Titanic threat: Why do ships still hit icebergs? - BBC News BBC News Titanic threat: Why do ships still hit icebergs? By Lauren Everitt BBC News Magazine 20 March 2012 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Next month marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. The disaster spurred maritime nations to start monitoring icebergs, so why are ships still hitting them? Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank less than three hours later. The tragedy galvanised world leaders to hold the first Safety of Life at Sea convention to address the iceberg threat. With only visual sightings and a shipboard radio to guide the Titanic safely through iceberg-infested waters, the liner was ill-equipped to detect its nemesis. The conference after the sinking resulted in the International Ice Patrol (IIP), which was assigned to monitor "Iceberg Alley", the infamous stretch of ocean around Newfoundland. The IIP has been monitoring the area ever since, using aerial patrols and radar to determine the limits of iceberg danger, which they broadcast in a daily bulletin.

In the southern hemisphere captains rely on programmes like the European Space Agency's Polar View for real-time iceberg detection via satellite imagery. Image caption The International Ice Patrol at work circa 1950 With dedicated monitoring teams issuing daily reports, satellites beaming back images and ship radars offering detailed information, the risk of smashing into huge chunks of ice might seem slim. But it still happens. All of these advances could not prevent MS Explorer's encounter with an iceberg on the evening of 23 November 2007. The 154 passengers had to abandon ship, floating on life rafts for several hours in icy waters. Everyone survived, but the incident was dubbed the "modern Titanic" in the New York Times. Less than two months later another Antarctic cruise ship, the MS Fram, lost engine power and struck a glacier. The impact smashed a lifeboat, but the 300 people on board escaped unharmed. Only last year an iceberg tore a hole in the hull of a Russian fishing boat cruising around the Antarctic. The 32-person crew threw cargo overboard to lighten the ship while waiting nearly two weeks for rescue. There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg strikes, but they happen every year.

For the northern hemisphere, from 1980 to 2005, there were 57 incidents involving icebergs giving a rate of 2.3 per year, according to Brian Hill, of the Institute for Ocean Technology, who maintains a database of more than 680 iceberg-ship incidents. And while considered less of a menace, iceberg strikes regularly happen in the southern hemisphere. Iceberg removal strategies Titanic tragedy prompted creative methods for iceberg removal, such as: Explosives:US Coast Guard attempts to blow up icebergs (pictured) in the 1950s and 60s proved unsuccessful Towing:Ice-management companies "lasso" icebergs with floating rope, and boats pull them clear of oil rigs and shipping routes Water cannons:High-pressure hoses blast icebergs away from danger zones Melting:In 2001, a Russian oil company proposed melting icebergs by covering them with a water-proof coat and injecting hot water Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica and "Iceberg Wranglers", Legion Magazine Antarctic areas have experienced a slight increase in collisions, according to Hill. "People are pushing into these frontiers a little more," he says.

"Typically if you had an accident it would be in the North Atlantic in the shipping routes, that doesn't happen quite so often now. It's more in those remote areas." Many more cruises now head towards the Antarctic. The number of passengers bound for Antarctica have ballooned from a few hundred in 1969 to a projected 31,265 visitors for the 2012-2013 season, according to Steve Wellmeier, executive director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. While most cruises won't come close to areas where ice is problematic, captains still have to be wary, Wellmeier says. "They have to be on guard the same way that ships do that are crossing the north Atlantic. You had icebergs back in 1912, and you still have icebergs in 2012." The shrinking of the Arctic sea ice has also opened the door to increased commercial travel. Arctic shipping routes are growing and staying open longer, says Andrew Fleming, from the British Antarctic Survey.

Captains can "shave off a considerable amount of travel time" by following the iceberg-studded Northern Sea Route, rather than heading south along the much lengthier Suez Canal route, he says. "Just because the ice is shrinking doesn't mean that it's completely ice free, so you're still going to get ice around those areas. Therefore, there's still a risk, especially if you're going to put lots of ships through it," Fleming says. The "onus" is on captains and shipping companies to weigh an Arctic shortcut with the increased chance of hitting an iceberg, according to Hill. "If the Ice Patrol delineates the area within which there is ice, then somehow you have to persuade the captain. The shipping company is still very reluctant to go around the ice; this could add another 100 or 1,000 miles to the transit of the vessel and increase the fuel costs and time. "That's a chance to take, but by taking the shortcut through the ice they're living with that risk of hitting something," he says.

Ships are also spending more time in the iceberg-infested waters around Greenland and the Arctic in search of natural resources, such as minerals, oil and gas, Fleming says "Even if you don't increase the number of icebergs in the ocean, if you add more ships to the equation, then inevitably mathematics tells you the risk is going to increase. Ships will have to contend with more ice coming off the coast of Greenland, according to Peter Wadhams, head of Cambridge University's Polar Ocean Physics Group. The country's glaciers are an Arctic iceberg factory, and they're speeding up - producing more icebergs and smaller, more dangerous ones, at that, he adds. Image caption IIP flies over the North Atlantic looking for icebergs These smaller icebergs, called "bergy bits", are small enough to escape radar and low enough in the water to overlook. But they can still pack a punch. "Ice is one tonne per cubic meter, so something that doesn't look like very much can weigh thousands of tonnes and be enough to hole a ship," Wadhams says. Fleming would agree that the size of icebergs can present a challenge, especially when it comes to monitoring them.

"Icebergs can range from the size of Jamaica down to the size of a small car or the size of a piano, and you just can't see those smaller bits that are floating around in the water," he says. "You're never going to be able to see every iceberg. It's just an absolute impossibility." Then there's the issue of sorting out the sea ice, which is frozen sea water, from icebergs, the bits of glacier or ice shelf that "knackered the Titanic", Fleming adds. For Captain David Snider, an ice pilot and navigator, the difference can be pivotal. "If you were to hit an iceberg with a ship it's like hitting a brick wall as opposed to hitting a bowl of porridge," he says. "So we try and avoid icebergs at all costs." Helping ships steer clear of icebergs has been a priority of the International Ice Patrol since it was formed in 1913. Originally relying on reconnaissance ships, the IIP refined its methods over the subsequent decades to include radar, call-ins from passing ships and surveillance flights. But captains aren't required to heed the IIP's iceberg warnings, and human error can override even the most precise instruments.

