 12.25a.m.

- Order given to begin loading Titanic's lifeboats with women and children. The Cunarder Carpathia picks up Titanic's distress calls, and begins her 58 mile journey. 12.45a.m. - The first lifeboats to be lowered, starboard No. 7 , is lowered. It carries 28 people, with a capacity for 65. The first of the eight distress rockets were also launched at this time. Fourth Officer Joseph Groves Boxhall observes vessel approaching Titanic , and then disappears, despite trying to contact her using the Morse lamp. Lifeboat No. 4 begins loading between 12.30 and 12.45. 5.30a.m. - 6.30a.m. - The survivors from lifeboat Collapsible A are rescued by lifeboat No. 14 , and lifeboat Collapsible B by lifeboats No. 4 and No. 12 . 8.30a.m. - Lifeboat No. 12 is the final lifeboat to be recovered by the Carpathia , and Second Officer Charles Lightoller is the last person to come aboard.

Californian arrives nearby, and then steams away in a vain search for any more survivors. 8.50a.m. - Carpathia leaves the area of Titanic 's sinking, heading for New York. Aboard her are 705 survivors, meaning more than 1,500 people have been lost in the disaster. Joseph Bruce Ismay sends a message to the White Star Line 's New York offices, saying, "Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning after collision with iceberg, resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars later." April 17th 1912 The White Star Line hires the cable laying vessel, the Mackay-Bennett to search the area of the Titanic 's foundering for bodies. April 18th 1912 The Carpathia finally arrives in New York, and approximately 10,000 people observe her arrive, with Titanic 's lifeboats hanging in her davits. She steams past the Cunard pier, in order to unload the lifeboats at the White Star Line pier. After unloading Titanic 's lifeboats , Carpathia then returns to the Cunard Pier in order to unload the survivors.

April 19th - 25th May 2012 The U.S. Inqury into the sinking, headed by Senator William A. Smith, gets underway, during which eighty-two people are called to the inquiry. April 22nd 1912 The White Star Line hires a second boat, Minia, to assist the Mackay-Bennett, which has thus far been overwhelmed, after finding more than 300 bodies. April 24th 1912 Titanic 's sister ship, Olympic , is due to leave Southampton on her scheduled run, however, the voyage has to be cancelled, due to her firemen going on strike, due to the insufficient number of lifeboats , and 285 of Olympic 's black gang desert the ship. 2nd May - 3rd July, 1912 The U.K. Inquiry into the sinking, headed by Lord Mersey, gets underway, during which nearly 100 people are called to testify.

February 26th, 1914 Britannic II is launched, and because of the alterations and modifications made to her after the Titanic disaster, she is now the world's largest four funnelled ship. November 21st, 1916 Britannic II is sunk, after hitting a mine in the Kea Channel, of Greece, whilst carrying wounded soldiers, leaving Olympic as the last of the Olympic-class liners in service. October 11th, 1935 Olympic , the last of the Olympic-class liners still in service, makes her way to Jarrow, to be broken up. Two years later, what remains of Olympic is then towed to Inverkeithing for final disposal. October 17th, 1937 Chairman of the White Star Line , Joseph Bruce Ismay died on this day. May 12th, 1944 Titanic 's Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe died on this day in Conwy, Wales. December 8th, 1952 Titanic 's Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller died on this day. December 7th, 1961 Titanic 's Third Officer Herbert John Pitman died on this day.

April 25th, 1967 Titanic 's Fourth Officer Joseph Groves Boxhall died on this day, and his ashes were scattered in the position Titanic was reported as having sunk. December 3rd, 1975 The wreck of the Britannic II was discovered by the renowned underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, using the research vessel Calypso. July 17th, 1980 An expedition funded by Texas oilman Jack Grimm departs on a mission to find the wreck of the Titanic , without any success. September 1st 1985 The wreck of the Titanic is finally discovered by a joint American and French team of scientists, led by Robert Ballard , using the research vessel Knorr. August 30th, 1996 An attempt to recover Titanic 's " Big Piece " from the seabed fails, when during heavy seas, the cables carrying the section of the the hull gave way. August 10th, 1998 A salvage mission successfully recovers the errant " Big Piece ", it is the largest Titanic artefact to be raised from the wreck site, at some 20 tons. November, 2002 A T.V.

