[Curiosities] The Titanic, a ship full of curiosities and secrets that you (probably) did not know

#Steeven.™ · April 17, 2023

Two hours and 40 minutes were enough for the Titanic, the most famous ship in history, to become oceanic wreckage on April 14, 1912, a story that became a legend thanks to the cinema and the many curiosities it contains.

titanic

The fateful sinking of the Titanic, the best-known ocean liner in history, turns 111 years old. A ship of 269 meters in length with a weight of 46,000 tons. An icy ocean to cross, the Atlantic. More than 2,000 passengers full of dreams to fulfill their way to North American lands. About 1,500 deaths. Just 700 survivors. A tragedy turned into a movie. A love story (or many).

The protagonist of the greatest naval disaster of the 20th century began to be built in 1910 by the White Star Line shipping company with the aim of becoming the largest and most luxurious ship built up to then. She had planned to sail on April 10 from the south of England (Southampton) to New York and she did. What no one knew is that after its inauguration it would end up in pieces at the bottom of the ocean at almost 4,000 meters depth after colliding with an iceberg on the night of April 14-15, a day that became night forever for many.

The construction of the Titanic was quite a challenge for the 20th century, not only because of its size but also because of its luxurious appearance, both outside and inside, and because of its advanced engineering: it came to have up to four chimneys (the fourth, false) with 24 boilers and four generators that produced 400 KW. Her 840 cabins were divided into three classes: lower class, middle class and upper class, thus creating a reflection of the different strata into which British society was divided at the time.

Its construction, its journey, its sinking, its rescue and a love story, gave James Cameron one of the highest grossing films in history in 1998, winning eleven Oscars from the Hollywood Academy: ' Titanic'. And it is that, nobody imagined that this "unsinkable" ship would become a milestone in history, enclosing numerous secrets and curiosities, unknown to many.

Nuevas imágenes del 'Titanic': sus restos se deterioran

Curiosities about the Titanic
Despite seeming to know everything about the famous most imposing ship in the world, there are many singularities surrounding the Titanic, a ship whose official name was RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic, for the acronym that refers to steamships that transported mail. Postcard. We tell you some of those peculiarities:

Initially the Titanic was going to have 64 lifeboats, which were enough to save all the people on board, but finally they were reduced to 20. The first lifeboat only carried 24 people (of the upper class) despite have capacity for 65.
After the Titanic catastrophe, a new rule was approved that is still in force today: cruise ships are required to carry enough lifeboats to save 25% more of the crew on board.
The book entitled 'Futility', by Morgan Robertson, predicted the catastrophe of the sinking of the Titanic in the year 1898. The protagonist ship of the literary history was called Titan.
The youngest passenger on the ship was just nine weeks old and she became one of the survivors of the shipwreck. Her name was Millvina Dean and she died at the age of 97.
Twelve dogs were traveling on the ship, of which only three survived the tragedy.
The Titanic had two more brothers, the Olympic and the Britannic, which were ordered to be built as the largest, most luxurious and safest ships in the world, but all three were involved in fatal accidents.
The Titanic's rudder was 24 meters high and weighed about 100 tons, it was so big that special steam engines were needed to move it.
The price of the third class ticket was about 7 pounds (about 800 current pounds), the second class cost 13 pounds (about 1,500 current pounds) and the first class cost about 30 pounds (which is equivalent to 3,300 current pounds). , according to the BBC.
On the ship there were rooms reserved exclusively for men where women could not enter: the smoking rooms.
A drill was scheduled the same day as the sinking, but for some unknown reason, Captain Smith canceled it.
The ship could go up to 42 kilometers per hour and had 55,000 engine horsepower.
The remains of the Titanic were not located until 1985, 685 kilometers south-southeast of the Newfoundland (Canada) coast.