Titanic wreck. The wreck of the Titanic. Chasing the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic

27.09.2019

It is very difficult to find a person who does not know about sad fate transatlantic liner "Titanic", which sank in the northern part of the Atlantic on the night of April 14-15, 1912. A special role in the popularization of this event belongs to Hollywood. According to the official version, the Titanic sank as a result of hitting an iceberg, which led to severe damage to the ship's hull. But what mysterious circumstances forced experienced sailors to make a fatal mistake?

There are many versions explaining the crash of the transatlantic liner. Some researchers even believe that the ship collided with, which literally "smeared" it on an iceberg. We will consider the main hypotheses noteworthy reader.

The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy

By tradition, let's start with the most mystical and incredible version. Not everyone knows that on the fateful flight, the Titanic carried not only passengers and their property. On board was an ancient Egyptian mummy discovered during excavations in Cairo in the 1880s. What is curious - the mummy belonged to the soothsayer on the estate of Amen-Otu, who once was at the court of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV.

Until 1912, the venerable mummy of Amen Otu was on display at the British Museum. Then this unusual exhibit became interested american amateur antiquities, whose name is not disclosed. The moneybags bought a mummy, and decided to transport it to their homeland on the Titanic.

Valuable and very dilapidated cargo did not dare to be placed in the hold along with the rest of the things. Therefore, the mummy of the soothsayer was transported directly behind the captain's bridge of the ship! In the sarcophagus, in addition to the mummy, there was also a statuette depicting the god Osiris, and a tablet with the inscription “May you crush the enemies that stand in your way, may you rise from the dust!”. Who knows, perhaps the ancient mummy decided to take revenge on the people who disturbed her peace.

Torpedo from a German submarine

Some passengers who managed to survive the ill-fated trip on the Titanic recall that after hitting the iceberg, there was a huge explosion. Presumably, it was the ship's steam boiler that exploded. But the researchers have another version of the event - the ship could become a target for a German torpedo!

This hypothesis is supported by the fact that two years later the First World War. On the eve of large-scale hostilities, the commander of the German fleet, Alfred von Tirpitz, ordered the mass construction of submarines, which were to become the main weapon in the fight against Great Britain. Thus, the Titanic could be a convenient target for a German submarine.

But why did the military need to attack a civilian ship? There are two answers to this question. First, it could be a mistake made during the training session. Secondly, many civilian ships were converted into warships before the war. So Tirpitz could just be trying to eliminate a competitor.

Fire on board

It may well be that the cause of the collapse of the Titanic was not an iceberg at all. A couple of weeks before the death of the transatlantic liner, a fire broke out in the coal bunker of the steamer. Despite their best efforts, the crew was unable to completely extinguish the fire. However, the management of the White Star Line, which owned the ship, did not want to cancel the flight, as this could lead to enormous material losses.

The owners of the ship frivolously hoped that the fire would stop by itself, due to lack of oxygen. In addition, the fire brigade was already waiting for the ship in New York, which was supposed to put out the fire after the passengers disembarked. Still, there was a risk that the ship's boiler room would explode during the voyage.

The veracity of this version is confirmed by two facts. First, the owner of the White Star Line, named John Morgan, was also on the passenger list. But he refused to swim, saying he was sick. Secondly, in one of the ports of Ireland, which the Titanic visited during the voyage, fireman John Coffey deserted from the liner. It is likely that he was aware of the bomb threat.

Management fraud

But what if the Titanic was deliberately forced to collide with an ice hummock? Not everyone knows that the Titanic had a kind of "twin brother" called the Olympic. This Olympic crashed into the British cruiser Hawk on September 20, 1911. When this event occurred, White Star was in serious financial difficulty. The cunning management decided to improve their business at the expense of insurance.

However Insurance Company also did not demonstrate decency. The insurer refused to pay compensation on the grounds that the Olympic liner was almost undamaged in the crash.

The management of White Star, in turn, took the risk of deception. The Olympic was disguised as the Titanic, and then sent to an area where icebergs were often observed. Of course, no one expected that the collision would be so strong that the ship would sink.

Save on materials?