program, Secrets Of The Dead, announces that the child in the grave of the unknown child is Eino Viljam Panula , after using D.N.A. to prove the link. July, 2007 A team from Canada's Lakehead University, using more advanced methods of D.N.A. testing, prove that Sidney Leslie Goodwin is actually the child in the grave of the unknown child . May 31st, 2009 The Titanic - Cobh Heritage Centre || A Highlight of Ireland's Ancient East The Titanic The Titanic The Titanic - see a replica of the ill-fated ship and message in a bottle thrown overboard: On 11 April 1912, the Titanic left Queenstown with 1,308 passengers and 898 crew members as she embarked on her final journey. Our colourful and informative displays will take you back in time to learn more about the Titanic. Throughout the exhibition, there are many individual stories to be found such as that of Jeremiah Burke and the message in the bottle he sent from Titanic, and Fr. Frank Browne whose photos on board Titanic survived. You will also see a large replica of The Titanic.

About Titanic & Cobh… On the 11th April 1912 the newly built Titanic called to the port of Queenstown (now known as Cobh) on her maiden voyage. Titanic had set out from Southampton and called to Cherbourg before continuing onto Queenstown. The pride of the White Star Line arrived at Roches Point (the outer anchorage of Queenstown Harbour) at 11.30am. Meanwhile the intending passengers went to the White Star Line pier to board the tenders PS Ireland and PS America which would ferry them to the waiting liner. A total of 123 passengers embarked at Queenstown, three travelled first class, seven second class while the remainder travelled in steerage (3rd class). After boarding the tenders they proceeded to the Deepwater Quay (where Cobh Heritage Centre is now located) to load mail bags from the mail train. The two tenders then travelled out to the Titanic along with a number of smaller vessels carrying local vendors selling local specialties such as lace and crafts to the wealthy passengers on board.

At 1.30pm an exchange of whistles indicated that the tenders’ business was complete and the Titanic weighed anchor to the strains of “Erin’s Lament” and “A Nation Once Again” played on the bagpipes by steerage passenger Eugene Daly. A total of 1,308 passengers were on board as they left Queenstown together with 898 crew members making a total of 2,206 people on board as she embarked on her final journey. 1,517 would never see New York. Titanic's Maiden Voyage TITANIC-TITANIC.com | Titanic's Maiden Voyage Titanic was now ready to travel. The crew were all aboard, save for a couple of thirsty firemen enjoying a last-minute pint in one of Southampton's many public houses who would miss the departure. Luckily, there were spare members of crew on standby ready for this very situation, which obviously occurred on a regular basis, and they were duly 'signed on', the remaining spare crew would be taken off aboard a small vessel further down the river together with the Southampton pilot.

( Titanic Passengers Embarked Southampton ) The passengers were all aboard, the majority of them at the port-side rails bidding farewell to friends and families. Many people, especially those in Third Class , or 'steerage', would be making a one-way journey, looking for a better life in America, the so-called 'New World'. They had sold everything they owned, which for many of them wasn't a great deal to begin with. Their worldly belongings would fill just a couple of bags, or maybe a steamer trunk in some cases. But for the wealthier people aboard in the First Class accommodation , of which there were many, this was merely a pleasure trip, a society outing. The maiden voyage of the world's biggest and grandest vessel would be a major addition to one's social Curriculum Vitae. Old friendships would be rekindled, and more importantly, new friendships and contacts would be formed and developed. The pilot, George Bowyer, pictured here on the left, was now aboard, a familiar face to Captain Smith and most of the officers . It was Pilot Bowyer who had been on duty the day Olympic had collided with HMS Hawke, and Smith had been the master that day too.