Infamous iceberg encounters RMS Titanic (1912)- Dubbed "unsinkable", the luxury liner's collision remains one of history's most famous tragedies MS Explorer (2007)- After hitting an iceberg off the coast of Antarctica, this "modern Titanic" raised concerns about Antarctic tourism Hans Hedtoft (1959)- The "little Titanic", a Danish passenger and cargo ship, stuck an iceberg and sank, killing all 95 people on board SS Islander (1901)- Travelling along the Alaskan coast, the steamer collided with an iceberg and sank 15 minutes later, claiming 40 lives "If you've got a careless captain, then you can have an accident no matter how many technical aids you have," Wadhams says. "In theory there's not as much danger from icebergs now because of radar and an International Ice Patrol to warn ships of iceberg-infested waters, but human stupidity remains the same, so it's likely there will still be losses," he says. Even before the Titanic, the maritime community was keenly aware of the limitations of their technology, according to Hill.

"A lot of editorials and the shipping newspapers were decrying this foolishness of charging across the North Atlantic in winter full speed ahead, regardless of fog and ice. They were just waiting for an accident to happen, so in a sense there's no surprise," he says. Thanks to radar technology, better education for mariners and iceberg monitoring systems, ship collisions with icebergs are generally avoidable, but the results can still be disastrous when they occur. "These things are very rare. It's one of those risks that are low frequency but high impact. So if it does go wrong, it goes badly wrong," Fleming says. On This Day: “Unsinkable” Titanic Lost After Hitting Iceberg The Titanic departs Southampton, England on April 10, 1912. On This Day: “Unsinkable” Titanic Lost After Hitting Iceberg April 15, 2011 06:00 AM 1,500 Drown as Titanic Sinks The luxury liner Titanic left Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, for its first trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

The ship, which was part of the White Star Line, was the largest and most luxurious ship of its time . It was considered unsinkable, as it was able to withstand flooding to four of its 16 purportedly watertight compartments. On the night of April 14, the ship’s crew was warned about ice in the vicinity of its route southeast of Newfoundland, but Capt. Edward J. Smith decided not to slow down. On a dark, moonless night, the crew, which had lost its binoculars, was unable to spot an iceberg in its path until it was too late. Desperate attempts to steer the ship around the iceberg failed; at 11:40 p.m., the ship’s hull scraped up against the ice , causing six of its compartments to take on water. Ironically, had the crew not turned the ship and instead traveled straight into the iceberg, the ship may have been saved, as fewer compartments would have been damaged, according to the book “Lost Liners.” At midnight, Capt. Smith ordered his crew to prepare the lifeboats. The Titanic contained only 20 lifeboats with a combined capacity of 1,178 for the more than 2,200 passengers.

This was due to outdated government safety regulations, which required only 16 lifeboats for a ship of the Titanic’s size. The evacuation effort was hampered by several factors. Many passengers didn’t initially realize the danger they were in and were reluctant to leave the luxurious ship for a rowboat in the middle of the chilly North Atlantic. Additionally, many third-class passengers were unable to reach the lifeboats due to a maze of passages and locked gates below deck. The first few lifeboats released were not filled, preventing hundreds more from being saved. Shortly after 2:00 a.m., the bow sunk under water and the stern was raised in the air . The passengers who remained on board desperately tried to climb to the stern or decided to jump overboard and swim for a lifeboat. The ship soon broke into two sections and sank less than three hours after hitting the iceberg. More than 1,500 passengers drowned, most suffering from hypothermia after just minutes in the 28-degree water. The 705 survivors were rescued at about 4:00 a.m. by the liner Carpathia, which had heard the Titanic’s distress call.

Shipwrecks Since 1833 World and News > Disaster Digest > Accident Archive > Shipwrecks Shipwrecks Since 1833 The Titanic isn't the only notable shipwreck (though it is famous for crashing into an iceberg on April 15, 1912, killing over 1,500 people). The Lusitania, a British luxury liner, was sunk by a German submarine on May 7, 1915, killing 1,195 people. Joola, a Senegalese ferry, sunk in 2002, drowning 1,863 people. 1833 May 11, Lady of the Lake: bound from England to Quebec, struck iceberg; 215 perished. 1853 Sept. 29, Annie Jane: emigrant vessel wrecked off coast of Scotland; 348 died. 1860 Sept. 8, Lady Elgin: steamer was hit by schooner Augusta , killing more than 300.

1865 April 27, Sultana : boiler explosion on Mississippi River steamboat, near Memphis; 1,547 killed. Most of the dead were Union POWs finally heading home at the end of the Civil War. 1873 April 1, Atlantic: sank near Halifax after hitting rocks, killing 562. 1878 Sept. 3, Princess Alice: collided with the steam collier Bywell Castle and sank in the Thames, killing at least 600, actual numbers unknown. 1898 Feb. 15, Maine: U.S. battleship destroyed in Havana harbor by an explosion that killed 260 men. The incident led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898. Nov. 26, City of Portland: 157 died near Cape Cod. 1904 June 15, General Slocum: excursion steamer burned in East River, N.Y.; 1,021 perished. 1912 March 5, Principe de Asturias: Spanish steamer struck rock off Sebastien Point; 500 drowned.

April 15, Titanic : supposedly unsinkable British ocean liner went down on maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg. More than 1,500 people died. Sept. 28, Kichemaru: Japanese steamer sunk off Japan; killing 1000. 1914 May 29, Empress of Ireland: sank after collision in St. Lawrence River; 1,014 perished. 1915 May 7, Lusitania : British luxury liner was sunk off Irish coast by a German submarine; 1195 died. 1915 July 24, Eastland: Great Lakes excursion steamer overturned in Chicago River; 812 died. 1916 Feb. 26, Provence: French cruiser sank in Mediterranean; 3,100 perished. Nov. 21, Britannic: sister ship of the Titanic sank in the Aegean Sea after an explosion. The vessel, which had been converted to a hospital ship during World War I, probably collided with an underwater mine. Of the more than 1,100 people aboard, only 30 died. Aug.