In the twenty years leading up to the sinking of the Titanic, ships have repeatedly encountered floating ice. However, such accidents did not have serious consequences. Only one ship was significantly damaged, and in this case there were no human casualties. Why couldn’t the Titanic, which was also positioned as an unsinkable ship, not be able to survive the impact on the iceberg?

There is an assumption that in the design and construction of the ship, the management saved on materials. In 1994, researchers managed to raise a fragment of the ship's hull from the ocean floor. The laboratory analysis performed showed that the metal contains a significant admixture of phosphorus - in the cold waters of the Atlantic, such a material becomes very fragile. If the Titanic's skin had been made of high-quality steel, then it would not have received holes, but would only have caved in at the moment of impact.

It's all about the moon

It would seem that what could contribute to the disaster? Seismologists from the University of Texas believe that the moon could still be involved in the death of the transatlantic liner. The fact is that on January 4, 1912, the Moon came very close to our planet. The last time this happened was almost 1,500 years ago.

As you know, the moon has the ability to influence the tides. The unusual behavior of the night star caused a strong tide. This caused the icebergs drifting off the coast of Canada to change their usual trajectory. As a result, huge blocks of ice could be in the way of a ship going under full steam.

"Blue Ribbon" became mourning

The "Blue Ribbon" was an honorary prize, which, according to tradition, went to the ship that managed to cross the Atlantic the fastest. It is possible that Captain John Smith wanted to snatch this valuable trophy from the hands of his competitor - the captain of the ship called Mauritania.

The Titanic, capable of speeds up to 25 knots, had every chance to overtake the Mauritania. Perhaps this is what made John Smith ignore the reports of icebergs and continue on his chosen dangerous course. But in the end, the brave, but reckless captain got not a "blue ribbon", but a mourning black ribbon.

a ”Frederick Fleet noticed an iceberg right on the course about 650 m from the liner. Striking the bell three times, he reported to the bridge. The first assistant commanded the helmsman: "Left aboard!" - and moved the handles of the machine telegraphs to the "Full back" position. A little later, so that the liner did not hit the iceberg with the stern, he commanded: “Right on board!”. However, the Titanic was too large for a quick maneuver, and continued to move by inertia for another 25-30 seconds, until her nose began to slowly deviate to the left.

At 23:40, the Titanic tangentially collided with an iceberg. On the upper decks, people felt a slight push and a slight trembling of the hull; on the lower decks, the blow was more noticeable. As a result of the collision, six holes were formed in the starboard plating with a total length of about 90 meters. At 00:05, Captain Smith ordered the crew to prepare the lifeboats for launch, then went into the radio room and ordered the radio operators to broadcast a distress signal.

Around 0:20 children and women were put into the boats. At 1:20 the water began to flood the forecastle. At this time, the first signs of panic appeared. The evacuation went faster. After 1:30 a.m., panic broke out on board. At about 2:00 the last boat was lowered, at 2:05 the water began to flood the boat deck and the captain's bridge. The remaining 1,500 people on board rushed towards the stern. The trim began to grow before our eyes, at 2:15 the first chimney collapsed. At 2:16 the power went out. At 02:18, with a bow trim of about 23°, the liner broke. The bow, falling off, immediately went to the bottom, and the stern filled with water and sank two minutes later.

At 2:20, the Titanic completely disappeared under the water. Hundreds of people swam to the surface, but almost all of them died from hypothermia. On two collapsible boats that did not have time to launch from the liner, about 45 people were saved. Eight more were rescued by two boats returning to the crash site (No. 4 and No. 14). An hour and a half after the Titanic was completely submerged, the steamer Carpathia arrived at the disaster site and picked up 712 survivors of the crash.

Reasons for the crash

After the tragedy, commissions were held to investigate the causes of this incident, and, according to official documents, the cause was a collision with an iceberg, and not the presence of defects in the design of the ship. The commission based its conclusion on how the ship sank. As noted by some survivors, the ship went to the bottom as a whole, and not in parts.

As the commission concluded, all the blame for tragic disaster assigned to the captain of the ship. In 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard, who had been searching for a sunken ship for many years, was lucky. Exactly this happy event helped shed light on the causes of the disaster. Scientists have determined that the Titanic broke in half on the surface of the ocean before it sank. This fact again drew media attention to the reasons for the sinking of the Titanic. New hypotheses arose, and one of the assumptions was based on the fact that low-grade steel was used in the construction of the ship, since it is a well-known fact that the Titanic was built on a tight schedule.