To complicate matters, George Bowyer looked uncannily similar to Captain Smith , and anyone seeing Bowyer from a distance might have thought that it was Smith ! Just before noon, on the 10th April, 1912, the Blue Peter pennant, indicating 'Imminent Departure', was run up Titanic's foremast. The throaty triple-valve whistles were heard three times right across Southampton . The tugs were all in place to nudge and heave at the mass of the hull, until such time that Titanic's mighty engines could turn the propellers out in open water. The lines holding the enormous liner against the dock were cast off, and the five comparatively tiny tugs began their heavy work. Pushing and pulling at the massive hull, constantly in touch with each other by a series of whistles, the tugs were working hard. But once out in the River Test, upon which Southampton is built, the tugs dropped all of their lines. Titanic's telegraph rang out, and the mighty engines started to turn the propellers . The voyage had begun. As the giant liner made her graceful way down the river, the turbulence created by the massive hull was causing problems.

Two liners were moored in tandem alongside their pier, the Oceanic was inboard, and the New York was on the outside. As the huge volume of water displaced by Titanic came upon these two ships, the New York rose high in the water, then dropped back down with enough power to snap her mooring lines like string. The stern of the New York, which was unmanned, began to swing out into the river, and towards the Titanic , pictured here on the left. The Captain of the tug Vulcan, in the centre of the photograph, managed to get a line aboard the runaway, and aboard Titanic , Captain Smith ordered 'Full Astern', to lessen the drawing effect the Titanic was having on the New York. The two vessels came within four feet of each other, the distance between your outstretched arms! Disaster had been very narrowly averted. With that little drama out of the way, Titanic steamed on, out of Southampton Water, with the tiny Isle of Wight on the starboard side. Her next stop, at Cherbourg , was approximately 70 miles away. A further 274 passengers would board here, but Titanic was far too large to fit in Cherbourg's tiny port.

The passengers, together with all of their luggage, would be ferried to the mighty liner aboard two specially constructed White Star Line tenders, Nomadic , seen here on the left, and Tra ffic , pictured here below left, along with a large quantity of mailbags. One-and-a-half hours after she dropped anchor in the Cherbourg roadstead, Titanic was ready for departure again, and this time the Irish town of Queenstown would be her next, and final, port of call. ( Titanic Passengers and Crew Embarked Cherbourg ) Queenstown was reached early the next morning, and by 11.30am, she was anchored a couple of miles offshore. Once again, two small White Star Line tenders, America & Ireland, ferried the passengers, their luggage and the mail to and from the ship. Also aboard, hiding under the mailbags, was one of Titanic's fireman, John Coffey , who's home was listed as Queenstown on the crew's signing on sheets. He came ashore, and must have felt like the luckiest men in the world when the reports of Titanic's demise began to filter through only days later.

( Titanic Passengers and Crew Embarked Queenstown ) Now, with Queenstown and the Irish coast rapidly fading on the horizon, Titanic moved out into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The crew and officers could now begin to get into their routines and watches, and the passengers now had time to explore the great liner, meet old cruising friends, or organise parties for the rich and the famous. Almost everybody would now know how to find their cabins, but a few would still get confused by the labyrinthine corridors, and have to rely on a harassed, but helpful steward for directions, even though they too had only a sketchy knowledge themselves of the seemingly never-ending interior of the brand new ship. It was a learning process for even the most experienced crew, but no doubt they would be more confident on the return journey. As the days of the voyage passed, Titanic sped steadily westwards, towards her next port of call, New York. From leaving Queenstown, to noon on Sunday 14th April, Titanic had put some 1,500 miles behind her. She was almost constantly receiving warnings from other vessels who had encountered the ice , but would her crew, especially her experienced Captain , take heed?

Arrives Cherbourg - Titanic Online Store Arrives Cherbourg Cherbourg, France Wednesday evening, April 10th, 1912 - The White Star Liner R.M.S. "Titanic" arrives at Cherbourg, France, her first port of call on her maiden voyage. It is near dusk as the new White Star tender "Nomadic" draws along side to discharge additional First Class passengers and mail from the Continent. Among those board this night; John Jacob Astor and his new wife, Benjamin Gugenheim and Molly Brown, who would later become famous as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". The second White Star tender Traffic carrying the Third Class passengers and mail also discharges it human cargo on board Titanic. Just over 120 passengers are embarking to begin their voyage to the new world in hopes of a better life. Titanic is ablaze with light. This wonderful and mighty ocean liner is, perhaps, the grandest object ever seem by these hopeful immigrants. They gaze in wonder at this magnificent vessel as they board her from the tender. After a hurried inspection of their tickets. they are escorted to their accommodations on board.

