The Titanic: A Tragic Maritime Disaster
The Titanic was a marvel of early 20th-century engineering and a symbol of luxury travel. This British passenger ship, however, is best known for its tragic fate during its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Highlight: The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, and sank just three hours later at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, resulting in the loss of over 1,500 lives.
The construction of the Titanic was a massive undertaking. Wer hat die Titanic gebaut? The ship was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. Wann wurde die Titanic gebaut? Construction began in 1909 and was completed on March 31, 1909. The ship was an impressive 270 feet long and weighed more than 6,000 tons.
Vocabulary: Foundered - To fill with water and sink.
The building process was both difficult and dangerous. Approximately 15,000 men worked on the Titanic's construction, often in hazardous conditions. There were 246 recorded injuries, 28 of which were classified as severe, including severed arms and crushed legs. Tragically, six people died on the ship itself during construction, with additional fatalities occurring in the shipyard.
Example: The dangers of construction were exemplified when a worker was killed by a falling piece of wood just before the ship's launch.
The Titanic was launched on May 31, 1911, in the presence of notable figures such as Lord Pirrie, J. Pierpont Morgan, and J. Bruce Ismay, along with 100,000 onlookers. The ship's sea trials began on April 2, 1912, just eight days before its scheduled departure from Southampton on its maiden voyage.
Quote: "It was long generally believed the ship sank in one piece; but the discovery of the wreck many years later revealed that the ship had broken fully in two."
This revelation about the ship breaking apart came years after the disaster when the wreck was finally discovered. During the sinking, women and children were given priority in the lifeboats, but there weren't enough to save everyone. Approximately 710 people survived the disaster and were rescued by the Carpathia, which brought them to New York, the Titanic's original destination.
The sinking of the Titanic remains one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. Its story continues to fascinate people worldwide, serving as a reminder of the importance of maritime safety and the unpredictable power of nature.