As a result of lengthy studies of the wreckage raised from the bottom, experts came to the conclusion that the cause of the disaster was low-quality rivets - the most important metal pins that tied together the steel plates of the ship's hull. Also, the studied wreckage showed that there were miscalculations in the design of the ship, and this is evidenced by the nature of the sinking of the ship. It was finally established that the stern of the ship did not rise high into the air, as previously believed, and the ship broke into pieces and sank. This indicates clear miscalculations in the design of the ship. However, after the disaster, this data was hidden. And only with the help modern technologies it was found that it was these circumstances that led to one of the most terrible tragedies of mankind.

Titanic (RMS Titanic) is a British steamer of the White Star Line, the second of three Olympic-class twin steamers. The largest passenger liner in the world at the time of its construction. During the first voyage on April 14, 1912, she collided with an iceberg and sank after 2 hours and 40 minutes. There were 1,316 passengers and 908 crew members on board, for a total of 2,224 people. Of these, 711 people were saved, 1513 died. The Titanic disaster became legendary, several feature films were shot based on its plot.

The British passenger liner Titanic left Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. The Titanic visited Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland before heading west towards New York. Four days later, it hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm, 375 miles south of Newfoundland. Around 2:20 am, the Titanic broke up and sank. More than a thousand people were overboard.

The luxury liner Titanic, pictured here from 1912, after it sailed from Queenstown in New York for its ill-fated final voyage.

Workers go to the Harland and Wolf shipyards in Belfast, where the Titanic was built between 1909 and 1911. He is visible in the background.

Dining on the Titanic. The ship was designed to be last word in comfort and luxury, with onboard gym ohm, swimming pool, library, upscale restaurants and luxurious cabins.

Dining room second class on the Titanic. 1912

April 10, 1912 Titanic leaves Southampton, England

Captain Edward John Smith, captain of the Titanic. He commanded largest ship during the first flight.

First Mate William McMaster Murdoch, who is considered a hero in his hometown of Dalbeattie, Scotland but has been portrayed as a coward and murderer in several Titanic films.

The iceberg that sank the Titanic on April 14-15, 1912. The picture was taken aboard the Western Cable Union ship, Mackay Bennett, under the command of Capt. DeCarteret.

Passengers and some crew members were evacuated to lifeboats, many of which were only partially filled.

Seven hundred and twelve survivors were brought from lifeboats aboard the RMS Carpathia.

Members of the press interview Titanic survivors from the salvage ship, Carpathia, April 17, 1912.

Eva Hart was seven years old in this photograph taken in 1912 with her father, Benjamin, and mother, Esther. Eva and her mother survived the sinking of the British liner Titanic on April 14, 1912 off Newfoundland, but her father died in the crash.

People stand on the street waiting for the arrival of Carpathia, where survivors from the Titanic will arrive.

A huge crowd gathered in front of Star Line's office at Lower Broadway in New York to receive latest news about the sinking of the luxury liner Titanic on April 14, 1912.

The New York Times editorial at the time of the sinking of the Titanic, April 15, 1912

After the sinking of the Titanic, crowds read bulletins in front of a building in New York

Two messages were sent from America to Lloyds insurers in London in the mistaken belief that other ships, including the Virginia, came to the rescue when the Titanic sank.

Photos of survivors

This is vintage photo shows the Titanic shortly before leaving for its maiden voyage in 1912

Passenger ticket from the Titanic.

A form of telegram sent from Carpathia announcing a successful rescue.

Breakfast menu on the Titanic. It bears the signatures of the survivors.

The nose of the Titanic was filmed in 1999.

Titanic screw

The remains of the Titanic

Items found from the Titanic.