29, Hsin Yu: Chinese steamer sunk; 1,000 died. 1928 Nov. 12, Vestris: British steamer sank in gale off Va.; 110 died. 1934 Sept. 8, Morro Castle: 134 killed in fire off Asbury Park, N.J. 1939 May 23, Squalus: submarine with 59 men sank off Hampton Beach, N.H.; 33 saved. June 1, Thetis: submarine sank in Liverpool Bay, England; 99 perished. 1945 Jan. 30, Wilhelm Gustloff: cruise ship carrying German refugees and soldiers sunk by Soviet submarine in Baltic. It is thought that as many as 10,000 people were aboard, of which only about 900 survived. 1949 Sept. 17, Noronic: Canadian Great Lakes cruise ship burned at Toronto dock; about 130 died. 1952 April 26, Hobson: minesweeper collided with aircraft carrier Wasp and sank during night maneuvers in mid-Atlantic; 176 people lost.

1953 Jan. 9, Chang Tyong-Ho: South Korean ferry foundered off Pusan; 249 reported dead. Jan. 31, Princess Victoria: British ferry sank in Irish Sea; 133 lost. 1954 Sept. 26, Toya Maru: more than 1,000 killed when commercial ferry sank in Tsugaru Strait, Japan. 1956 July 25, Andrea Doria : Italian liner collided with Swedish liner Stockholm off Nantucket Island, Mass., and sank the next day. 51 people died. 1962 April 8, Dara: British liner exploded and sank in Persian Gulf; 236 dead. Caused by time bomb. 1963 April 10, Thresher: atomic-powered U.S. submarine sank in North Atlantic; 129 dead. May 4: United Arab Republic ferry capsized and sank in upper Nile; over 200 died. 1966 Dec. 12, Heraklion: Greek passenger ferry foundered in heavy seas near Crete; 241 dead. 1968 Jan.

25, Dakar: Israeli submarine sank in eastern Mediterranean, probably after collision with large ship; 69 dead. Late May, Scorpion: U.S. nuclear submarine sank in Atlantic 400 mi southwest of Azores; 99 dead. 1970 Dec. 15: ferry in Korean Strait capsized; 261 lost. 1975 Nov. 10, Edmund Fitzgerald: cargo vessel carrying 26,000 long tons of iron ore pellets sank in eastern Lake Superior; all 29 crew lost. 1976 Oct. 20, George Prince: Mississippi River ferry rammed by Norwegian tanker Frosta near Luling, La.; 77 dead. 1983 May 25, 10th of Ramadan: Nile steamer caught fire and sank in Lake Nasser, near Aswan, Egypt; 272 dead and 75 missing. 1987 March 6, Herald of Free Enterprise: British ferry capsized after leaving Belgian port of Zeebrugge with 500 aboard; 134 drowned. Water rushing through bow left open was the cause. Dec.

20, Dona Paz: over 4,000 killed when passenger ferry collided with oil tanker Victor off Mindoro Is., south of Manila, Philippines. 1990 April 7, Scandinavian Star: suspected arson aboard Danish-owned North Sea ferry killed at least 110 passengers in Skagerrak Strait off Norway. April 7: double-decker ferry sank in Gyaing River in Myanmar (Burma) during a storm and 215 people were believed drowned. 1991 Dec. 15, Salem Express: ferry carrying 569 passengers sank in Red Sea off coast of Safaga, Egypt, after hitting a coral reef. Over 460 people believed drowned. 1993 Feb. 17, Neptune: triple-deck ferry capsized off southern peninsula of Haiti during a squall. Over 1,000 passengers believed drowned. About 300 survived the sinking. 1994 Sept. 28, Estonia: passenger ferry capsized off coast of southwest Finland and sank in a stormy Baltic Sea. Only about 140 of the estimated 1,040 passengers aboard survived. 1996 Jan.

21, Gurita: overloaded ferry sank off the coast of northern Sumatra, killing 340. 1999 Feb., Harta Rimba: ship sank in the South China Sea, killing about 325 people. The ship had not been licensed for passenger use. Nov. 24, Dashun: ferry carrying more than 300 passengers sank after catching fire. More than 150 confirmed dead, with another 140 missing. 2000 June 29, Cahaya Bahari: ferry carrying refugees sank about 40 mi off Sulawesi , killing the 492 people aboard. Aug. 12, Kursk: Russian nuclear submarine sank to bottom of Barents Sea following an explosion; 118 dead. 2001 Feb. 9, Ehime Maru: U.S. submarine Greeneville collided with Japanese fishing boat near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 26 people aboard the Ehime Maru were rescued; 9 others were presumed dead. 2002 Sept. 26, Joola: overloaded Senegalese ferry capsized off the coast of Gambia, drowning 1,863 people.

Only 64 passengers were rescued. 2006 Feb. 3, Red Sea: a fire on the al-Salam Boccaccio 98, a Red Sea ferry, enroute from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, caused it to sink 60 miles off the Egyptian coast, killing more than 1,000. 2007 Jan. 28, California: computer scientist, Jim Gray, disappears off the coast of San Fransisco during a solo day trip on his 40-foot yacht, the Tenacious. Aug. 3, Sierra Leone: the Amunafa ferry, traveling from Freetown to Kasire, sank off the coast of Sierra Leone, killing 158 passengers. 2008 Jan. 15, Taiwan: a Panamanian cargo ship transporting coal from Hong Kong was capsized by a wave near Taiwan, killing all eight crew members. June 21, the Philippines: a ferry, the Princess of the Stars, is struck by Typhoon Fengshen, killing most of the 800 passengers and crew. Nov.

