Current Exhibits

Frequently Asked Questions about Titanic

Why was the Titanic built?

Although the Titanic is best known for carrying the wealthy between Europe and the United States, the ship actually had several purposes:

• To carry British and U.S. mail. The full name of the ship is Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic.
• To carry general cargo and frozen meat since at that time Europe could not produce enough livestock to meet its own needs.

• To carry first-class passengers in great luxury, second-class passengers in great comfort, and third-class passengers with great economy.

• To fly the flag of Great Britain and uphold national honor. Even though Titanic was ultimately owned by American business interests, the ship was built in a British yard, operated by British subjects, manned by British crews, and perceived by the public as a British ship.

When was the Titanic built and how long did it take?

White Star announced their intention of building the Titanic in 1907 during the maiden voyage of RMS Lusitania. In the years that followed, money was raised for construction, plans and specifications drawn up, and negotiations started with New York port authorities for permission to construct lengthened piers to accommodate the new leviathans. Physical construction on Titanic started on March 22, 1909 and the ship was launched on May 31, 1911. Ships at that time were typically launched as empty hulls to keep the launch weight down to a minimum. It would take an additional year to install the engines, boilers, interiors, galleys and navigating equipment. Titanic was delivered to the White Star Line in early April, and on April 10, 1912, the Titanic left Southampton, England, for her first trip to New York City.

How large was the Titanic?

The Titanic was 882 feet, 8 inches long, 92 feet, 6 inches wide. The Titanic weighed 52,310 tons or 117,174,400 pounds. The ship's hull and superstructure contained 4,632,800 cubic feet (46,328 gross tons) of space. Of that, 2,183,100 cubic feet (21,831 net tons) were used to carry passengers or cargo. The Titanic's engines totaled 50,000-horse power, but her builders believed she could have developed 55,000 HP if she had survived.

How many people did the Titanic carry?

The Mersy Inquiry determined that there were 1,316 passengers on board: 325 in first-class, 285 in second and 706 in third-class. At the time of the sinking, the ship's crew consisted of 885 men and women. Not included are the eight members of the ship's band who were technically from another company and traveled under second-class tickets.

What did it cost to travel on the Titanic?

The lowest fare for third-class passage was approximately $36.25 one way for a single person willing to share a cabin. In second-class, the starting price for similar travel terms was $66. First-class started at $125, but could escalate quickly depending on the size and décor of the room. The highest priced deluxe suite was priced at £900, or $4,500. This was a fabulous sum of money when an ordinary home could be purchased for less than $1,000 dollars, hence the nickname: "The Millionaire’s Suite."

Why was Titanic said to be unsinkable and where did the story come from?

The Titanic was described in the popular press as "practically unsinkable." This was not unusual as for decades, ships had watertight compartments to limit flooding in case of an accident and the press used this phrase as a matter of routine for many years. After the Titanic sank, the story of her loss was turned into a modern fable and the original description—"practically unsinkable”—became just "unsinkable" in order to sharpen the moral of the story. No educated person in 1912 believed that the Titanic was truly unsinkable, but it was difficult to imagine an accident severe enough to send her to the bottom.

Why didn't Titanic carry enough lifeboats?

The Titanic’s lifeboat capacity was governed by the British Board of Trade’s rules, which were drafted in 1894. By 1912, these regulations were badly out of date. The Titanic was four times larger than the largest legal classification considered under the 18-year-old rules and so by law was not required to carry more than 16 lifeboats. When she left Southampton, the Titanic actually carried four additional collapsible boats. The shipping industry was aware that the lifeboat regulations were going to be changed and Titanic was designed for the anticipated "boats for all" policy, but until the law actually changed, White Star was not going to install them. In 1912, the attitude toward accident prevention was much different. Ship owners were reluctant to exceed the legal minimum because lifeboats took up most of the space on first- and second-class decks. Boats were expensive to purchase, maintain and affected a ship’s stability. Finally, in the years before the Titanic disaster, it was felt that the very presence of large numbers of lifeboats suggested that the vessel was unsafe. Oddly, the same reluctance showed up as late as the 1950s for automobile seatbelts. Carmakers at that time were reluctant to install seatbelts because they seemed to imply there was something unsafe about the car.

Why did Titanic sink?

While general consensus says, "the ship hit an iceberg," the sinking resulted from a whole series of circumstances. Factors that lead to the sinking of the Titanic include the speed and angle of the impact into the iceberg, the temperature of the water, the quality and makeup of the steel hull and rivets, the unusual position of the ice field during that period, the number and placement of the punctures in the six forward compartments and the awareness of the crew. Bad luck might almost be a more specific conclusion as to why the ship ultimately sank.

How long did it take Titanic to sink?

The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 and sank two hours, 40 minutes later at 2:20 a.m. the next day.

Why is it important to recover and conserve artifacts from the Titanic's wreck site?

The bottom of the deep ocean is a hostile environment. Over time, man-made objects will be consumed by bacteria, abraded by sediments and corroded by salt and acids. Even the ship itself is slowly being destroyed by iron-eating microorganisms and will one day collapse on the ocean floor. Artifacts that are not recovered will eventually be lost. RMS Titanic, Inc. is committed to recovering, conserving and exhibiting artifacts from the Titanic’s wreck site to help preserve the physical memory of the ship and the people who perished in the disaster. Through these activities, people all over the world have the opportunity to see and touch objects that bore witness to the sinking and to gain new insights into the human dimensions of the tragedy.