Wreck of the Titanic

Top view of the legendary ship

Side view

Holes on the Titanic

Two Titanic engines

The sinking of the Titanic claimed the lives of 1,517 of the 2,229 passengers and crew (official figures vary slightly) in one of the worst maritime disasters in world history. 712 survivors were brought aboard the RMS Carpathia. After this disaster, a great resonance swept through the public affecting attitudes towards social injustice, radically changed the way passengers were transported following the North Atlantic Passage, the rules for the number of lifeboats carried on board passenger ships were changed and the International Ice Reconnaissance was created (where merchant ships crossing the North Atlantic are still, with the help of radio signals, they transmit accurate information about the location and concentration of ice). In 1985, a major discovery was made, the Titanic was discovered at the bottom of the ocean became turning point for the public and for the development of new areas of science and technology. April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic. It has become one of the most famous ships in history, her image has remained in numerous books, films, exhibitions and monuments.

Crash of the Titanic in real time

duration - 2 hours 40 minutes!

The British passenger liner Titanic leaves Southampton, England on her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. The Titanic was called to Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland, before heading west towards New York. Four days in transit, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm, 375 miles south of Newfoundland. Shortly before 2:20 am, the Titanic broke up and sank. More than a thousand people were on board at the time of the accident. Some died in the water within minutes from hypothermia in the waters of the North Antaltic Ocean. (Frank O. Braynard Collection)

The luxury liner Titanic, pictured in this 1912 photograph, left Queenstown for New York on her ill-fated last voyage. The passengers of this ship were included in the list of the richest people in the world, such as millionaires John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim and Isidor Strauss, as well as more than a thousand emigrants from Ireland, Scandinavia and other countries seeking new life in America. The disaster was greeted around the world with shock and outrage over the huge loss of life and violation of the regulatory and operational parameters that led to this disaster. The investigation into the sinking of the Titanic began a few days later and led to a significant improvement in maritime safety. (United Press International)

A crowd of workers. Shipyard Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast, where the Titanic was built between 1909 and 1911. The ship was designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury and was the most big ship afloat on her first voyage. The ship is visible in the background of this 1911 photograph. (Photo Archive/Harland & Wolff/Cox Collection)

Photo taken in 1912. In the photo, a chic dining room aboard the Titanic. The ship has been designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury, with an onboard gym, swimming pool, libraries, upscale restaurants and luxurious cabins. (Photo archive of The New York Times / American Press Association)

1912 photograph. Second class canteen on the Titanic. A disproportionate number of people - over 90% of those in second class - remained on board because of the "women and children first" protocols followed by lifeboat loading officers. (Photo archive of The New York Times / American Press Association)

Photo April 10, 1912, it shows the Titanic leaving Southampton, England. Tragic death The Titanic happened a century ago, one of the causes of death, according to some, weak rivets used by the ship's builders in some parts of this ill-fated liner. (Associated Press)

Captain Edward John Smith, commander of the Titanic. He commanded the largest ship at that time making its first voyage. The Titanic was a massive ship - 269 meters long, 28 meters wide and weighing 52,310 tons. 53 meters separated from the keel to the top, almost 10 meters of which were below the waterline. The Titanic was higher above the water than most city buildings of the time. (The New York Times Archive)

First Mate William McMaster Murdoch, who is regarded as a local hero in his hometown of Dalbeattie, Scotland, but in the movie Titanic was portrayed as a coward and a murderer. At the ceremony, on the 86th anniversary of the ship's sinking, Scott Neeson, executive vice president of film producers 20th Century Fox, presented a check for five thousand pounds (US$8,000) to Dalbeattie School as an apology for the painting to an officer's relative. (Associated Press)

It is believed that it was this iceberg that caused the accident of the Titanic on April 14-15, 1912. The picture was taken aboard the Western Union ship, Mackay Bennett, commanded by Captain DeCarteret. McKay Bennet was one of the first ships to reach the site where the Titanic sank. According to Captain DeCarteret, it was the only iceberg at the site of the sinking when it arrived. It is assumed, therefore, that he was responsible for this tragedy. A glimpse of a collision with an iceberg caused the Titanic's hull plates to buckle inward in a number of places on her board and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments into which water gushed in an instant. Over the next two and a half hours, the ship gradually filled with water and sank. ( United States coastguard)

Passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats, many of which were launched only partially filled. This photo of a lifeboat from the Titanic approaching the rescue ship Carpathia was taken by Carpathia passenger Louis M. Ogden and was on display in 2003, an exhibition of photographs that relate to the Titanic (bequeathed to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, by Walter Lord). (National Maritime Museum / London)