9, the Sea of Japan: in the most deadly accident on a Russian submarine since 2000, 20 people die and 21 more are injured when two compartments of a new Russian nuclear submarine flood with Freon gas during tests in the Sea of Japan. Dec. 5, Antarctic penninsula: more than 80 passengers and 30 crew members were evacuated from a luxury Antarctic cruise ship when the ship hit a rock and became stuck on the Antarctic Peninsula, over 150 miles southwest of Argentina. 2009 Jan. 11, Indonesia: a passenger ferry MV Teratai Prima carrying 267 capsizes during a cyclone off the coast of Sulawesi. About 40 people, including the captain, are rescued. March 27, Libya: a boat designed to hold 75 sinks with more than 250 migrants headed to Europe on board. Twenty survivors are rescued. Aug. 6, Tonga: a passenger ferry MV Princess Ashika sinks, killing 74. Four men are charged with manslaughter for knowingly sailing an unseaworthy vessel. Sept.

9, Sierra Leone: the ferry Teh Teh sinks during a storm with more than 250 on board, many of them schoolchildren and their parents on their way to Freetown to start the new school year. Forty people are rescued. 2010 May 8, New York: the Staten Island ferry Andrew J. Barberi crashes into the terminal after losing brake power. Thirty six people are injured. July 7, Philadelphia: an amphibious tourist boat, or duck boat, stalls in the Delaware River and is struck by a sludge-carrying barge. All 37 people on board are thrown into the water; 35 are recovered alive, while 2 Hungarian tourists are missing. Dec. 13, Antarctica: Twenty survive and 20 die when the South Korean FV No. 1 Insung (or Number One In Sung) sinks in frigid waters. The 42-person fishing trawler crew consisted of 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, 8 Koreans, 8 Chinese, 3 Filipinos, and 1 Russian. 2011 March 6, China: the U.K.

container ship Cosco Hong Kong collides with China's FV Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 with the loss of all 11 crew. March 11, Pacific Rim: an undetermined number of vessels sink following a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami off the northeast coast of Japan. April 6, Italy: more than 250 Libyan migrants are missing after a boat carrying men, women, and children capsizes off the coast of Lampedusa. 2012 Jan. 13, Italy: the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia capsizes near the Tuscan coast. There are 4,200 passengers on board. At least 11 people are killed and dozens missing. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, reportedly changed course to sail closer to shore to show off the luxury liner. In addition, he is accused of abandoning the ship after the crash. 2013 October 3, Mediterranean: at least 94 people are dead and another 250 are missing after a boat capsizes in the Mediterranean near the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. The boat, carrying African migrants to Europe, sinks after passengers light a blanket on fire to signal their position.

The fire spreads from the blanket to gasoline, creating a panic that sinks the boat. It is the worst boating accident of its kind in the region. 2014 April 16, South Korea: a ferry carrying 459 people, mostly students from Danwon High School, sinks off the southern coast of South Korea. When the ship begins sinking, the ship's captain, Lee Jun-seok, is not at the helm. Instead, the third mate is steering the ship. Lee is taken into custody. There are 304 confirmed deaths in the tragedy. 2015 April 19, Mediterranean: a ship carrying 850 migrants sinks off the coast of Libya. Many are trapped in the ship at the bottom of the sea. According to a statement made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the ship carried 850 people and only 28 are known to have survived. It is the deadliest incident in the Mediterranean involving refugees. June 1, China: a cruise ship, the Oriental Star, carrying 458 passengers capsizes in the Yangtze River, in central China. Strong winds and heavy rain are believed to have contributed to the accident. Few are expected to survive.

See also: Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg; 866 Rescued By Carpathia, Probably 1,250 Perish; Ismay Safe, Mrs. Astor Maybe, Noted Names Missing Read the full text of The Times article or other headlines from the day. Titanic Sinks Four Hours After Hitting Iceberg; 866 Rescued By Carpathia, Probably 1,250 Perish; Ismay Safe, Mrs. Astor Maybe, Noted Names Missing Biggest Liner Plunges to the Bottom at 2:20 A.M. RESCUERS THERE TOO LATE Expect to Pick Up the Few Hundreds Who Took to the Lifeboats. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST Cunarder Carpathia Rushing to New York with the Survivors. SEA SEARCH FOR OTHERS The California Stands By on Chance of Picking Up Other Boats or Rafts. OLYMPIC SENDS THE NEWS Only Ship to Flash Wireless Messages to Shore After the Disaster. Special to The New York Times RELATED HEADLINES Col. Astor and Bride, Isidor Straus and Wife and Maj.

Butt Aboard "RULE OF SEA" FOLLOWED Women and Children Put Over in Lifeboats and Are Supposed to be Safe on Carpathia PICKED UP AFTER 8 HOURS Vincent Astor Calls at White Star Office for News of His Father and Leaves Weeping. Franklin Hopeful All Day Manager of Line Insisted Titanic Was Unsinkable Even After She Had Gone Down HEAD OF THE LINE ABOARD J.Bruce Ismay Making First Trip on Gigantic Ship That Was to Surpass All Others CAPE RACE, N.F., April 15. -- The White Star liner Olympic reports by wireless this evening that the Cunarder Carpathia reached, at daybreak this morning, the position from which wireless calls for help were sent out last night by the Titanic after her collision with an iceberg. The Carpathia found only the lifeboats and the wreckage of what had been the biggest steamship afloat. The Titanic had foundered at about 2:20 A.M., in latitude 41:46 north and longitude 50:14 west. This is about 30 minutes of latitude, or about 34 miles, due south of the position at which she struck the iceberg.

All her boats are accounted for and about 655 souls have been saved of the crew and passengers, most of the latter presumably women and children. There were about 1,200 persons aboard the Titanic. The Leyland liner California is remaining and searching the position of the disaster, while the Carpathia is returning to New York with the survivors. It can be positively stated that up to 11 o'clock to-night nothing whatever had been received at or heard by the Marconi station here to the effect that the Parisian, Virginian or any other ships had picked up any survivors, other than those picked up by the Carpathia. First News of the Disaster. The first news of the disaster to the Titanic was received by the Marconi wireless station here at 10:25 o'clock last night (as told in yesterday's New York Times.) The Titanic was first heard giving the distress signal "C. Q. D.," which was answered by a number of ships, including the Carpathia, the Baltic and the Olympic. The Titanic said she had struck an iceberg and was in immediate need of assistance, giving her position as latitude 41:46 north and longitude 50:14 west.

