RMS Titanic
On 10th April 1912, the luxurious passenger liner, and largest ship afloat at the time, RMS Titanic, began her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
The 'unsinkable' ocean liner really was magnificent, with ten decks, of which eight were used by passengers. The ship's creators had aimed to meet the highest standards of luxury, and there were palatial state rooms, opulent dining facilities, gymnasium, a swimming pool, Turkish baths, a squash court, and even kennels.
The Titanic's passengers were divided into three separate classes, which were determined not only by the price of their ticket, but also by wealth and social class. Those in first class included some of the wealthiest people in the world, industrialists, professional athletes, entertainers, socialites and bankers; second class passengers included professors, authors, clergymen and tourists; and the third class passengers were primarily immigrants looking for a new life in America and Canada. In total, there were 2224 people aboard for the maiden voyage, 325 in first class, 285 in second class, and 706 in third class - as well as 908 crew members.
Four days into the voyage, at 11:40pm, the ship's lookout spotted an iceberg immediately ahead of the Titanic, and alerted the bridge, who undertook manoeuvres to avoid a collision, but it was too late. They struck the iceberg, which created a catastrophic series of holes below the waterline. The Titanic began sinking, bow first, and an evacuation was ordered.
Critically, there weren't enough lifeboats for the volume of passengers, and the crew weren't experienced in their deployment, which resulted in many of the boats being released into the water only half full. When the ship finally went down at 2:20am on April 15th, the remaining passengers and crew were immersed into lethally cold water, with a temperature of -2°C. Almost all of those in the water perished, with only thirteen being helped into the lifeboats.
Only 710 people survived. It was one of the deadliest peacetime ocean disasters in history, and the sinking of the RMS Titanic resulted in the deaths of 1514 people.
In the RUSC archives, there are several old time radio broadcasts which revisit the disaster. These include episodes from Adventures in Research, and historic clips which refer to the devastating tragedy. One show in particular, from the Cavalcade of America tells the fascinating story of Mrs Brown, a real character from the minefields of Colorado who dreamt throughout her life of traveling and seeing culture. She survived the sinking of the Titanic, and based on a story by Gene Fowler, it was made into a Broadway show many years later as, "The Unsinkable Mrs Brown."
You can listen to this, and several more shows about the RMS Titanic on a special page on RUSC. Click here to listen now.