Single men are sent forward on E and F-decks to their cabins in the bow of the ship. They are just above the waterline but, these clean white painted rooms are far better than anything they have lived in before. Each cabin can hold up to eight men in bunks with clean white linen and bedspreads bearing the White Star Line logo. The single women and married couples with children are directed to the after sections of the ship. Their quarters are spread out over four decks. In cabins that can accommodate from four to eight people. While Spartan with little in the way of frills these cabins are spotlessly clean and confortable. There were many bathrooms located nearby with tubs baths and showers. Something unheard of by many of them. Stewards were at their service to answer any questions. The biggest question being “where do we eat?” They are directed to the two large dining rooms mid-ship on F-deck. This large and airy space could accommodate well over 400 people in each identical room. White painted wood walls. Large travel posters and pictures of other White Star vessels adorned the walls. Bench seating at long tables set with fresh white linens and napkins!

Even real fine china with the White Star logo on each piece awaited these eager and hungry passengers after their long journey. A long train ride from Paris, included in the price of their ticket and a longer than expected wait pier side for the arrival of Titanic due to a near collision upon her departure from Southampton. The arrival time in Cherbourg was put back nearly two hours. This collision was considered a bad omen by many of the Titanic’s crew and a few of her passengers who watched in horror as the scene unfolded before their eyes. The effect of Titanic’s huge bulk in the shallow waters of Southampton had caused a tremendous suction on the laid up American Line ship, New York causing her to snap her mooring lines and follow the Titanic down the harbor! Quick thinking of the tugboat crews quickly averted a collision as the erstwhile New York was rounded up and taken in tow to a new berth. Captain Smith on Titanic’s bridge must have felt the reoccurrence of a bad memory. Just the past year while in command of Titanic’s older sister ship Olympic, the same incident occurred while the ship was sailing in restricted waters of Southampton. The suction of the Olympic had drawn the smaller dreadnaught H.M.S.

Hawke into her side causing severe damage to both ships. Clearly, lessons were not learned and only the quick response of the tugs and the commands of the harbor pilot to reverse Titanic’s screws averted another disastrous collision. Well, all that was behind them now. Titanic sat before them in all her splendid glory. And, most importantly, this was the beginning of a grand new adventure. Seven days on the largest most magnificent ocean liner ever conceived by the hand of man. The largest moving object in the world. And dinner awaits! "Titanic" would sail over night to arrive at her second port of call, Queenstown. Ireland the following day. Animals aboard the RMS Titanic | Titanic Database Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Animals aboard the RMS Titanic 448pages on Share There were a number of animals aboard the RMS Titanic during her disastrous maiden voyage, which ended with the ship sinking on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg. The animals included dogs, cats, chickens, birds and an unknown number of rats. Three of the dogs were brought aboard lifeboats by their owners and survived; the rest of the animals perished in the disaster.

Contents Edit The ship had her own official cat named Jenny, who was kept aboard Titanic as a mascot and also worked to keep down the ship's population of rats and mice. Transferred over from Titanics sister ship Olympic, Jenny gave birth in the week before Titanic sailed from Southampton. She normally lived in the galley, where the victualling staff fed her and her kittens on scraps from the kitchens. [1] Stewardess Violet Jessop wrote that the cat "laid her family near Jim, the scullion, whose approval she always sought and who always gave her warm devotion." [2] A number of dogs were brought aboard by passengers as pets. Most were kept in kennels on the ship's F Deck, though some First Class passengers kept theirs in their cabins – probably without the knowledge of the crew or with the turning of a blind eye, as they were not supposed to do so. The ship's carpenter, John Hutchison, was responsible for the dogs' welfare. The kennel dogs were exercised daily on the poop deck by a steward or one of the bellboys.