At 10:55 o'clock the Titanic reported she was sinking by the head, and at 11:25 o'clock the station here established communication with the Allan liner Virginian, from Halifax to Liverpool, and notified her of the Titanic's urgent need of assistance and gave her the Titanic's position. The Virginian advised the Marconi station almost immediately that she was proceeding toward the scene of the disaster. At 11:36 o'clock the Titanic informed the Olympic that they were putting the women off in boats and instructed the Olympic to have her boats read to transfer the passangers. The Titanic, during all this time, continued to give distress signals and to announce her position. The wireless operator seemed absolutely cool and clear-headed, his sending throughout being steady and perfectly formed, and the judgment used by him was of the best. The last signals heard from the Titanic were received at 12:27 A.M., when the Virginian reported having heard a few blurred signals which ended abruptly. The Sinking of the RMS Titanic (1912) Updated November 10, 2015. What Was the Sinking of the Titanic?

The world was shocked when the Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912 and sunk just a few hours later at 2:20 am on April 15, 1912. The "unsinkable" ship RMS Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, losing at least 1,517 lives (some accounts say even more), making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. After the Titanic sank, safety regulations were increased to make ships safer, including ensuring enough lifeboats to carry all on board and making ships staff their radios 24 hours a day. Building the Unsinkable Titanic The RMS Titanic was the second of three huge, exceptionally luxurious ships built by White Star Line. It took nearly three years to build the Titanic, beginning on March 31, 1909 in Belfast, Northern Ireland . When completed, the Titanic was the largest movable object ever made. It was 882 1/2 feet long, 92 1/2 feet wide, 175 feet high, and displaced 66,000 tons of water.

continue reading below our video The Sinking of the Titanic (That is almost as long as eight Statue of Libertys placed horizontally in a line!) After conducting sea trials on April 2, 1912, the Titanic left later that same day for Southampton, England to enlist her crew and to be loaded with supplies. Titanic's Journey Begins On the morning of April 10, 1912, 914 passengers boarded the Titanic. At noon, the ship left port and headed for Cherbourg, France, where it made a quick stop before heading to Queenstown (now called Cobh) in Ireland . At these stops, a handful of people got off and a few hundred boarded the Titanic. By the time the Titanic left Queenstown at 1:30 p.m. on April 11, 1912 heading for New York, she was carrying over 2,200 people, both passengers and crew. Warnings of Ice The first two days across the Atlantic, April 12-13, 1912, went smoothly. The crew worked hard and the passengers enjoyed their luxurious surroundings.

Sunday, April 14, 1912 also started out relatively uneventful, but later became deadly. Throughout the day on April 14, the Titanic received a number of wireless messages from other ships warning about icebergs along their path. However, for various reasons, not all of these warnings made it to the bridge. Captain Edward J. Smith , unaware of how serious the warnings had become, retired to his room for the night at 9:20 p.m. At that time, the lookouts had been told to be a bit more diligent in their observations, but the Titanic was still steaming full speed ahead. Hitting the Iceberg The evening was cold and clear, but the moon was not bright. That, coupled with the fact that the lookouts did not have access to binoculars, meant that the lookouts spotted the iceberg only when it was directly in front of the Titanic. At 11:40 p.m., the lookouts rang the bell to issue a warning and used a phone to call the bridge. First Officer Murdoch ordered "hard a-starboard" (sharp left turn). He also ordered the engine room to put the engines in reverse.

The Titanic did bank left, but it wasn't quite enough. Thirty-seven seconds after the lookouts warned the bridge, the Titanic's starboard (right) side scraped along the iceberg below the water line. Many passengers had already gone to sleep and thus were unaware that there had been a serious accident. Even passengers that were still awake felt little as the Titanic hit the iceberg. Captain Smith, however, knew that something was very wrong and went back to the bridge. After taking a survey of the ship, Captain Smith realized that the ship was taking on a lot of water. Although the ship was built to continue floating if three of its 16 bulkheads had filled with water, six were already filling fast. Upon the realization that the Titanic was sinking, Captain Smith ordered the lifeboats to be uncovered (12:05 a.m.) and for the wireless operators on board to begin sending distress calls (12:10 a.m.). The Titanic Sinks At first, many of the passengers did not comprehend the severity of the situation. It was a cold night and the Titanic still seemed like a safe place, so many people were not ready to get into the lifeboats when the first one launched at 12:45 a.m.

As it became increasingly obvious that the Titanic was sinking, the rush to get on a lifeboat became desperate. Women and children were to board the lifeboats first; however, early on, some men also were allowed to get into the lifeboats. To the horror of everyone on board, there were not enough lifeboats to save everyone. During the design process it had been decided to place only 16 standard lifeboats and four collapsible lifeboats on the Titanic because any more would have cluttered the deck. If the 20 lifeboats that were on the Titanic had been properly filled, which they were not, 1,178 could have been saved (i.e. just over half of those on board). Once the last lifeboat was lowered at 2:05 a.m. on April 15, 1912, those remaining on board the Titanic reacted in different ways. Some grabbed any object that might float (like deck chairs), threw the object overboard, and then jumped in after it. Others stayed on board because they were stuck within the ship or had determined to die with dignity. The water was freezing, so anyone stuck in the water for more than a couple of minutes, froze to death.

At 2:18 a.m. on April 15, 1915, the Titanic snapped in half and then fully sank two minutes later. Rescue Although several ships received the Titanic's distress calls and changed their course to go help, it was the Carpathia that was the first to arrive, seen by survivors in the lifeboats around 3:30 a.m. The first survivor stepped aboard the Carpathia at 4:10 a.m. and for the next four hours, the rest of the survivors boarded the Carpathia. Once all the survivors were on board, the Carpathia headed to New York, arriving in the evening of April 18, 1912. In all, a total of 705 people were rescued while 1,517 perished. 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know The Titanic leaving Southampton in 1912. Apic/Hulton Archive/Getty Images By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated April 14, 2016.

