[Curiosities] 7 curiosities about the sinking of the Titanic

[#Wittels-]

The famous ship was lost at sea during its maiden voyage. Today marks the 111th anniversary of the tragic accident in which he collided with an iceberg.

The Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic was a transatlantic passenger ship that sank between the night of April 14 and the early morning of April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage. Due to the magnitude of the accident, it became one of the most famous tragedies in history.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, this luxury ship sank after colliding with an iceberg while en route to New York, after leaving the English city of Southampton.

The Titanic was the largest ship built and the most colossal moving object created by humanity up to that time. According to data from RMS Titanic, Inc (the company to which the salvage rights of the shipwreck were granted) it had a length of 268 meters.

On a new anniversary of the sinking, learn more about this historic event.

1. Where did the Titanic crash?
According to Britannica, the collision with the iceberg occurred in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 nautical miles (740 kilometers) south of Newfoundland, a Canadian island.

2. When did the Titanic crash occur?
At approximately 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the authorities and the Titanic's first officer, William Murdoch, were notified that the ship would surely turn to starboard. However, it was too late, and despite the turn, the boat struck the ice pack at that moment.

 

(Related Content: Can the Titanic's Iconic Telegraph Be Retrieved From the Depths of the Ocean?)

3. What was the first part of the Titanic to sink
The first party to collide against the large block of ice was the starboard side (right side) of the ship. At least five of the supposedly watertight compartments in the bow were breached, recalls the Britannica platform.

4. What happened after the collision with the iceberg
As soon as the incident happened, Captain Edward Smith probably sent distress signals, but all the nearby ships were too far away, the encyclopedia narrates.

Meanwhile, he got up to launch the lifeboats with priority for women and children, but there was not enough space for everyone. RMS Titanic, Inc acknowledges that even if the 20 lifeboats were filled to capacity, there was only room on them for 1,178 people, short of the total number of passengers.

“This problem was compounded by lifeboats being launched well below capacity,” warns the Encyclopedia. According to the publication, only 705 people were rescued in these boats.

(See also: How was the discovery of the Titanic)

 

5. What was the temperature of the water at the time of the sinking?
At the time of the Titanic's destruction, the water temperature was about minus 2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit), so those who jumped into the sea wearing life jackets may have suffered hypothermia or heart attacks, the salvage company warned. of the shipwreck.

 

Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), the romance film Titanic directed by James Cameron, now available on Star+.

STAR+ PHOTOGRAPHY
6. The Titanic musicians played until the last moment
Eight musicians had been hired to accompany the passengers during the trip. As seen in James Cameron's classic 1997 film Titanic, they played until the last moment, despite the disaster.

There are no details regarding how long they played, although it is considered that they played until shortly before the ship sank. "Speculation also surrounded the last song they performed, probably Autumn or Nearer My God to Thee," Britannica clarifies. none of the musicians survived.

7. At what time did the Titanic sink?
As the Titanic's bow sank, the stern began to rise out of the water. At approximately 2:18 a.m. on April 15, the lights went out and the craft broke in two. Later reports speculated that the bow took about six minutes to reach the bottom of the ocean, indicates the English platform.

The stern momentarily settled back into the water before rising up again and remained in that position for a short time before beginning its final fall. At 2:20 a.m. the ship sank completely under the Atlantic.

 

Link: https://www.nationalgeographicla.com/historia/2023/04/7-curiosidades-sobre-el-hundimiento-del-titanic