Seven hundred and twelve survivors were brought aboard from lifeboats on the RMS Carpathia. This photo taken by Carpathia passenger Louis M. Ogden shows the Titanic lifeboat approaching the rescue ship, the Carpathians. The photograph was part of an exhibition in 2003 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England named after Walter Lord. (National Maritime Museum / London)

Although the Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, she lacked enough lifeboats to accommodate all those on board. Due to outdated maritime safety regulations, she carried only enough lifeboats for 1,178 people - a third of her total passenger and crew capacity. This sepia photograph depicting the recovery of the passengers of the Titanic is one of the memorabilia about to go under the hammer at Christies in London, May 2012. (Paul Tracy / EPA / PA)

Members of the press interview Titanic survivors coming off the rescue ship, Carpathians, May 17, 1912. (American Press Association)

Eva Hart is portrayed as seven years old in this photograph taken in 1912 with her father, Benjamin, and mother Esther. Eva and her mother survived the sinking of the British liner Titanic on April 14, 1912, but her father died in the crash. (Associated Press)

People stand on the street waiting for the arrival of Carpathia after the sinking of the Titanic. (The New York Times / Wide World Photo Archive)

A huge crowd gathered in front of Star Line's White Office on Lower Broadway in New York City to get the latest news about the sinking of the Titanic on April 14, 1912. (Associated Press)

The editors of The New York Times at the time of the sinking of the Titanic, April 15, 1912. (Photo archive of The New York Times)

(Photo archive of The New York Times)

Two messages were sent from America by insurers to Lloyds in London in the mistaken belief that other ships, including Virginia, were coming to the rescue when the Titanic sank. These two commemorative messages are due to go under the hammer at Christies in London in May 2012. (AFP/EPA/Press Association)

Laura Francatelli, and her employers Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, standing on the rescue ship, Carpathians (Associated Press / Henry Aldridge & Son / Ho)

This vintage seal shows the Titanic shortly before leaving for its maiden voyage in 1912. (New York Times Archive)

A photograph released by Henry Aldridge and Son/Ho auctioned in Wiltshire, England on April 18, 2008 shows an extremely rare Titanic passenger ticket. They were auction processing complete collection the last American Titanic Survivor is Miss Lilian Asplund. The collection consists of a number of important objects including a pocket watch, one of the few remaining tickets for the Titanic's maiden voyage and the only example of a direct emigration order the Titanic thought to exist. Lillian Asplund was a very private person, and because of a terrible event, she became a witness that on a cold April night in 1912, she rarely spoke about the tragedy that claimed the lives of her father and three brothers. (Henry Aldridge)

(National Maritime Museum / London)

Breakfast menu aboard the Titanic, signed by survivors of the disaster. (National Maritime Museum / London)

The nose of the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, 1999 (Institute of Oceanology)

The image shows one of the Titanic's propellers at the bottom of the ocean during an expedition to the site of the tragedy. Five thousand exhibits planned to be auctioned as a single collection on April 11, 2012, 100 years after the sinking of the ship (RMS Titanic, Inc, via The Associated Press)

Photo August 28, 2010, released for the premiere of the exhibition, Inc-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, shows the starboard side of the Titanic. (Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

Dr. Robert Ballard, the man who found the remains of the Titanic almost two decades ago, returned to the site and calculated the damage from visitors and hunters for the "souvenir" of the ship. (Institute of Oceanography and Archaeological Research Center / University of Rhode Island Grad. Schools of Oceanography)

The giant propeller of the sunken Titanic lies on the floor in the North Atlantic in this undated photograph. The propeller and other parts of the famous ship were seen by the first tourists to visit the wreck in September 1998.