You may already know that the Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on the night of April 14, 1912 and sunk just over two-and-a-half hours later, but do you know the following ten facts about the Titanic? Canceled Lifeboat Drill Originally, a lifeboat drill was scheduled to take place on board the Titanic on April 14, 1912 - the day the Titanic hit the iceberg. However, for an unknown reason, Captain Smith canceled the drill. Many believe that had the drill taken place, more lives could have been saved. Only Seconds From the time the lookouts sounded the alert, the officers on the bridge had only 37 seconds to react before the Titanic hit the iceberg. In that time, First Officer Murdoch ordered "hard a-starboard" (which turned the ship to port -- left). He also ordered the engine room to put the engines in reverse. The Titanic did bank left, but it wasn't quite enough. The Titanic's Newspaper The Titanic seemed to have everything on board, including its own newspaper. The Atlantic Daily Bulletin was printed every day on board the Titanic.

The newspaper included news, advertisements, stock prices, horse-racing results, society gossip, and the day's menu. continue reading below our video The Sinking of the Titanic Lifeboats Not Full Not only were there not enough lifeboats to save everyone on board, most of the lifeboats that were launched off the Titanic were not filled to capacity. For instance, the first lifeboat to launch, Lifeboat 7 from the starboard side, only carried 24 people, despite having a capacity of 65 (two additional people later transferred to Lifeboat 7 from Lifeboat 5). However, it was Lifeboat 1 that carried the fewest people - only seven crew and five passengers (a total of 12 people) despite having a capacity for 40. Only Two Bathtubs Although most passengers had to share bathrooms (only the two promenade suites in first class had private bathrooms), third class had it rough with only two bathtubs for more than 700 passengers. Another Boat Was Closer for Rescue When the Titanic began sending out distress signals, the Californian, rather than the Carpathia, was the closest ship; yet the Californian did not respond until it was much too late to help.

At 12:45 a.m. on April 15, 1912, crew members on the Californian saw mysterious lights in the sky (the distress flares sent up from the Titanic) and woke up their captain to tell him about it. Unfortunately, the captain issued no orders. Since the ship's wireless operator had already gone to bed, the Californian was unaware of any distress signals from the Titanic until the morning, but by then the Carpathia had already picked up all the survivors. Many people believe that if the Californian had responded to the Titanic's pleas for help, many more lives could have been saved. Two Dogs Rescued With the order for women and children first into the lifeboats, plus the knowledge that there were not enough lifeboats for everyone on board the Titanic to be saved, it is a bit surprising that two dogs made it into the lifeboats. Of the nine dogs on board the Titanic, the two that were rescued were a Pomeranian and a Pekinese. The Fourth Funnel In what is now an iconic image, the side view of the Titanic clearly shows four cream and black funnels. While three of these released the steam from the boilers, the fourth was just for show.

The designers thought the ship would look more impressive with four funnels rather than three. A Royal Mail Ship The R.M.S. Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship, a designation which meant the Titanic was officially responsible for delivering mail for the British postal service. On board the Titanic was a Sea Post Office with five mail clerks (two British and three American). These mail clerks were responsible for the 3,423 sacks of mail (seven million individual pieces of mail) on board the Titanic. Interestingly, although no mail has yet been recovered from the wreck of the Titanic, if it were, the U.S. Postal Service would still try to deliver it (the USPS because most of the mail was being sent to the U.S.). Corpses Recovered On April 17, 1912, the day before survivors of the Titanic disaster reached New York, the Mackay-Bennett was sent off from Halifax, Nova Scotia to search for bodies. On board the Mackay-Bennett were embalming supplies, 40 embalmers, tons of ice, and 100 coffins.

Although the Mackay-Bennett found 306 bodies, 116 of these were too badly damaged to take all the way back to shore. Attempts were made to identify each body found. Additional ships were also sent out to look for bodies. In all, 328 bodies were found, but 119 of these were badly damaged and thus were buried at sea. BBC - History - The iceberg that sank Titanic The iceberg that sank Titanic The International Ice Patrol has traced where the iceberg that sank Titanic was born. The iceberg that sank Titanic The story of Titanic is a well-known one, with exhaustive detail available on everything from the construction of the ship in Belfast's shipyards to the decomposing wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic. Despite such all-consuming coverage, one major player in the disaster is often overlooked - the iceberg that sank Titanic. Photo: An iceberg close to the site of Titanic's sinking, 15 April 1912 Features in: Ice Engineer Claude Daley explains how icebergs change personality at sea. Claude Daley, Ice Engineer at Memorial University in Newfoundland, has studied how icebergs change personality at sea.

The demise of the Titanic iceberg The iceberg that sank Titanic met its own fate barely a fortnight after its collision with the ship. Warmed by the water of the gulf stream, the iceberg that sank Titanic would meet its own certain fate barely a fortnight after its collision with the ship. The Titanic iceberg is steered into the shipping lanes Once they have reached the open ocean, icebergs are pushed around by deep ocean currents. Once they have reached the open ocean, icebergs are pushed around by deep ocean currents. It was intially steered north towards the arctic before turning toward its meeting with the world's most famous ship. The Titanic iceberg gets stuck While the titanic project went full steam ahead, the iceberg that would sink it was going nowhere. While the titanic project went full steam ahead, the iceberg that would sink it was going nowhere. It was stuck in the bottleneck at the shallow mouth of the Ilulissat fjord. The Titanic iceberg starts life as a snowflake The iceberg that sank Titanic started life as a snowflake 15,000 years earlier.

The iceberg that sank Titanic started life as a snowflake 15,000 years earlier, compacting into solid ice before being broken up into bergs by melt water and the earth's inner heat. More information about: The iceberg that sank Titanic Each iceberg is unique, moulded by its individual journey through the polar seas. They float low in the water due to the sheer weight of the ice, which is why the tip of an iceberg is no measure of what lies beneath. The International Ice Patrol has now traced where the iceberg that sank Titanic originated. Greenland breeding ground Eighty-five percent of all icebergs found in the North Atlantic come from the ice fjords on Greenland's west coast, and the ice shelf in Ilulissat is the most likely birthplace of the Titanic iceberg. The iceberg that sank Titanic would have started life as a snowflake 15,000 years earlier. Snow that falls at the centre of the Greenland ice sheet is at first fluffy and not particularly dense, but it compacts with depth to become a third of its original size. Tens of metres below the surface it becomes so dense it turns to solid glacial ice.