[3] As for the lapdogs, the American painter Francis Davis Millet wrote disapprovingly in a letter sent from Titanics last stop, Queenstown in Ireland, "Looking over the [passenger] list I only find three or four people I know but there are ... a number of obnoxious, ostentatious American women, the scourge of any place they infest, and worse on shipboard than anywhere. Many of them carry tiny dogs, and lead husbands around like pet lambs." [4] The dog owners had planned to hold a dog show aboard the ship on the morning of 15 April, but by that time Titanic was at the bottom of the North Atlantic as were, presumably, most of the dogs. [5] The details of several of the dogs aboard Titanic were recorded and included: A King Charles Spaniel and an elderly Airedale Terrier, owned by William Carter Chow-Chow, a chow chow owned by Harry Anderson A champion French Bulldog called Gamin de Pycombe, owned by Robert W.

Daniel, who had bought him in England for the very high price of £150 (£ 1 in 2012 prices) Kitty, another Airedale Terrier, owned by millionaire John Jacob Astor A Pomeranian owned by Margaret Bechstein Hays , which she kept (probably surreptitiously) in her cabin A dog owned by Elizabeth Rothschild, also kept in her cabin A Pekingese called Sun Yat Sen, owned by Henry Sleeper Harper and his wife Myra Frou-Frou, a toy dog owned by Helen Bishop. The dog was allowed to stay in her cabin as the stewards considered it "too pretty" to put among the bigger dogs in the kennels. [1] There were probably more dogs aboard, but their details (and owners) have not survived. It was perhaps fortunate that passenger Charles Moore of Washington, D.C. had to make a last-minute change to his plans to transport aboard Titanic 100 English foxhounds, which he intended to use to start an English-style fox hunt in the Washington area. They were instead shipped aboard another vessel. [1] As well as the dogs and cats, there were a number of birds aboard.

Ella Holmes White of New York brought four roosters and hens, which were probably kept in or near the F Deck dog kennels. She had imported them from France with the intention of improving her poultry stock at home. Another woman was said to have brought 30 cockerels aboard, and Elizabeth Ramel Nye brought her yellow canary. Two dogs and a canary disembarked with the passengers who left the ship at Cherbourg, Titanics first port of call after Southampton. The animals travelled on their own tickets; even the canary that left at Cherbourg had to be paid for, to the tune of 25 US cents. [3] Like any other ship of the time, Titanic had a substantial population of rats. One was seen running across the Third Class Dining Room on the evening of the sinking, to the shock and amazement of the diners. Some of the women who saw it burst into tears, while men tried unsuccessfully to capture the rat. [3] Fate of the animals Edit Few of Titanics animals survived the ship's sinking. Three of the dogs were taken aboard lifeboats by their owners.

Margaret Hays' Pomeranian got away safely in Lifeboat 7 and lived until 1919, while Elizabeth Rothschild refused to board Lifeboat 6 unless her dog was allowed to come too. Henry and Myra Harper brought their Pekingese aboard Lifeboat 3 but Helen Bishop had to abandon Frou-Frou in her cabin, much to their mutual distress. [1] The dog attempted to stop her leaving by holding on to her dress with his teeth until the seam tore. Afterwards Bishop spoke of her sorrow: "The loss of my little dog hurt me very much. I will never forget how he dragged on my clothes. He so wanted to accompany me." [3] None of the other animals survived. At some point during the sinking, someone decided to free the dogs from their kennels, leading to the surreal sight of a pack of excited dogs racing up and down the slanting deck as the ship went down. One female passenger is said to have refused to be parted from her dog and chose to stay aboard.

Several days later, as the SS Bremen passed through an area still strewn with debris and bodies floating in the water, passengers saw the body of a woman tightly holding a large shaggy dog in her arms. [3] Robert W. Daniel's bulldog Gamin de Pycombe was last seen in the water swimming for his life after the ship went down. [4] After the sinking, several of the surviving animal owners made compensation claims for their lost pets and poultry. Daniel claimed $750 for the loss of his pedigree bulldog, while Carter claimed $300 for the loss of his two dogs. White claimed $207.87 for her lost chickens, and Chow-Chow was valued by Anderson at $50. [3] Notes

Question: What was the Titanic's first port of call after it left Southampton?
Answer: Cherbourg