(Ralph White/Associated Press)

The 17-ton part of the Titanic's hull rises to the surface during an expedition to the site of the tragedy in 1998. (RMS Titanic, Inc., via The Associated Press)

July 22, 2009, photo of the 17-ton part of the Titanic, which was raised and restored during an expedition to the site of the tragedy. (RMS Titanic, Inc., via The Associated Press)

A gold-plated American Waltham pocket watch, owned by Carl Asplund, in front of a contemporary watercolor painting of the Titanic by CJ Ashford at the Henry Aldridge & Son Auctions in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, April 3, 2008. The clock was recovered from the body of Karl Asplund who drowned on the Titanic, and is part of Lillian Asplund, the last American survivor of the disaster. (Kirsty Wigglesworth Associated Press)

The currency, part of the Titanic Collection, is photographed at a warehouse in Atlanta, August 2008. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts from the Titanic has huge collection to be auctioned as a single lot in 2012, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the most famous shipwreck in the world. (Stanley Leary/Associated Press)

Photographs by Felix Asplund, Selma and Carl Asplund and Lillian Asplund, by Henry Aldridge and Son Auctions at Devizes, Wiltshire, England, April 3, 2008. The photographs were part of Lillian Asplund's collection of Titanic-related items. Asplund was 5 years old in April 1912 when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from England to New York. Her father and three siblings were among the 1,514 dead. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

Exhibits at the "Titanic Artifact Exhibition" at the California scientific center: binoculars, comb, dishes and a broken incandescent lamp, February 6, 2003. (Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images, Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times)

Glasses among the wreckage of the Titanic were among the choicest artifacts of the Titanic. (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

Golden Spoon (Titanic Artifacts) (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

A chronometer from the Titanic Bridge is on display at the Science Museum in London, May 15, 2003. The Chronometer, one of more than 200 items salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic, was on display at the launch of a new exhibit commemorating its ill-fated maiden voyage along with bottles of perfume. The exhibition took visitors on a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic, from its concept and construction, to life on board, and its immersion in Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. (Alastair Grant/Associated Press)

Logo meter to measure the speed of the Titanic and a hinged lamp. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Titanic artifacts displayed in the media for preview purposes only, to announce the historical sale is complete. a collection of artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Titanic and showcasing highlights from the collection at sea by Intrepid, Air & SpaceMuseum January 2012. (Chang W. Lee / The New York Times)

Cups and pocket watches from the Titanic are displayed during a Guernsey auction press conference, January 5, 2012. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images, Brendan McDermid/Reuters Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images-2)

Spoons. RMS Titanic, Inc. is the only company authorized to remove elements from the ocean floor where the Titanic sank. (Douglas Healey/Associated Press)

Gold mesh purse. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

April 2012 edition of the magazine national geographic(online version available on iPad) you see new images and drawings from the wreck of the Titanic that remains on seabed, gradually breaks up at a depth of 12,415 feet (3,784 m). (National Geographic)

Two propeller blades peek out from the darkness of the sea. This optical mosaic is assembled from 300 s high resolution images. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Making sense of this tangle of metal presents endless challenges to professionals. One says: "If you interpret this material, you must love Picasso." (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

The Titanic's two engines lie in a gaping hole in the stern. Wrapped in "rusticles" - orange stalactites made of iron - that eat the bacteria of these massive four-story structures, the largest moving man-made objects on Earth at the time. (COPYRIGHT © 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc; Produced by AIVL, WHOI)

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic liner set off from Southampton Port on its first and last voyage, which collided with an iceberg 4 days later. About the tragedy that claimed the lives of almost 1496 people, we know largely thanks to the film, but let's get acquainted with real stories passengers on the Titanic.

The real cream of society gathered on the passenger deck of the Titanic: millionaires, actors and writers. Not everyone could afford to buy a class I ticket - the price was $60,000 at current prices.

3rd class passengers bought tickets for only $35 ($650 these days), so they were not allowed to go above the third deck. On the fateful night, the division into classes turned out to be more tangible than ever...

Bruce Ismay was one of the first people to jump into a lifeboat. CEO White Star Line, which owned the Titanic. The boat, designed for 40 people, sailed from the side with only twelve.

After the disaster, Ismay was accused of boarding a lifeboat, avoiding women and children, and of instructing the captain of the Titanic to increase speed, which led to the tragedy. The court acquitted him.

William Ernest Carter boarded the Titanic at Southampton with his wife, Lucy, and their two children, Lucy and William, and two dogs.

On the night of the disaster, he was at a party in the restaurant of the first class ship, and after the collision, together with his comrades, he went on deck, where the boats were already being prepared. First, William put his daughter in boat number 4, but when it was his son's turn, they were in trouble.