An immense iceberg In 1909, Ilulissat was producing just one or two of these huge icebergs each year. The iceberg that sank Titanic would have been up to a mile long, displacing around a billion tonnes of seawater. It would have taken the iceberg over a year to edge its way down the 40-mile fjord. The relentless jostling of other bergs on this journey would have battered and eroded it, reducing it to half its birth weight. Controlled by ocean currents By 1911 the Titanic iceberg would have been picked up on the powerful west Greenland current and dragged down the north-eastern coast of Canada. It would have been huge, the above water ice alone rivalling the Colosseum in size. Over a thousand miles from its birthplace and around a fortnight after its collision with Titanic, the last piece of the iceberg disappeared into the Atlantic ocean. Online Debate: An Iceberg did NOT sink the Titanic, THE GERMANS SANK IT!!!!! | Debate.org An Iceberg did NOT sink the Titanic, THE GERMANS SANK IT!!!!! Do you like this debate? No Yes +1 The voting period for this debate has ended.

after 3 votes the winner is... imabench Pro This is part of Cheesedingo1's troll debate tournament, the resolution is stated above. I will be arguing that the Titanic did not sink from being hit by an iceberg, instead it was sunk by a German submarine in 1912 as an early act of hostility against the British for World War 1. I am pro this resolution, con is against this resolution. Let the debate begin >:) Report this Argument Con I accept. As Con, I will try to prove that the sinking of the Titanic was, in fact, caused by an Iceberg from Pluto, NOT by a German submarine. Pro Very well. When Titanic was moments away from being struck, the men up in the crows nest / lookout post famously dais "ICEBERG RIGHT AHEAD" and most people think that by "iceberg" he means "iceberg" But he didn't Ladies and Gentlemen I am about to reveal the biggest cover up in human history. Iceberg was not a reference to iceberg, the massive blocks of ice that float in the sea. Instead, the word "Iceberg" was actually a code for "Grebeci", which is iceberg spelled backward.

Grebeci, or as it is more commonly spelled "Grebecki" was the entity that sunk the Titanic. But what exactly is a Grebecki? Grebecki is a historical family of Poland who has their own coat of arms, and their history dates back to well before the sinking of the Titanic. Allow me to bring you up to speed. The Titanic didn't sink from hitting an Iceberg, it was a plot by the then German Grebecki family. But why would the Grebecki's sink the Titanic, and how could they? WORLD WAR I Prior to WWI the Germans hated the British, and the Germans have their own history of sinking civilian ships that were carrying British passengers (see the Lusitania), so it makes perfect sense to conclude that the Germans have a motive to attack Great Britain even before War had broken out. ======================================================================================================================================================== The cover-up There were many reasons to see this as an accident, but there are just as many reasons to show this was all a cover up. Reason #1, the Iceberg was never caught This was Tupac Shakur all over again. An iceberg kills 1400 white people and was never found or arrested by the government? I call bullsh*t.

Had an iceberg actually done the crime then it would have been found and served life in prison already, but no one was ever arrested, because there was no iceberg to begin with Reason #2, we cannot see the hole that sunk the Titanic. When Titanic sank, it plunged to the bottom so fast that when it hit the bottom the fatal blow the "iceberg" inflicted on the ship was forever buried in the mud. There is therefore no evidence showing that the Titanic suffered from hitting an iceberg, and that it is very possible that the Titanic was torpedoed and that the wound cannot be seen. ======================================================================================================================================================== So all in all here is what happened. The anti-British sentiment in Germany in the years leading up to WWI is what led to the sinking of the Titanic. It was sunk by a German submarine whose torpedo didn't explode (it was a dud) but did enough damage to sink the ship nonetheless. The British though knew it was the Germans since Iceberg was code for a historical German family, which is what led up to the outbreak of WWI after what's his name got shot.

The Germans had a history of sinking civilian ships carrying British people, they had the technology to sink the Titanic through the use of submarine warfare, and the alleged "Iceberg" that the ship hit has never been found. And that is what really happened. Back to you Con. Report this Argument Con Grebecki would be pronounced long e k eh b eh rg, so it has a different pronunciation than what it had to be to be iceberg backwards. {1} If no one could interpret it meaning grebeci backwards, what use was it? Also, how could the people in the lookout post be able to spot the U-Boat? The Lusitania was sunk in 1915, well after tensions got high. On to the coverup. 2.We cannot see the hole that sunk the Titanic. Yes, but we can see photographs of the ICEBERG. ========================================================================= ========================================================================= Look at this picture: Pluto is mostly rock and ice. You see, Niel DeGrasse Tyson, the man that wanted to revoke Pluto's title as a planet, was born in 1958. That is 46 years after the Titanic sank.

You see, Pluto is actually sentient, and sent out the iceberg in 1908 to warn people of what would come in fifty years. He figured that people would take it as a sign from the gods, and that the people would kill Niel before he was born (Pluto is Pro Force.). The iceberg actually had "Kill Tyson" inscribed on it, but people didn't know what it meant. As the Titanic was nearing the Iceberg from pluto, the people sent out the message. People thought that it meant Kill Tyson Food products, which resulted in a nation-wide protest when someone made Tyson a brand. As you can see, Pluto is god. Back to you, Pro. Pro 1) Pronunciation of Grebecki Well of course it was mispronounced, it was meant to be mispronounced so that the British wouldnt let the German-Polish know they were on to them!!! You dont use the correct version of their own language and then hint that you know whats going on, you make your own versions of wars and speak in that and leave the other speakers baffled.

Its the same thing when A white girl in Europe wants to buy something but she has no idea how to pronounce anything and all the European dudes think shes some dumb white girl (which she is) and they proceed on having semi-consensual sex with them. 2) How they spotted the submarine. German submarines at first didnt have torpedoes to launch at enemy ships, most of the early models simply had an artillery gun mounted on the front. The ship would surface, fire on a ship a few times, then hide back under the waters. 3) The Lusitania was sunk in 1915, well after tensions got high. Exactly, the Lusitania was sunk during WWI, Titanic was sunk before WWI, both by the Germans too. 4) Pictures of the iceberg - 1 - I dont trust a website that has the phrase "crap factory" in the URL address.... - 2 - If that is the iceberg, then why hasnt he been arrested? Is it because hes white? Are you saying that if the Iceberg was black the government would have arrested it for sinking the Titanic?

I find that hard to believe, its more likely that if it were black it would have been arrested before 1912 for a crime it didnt commit. Are there any black icebergs serving jail time for crimes they didnt commit? No, therefore it can be concluded that the Germans sunk the Titanic as an act of war. ======================================================================================================================================================== At this point it would appear that the Con's little sister hacked into his DDO account and tried to be funny....... Ill play along though. Pluto may or may not have tried to kill a scientist in the future by sending an iceberg through space to take care of the job, its possible because thats basically the exact same story line to the Terminator movies..... But even thr Pro says that the iceberg instead tried to kill off tyson food products, thus this doesnt at all explain how an iceberg sunk the Titanic, let alone an iceberg from Pluto. Con c1) Pronunciation of Grebecki “Well of course it was mispronounced, it was meant to be mispronounced so that the British wouldnt let the German-Polish know they were on to them!!!

You dont use the correct version of their own language and then hint that you know whats going on, you make your own versions of wars and speak in that and leave the other speakers baffled. Its the same thing when A white girl in Europe wants to buy something but she has no idea how to pronounce anything and all the European dudes think shes some dumb white girl (which she is) and they proceed on having semi-consensual sex with them. “ But how the hell would the Gerlish people hear them? “ German submarines at first didnt have torpedoes to launch at enemy ships, most of the early models simply had an artillery gun mounted on the front. The ship would surface, fire on a ship a few times, then hide back under the waters.” Quoting from the first round: " It was sunk by a German submarine whose torpedo didn't explode (it was a dud) but did enough damage to sink the ship nonetheless." Contradiction? "Exactly, the Lusitania was sunk during WWI, Titanic was sunk before WWI, both by the Germans too." Ok, so the Lusitania was sunk DURING THE WAR.

Why would the Titanic be targeted, and no reports came from it, before the war even started? This would be a good opportunity to attack Germany. “4) Pictures of the iceberg - 1 - I dont trust a website that has the phrase "crap factory" in the URL address....” Why not? Crap is delicious. You can even throw it! It is so much fun. It’s good that factories make it. “- 2 - If that is the iceberg, then why hasnt he been arrested? Is it because hes white? Are you saying that if the Iceberg was black the government would have arrested it for sinking the Titanic? I find that hard to believe, its more likely that if it were black it would have been arrested before 1912 for a crime it didnt commit. Are there any black icebergs serving jail time for crimes they didnt commit? No, therefore it can be concluded that the Germans sunk the Titanic as an act of war. “ You see, the Iceberg is from Pluto. It cannot be held captive. It would simply kill anyone who tried to arrest it, like it sank the Titanic (Which was even an accident. Imagine if it actually wanted blood).

"At this point it would appear that the pro's little sister hacked into his DDO account and tried to be funny....... Ill play along though. Pluto may or may not have tried to kill a scientist in the future by sending an iceberg through space to take care of the job, its possible because thats basically the exact same story line to the Terminator movies..... But even thr Pro says that the iceberg instead tried to kill off tyson food products, thus this doesnt at all explain how an iceberg sunk the Titanic, let alone an iceberg from Pluto." I thought I made it quite clear :" The iceberg actually had "Kill Tyson" inscribed on it, but people didn't know what it meant. As the Titanic was nearing the Iceberg from Pluto, the people sent out the message. People thought that it meant Kill Tyson Food products, which resulted in a nation-wide protest when someone made Tyson a brand." The people didn't know who Tyson was, and then this company named TYSON starts up. The iceberg was sent to warn people, and in the process sunk the Titanic.

Report this Argument Con "There arent a Gerlish people, because there isnt a country called Gerlistan or Gerlandia on any globe ive ever seen." Because it is Gerland, not Gerlistan you idiot. "How the f*ck should I know which one it really was? The government covered it up and we cant observe the hole in the ship because its buried in mud in the bottom of the Atlantic. " So you don't know how it was sunk. "The reasons the Germans attacked a civilian ship two years before WWI broke out was because they were preparing for what was about to come. Germany was gearing up for a war and they were willing to fight, but the British were too much of a wuss to play ball, so the Germans had to antagonize them into war so they could kick their a**. The Titanic was perfect because it was carrying very famous wealthy British people who would have helped Britain fight, while at the same time it would have angered Britain into declaring war. Only problem was that there was allegedly an iceberg nearby and the iceberg was blamed for something it didnt do. " Why the f*ck didn't Germany wait, then launch an invasion on Britian? Why would they loose the element of a first big blow?

"Why not? cr*p is delicious." Point conceded. "So suddenly this iceberg is now terminator? Its not invincible either, anything that can be killed from sitting in the sun too long is something that even I would mess with. Secondly the Titanic isnt a cop, its British so the correct term is constable, and they only carry around those childproof stick things which are about as intimidating as threatening a person with a stamp collection. " American cops get killed wayyyy more often. Also, the iceburg melts when it wants to return to its master, not just when mr.derpy sun says so. " This still makes no sense at all and you dont even mention how it actually happened. " Ok, lemme simplify it. Pluto no planet anymore. Pluto mad. Pluto try to tell people to kill Tyson. Titanic accidentally hits iceberg. Eye witness tells media that the iceberg had "KILL TYSON " written on it. Tyson chicken gets protested instead. I thank my opponent for this fun debate, and I will now ride off into the wind on my trusty camel.

Question: What ship famously sank after hitting an iceberg?
Answer: RMS Titanic