Right in front of them, 13-year-old John Rison boarded the boat, after which the boarding officer ordered that teenage boys not be taken on board. Lucy Carter resourcefully threw her hat on her 11-year-old son and sat down with him.

When the boarding process was completed and the boat began to descend into the water, Carter himself quickly got into it, along with another passenger. It turned out to be the already mentioned Bruce Ismay.

Roberta Mahoney, 21, worked as a servant to the countess and sailed on the Titanic with her mistress in first class.

On board, she met a brave young steward from the ship's crew, and soon the young people fell in love with each other. When the Titanic began to sink, the steward rushed to Roberta's cabin, brought her to the boat deck and put her in the boat, giving her his life jacket.

He himself died, like many other crew members, and Robert was picked up by the Carpathia ship, on which she sailed to New York. Only there, in her coat pocket, did she find a badge with a star, which, at the moment of parting, the steward put in her pocket as a memory of himself.

Emily Richards sailed along with her two young sons, mother, brother and sister to her husband. At the time of the disaster, the woman was sleeping in the cabin with her children. They were awakened by the screams of their mother, who ran into the cabin after the collision.

The Richardses were miraculously able to climb through the window into the descending lifeboat No. 4. When the Titanic completely sank, the passengers of her boat managed to pull seven more people out of the icy water, two of whom, unfortunately, soon died of frostbite.

The famous American businessman Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida traveled in first class. The Strauss have been married for 40 years and have never parted.

When the ship's officer invited the family to board the boat, Isidore refused, deciding to give way to women and children, but Ida also followed him.

Instead of themselves, the Strauss put their maid in the boat. Isidore's body was identified by a wedding ring, Ida's body was not found.

Two orchestras played on the Titanic: a quintet led by 33-year-old British violinist Wallace Hartley and an additional trio of musicians who were hired to give Café Parisien a continental touch.

Usually two members of the Titanic orchestra worked in different parts of the liner and in different time, but on the night of the death of the ship, all of them united into one orchestra.

One of the rescued passengers of the Titanic would write later: "Many things happened that night. heroic deeds, but none of them could compare to the feat of these few musicians, playing hour after hour, although the ship sank deeper and deeper, and the sea crept up to the place where they stood. The music they performed gave them the right to be included in the list of heroes of eternal glory."

Hartley's body was found two weeks after the sinking of the Titanic and sent to England. A violin was tied to his chest - a gift from the bride. Among the other members of the orchestra, there were no survivors ...

Four-year-old Michel and two-year-old Edmond traveled with their father, who died in the crash, and were considered "orphans of the Titanic" until their mother was found in France.

Michel died in 2001, he was the last male survivor on the Titanic.

Winnie Coates was on her way to New York with her two children. On the night of the disaster, she woke up from a strange noise, but decided to wait for the orders of the crew members. Her patience snapped, she rushed about the endless corridors of the ship for a long time, getting lost.

Suddenly met by a member of the crew directed her to the boats. She stumbled on a broken closed gate, but just at that moment another officer appeared, who saved Winnie and her children by giving them his life jacket.

As a result, Vinnie ended up on the deck, where she was boarding boat No. 2, on which, literally by a miracle, she managed to dive ..

Seven-year-old Eva Hart escaped the sinking Titanic with her mother, but her father died in the crash.

Ellen Walker believes she was conceived on the Titanic before it hit the iceberg. “It means a lot to me,” she admitted in an interview.

Her parents were 39-year-old Samuel Morley, the owner of a jewelry store in England, and 19-year-old Kate Phillips, one of his employees, fled to America from the man's first wife, seeking to start a new life.

Kate got into a lifeboat, Samuel jumped into the water after her, but did not know how to swim and drowned. “Mom spent 8 hours in a lifeboat,” Helen said. “She was in one nightgown but one of the sailors gave her his jumper."

Violet Constance Jessop. Until the last moment, the stewardess did not want to be hired on the Titanic, but her friends convinced her because they thought it would be a "wonderful experience."

Prior to that, on October 20, 1910, Violet became a stewardess of the transatlantic liner Olympic, which a year later collided with the cruiser due to unsuccessful maneuvering, but the girl managed to escape.

And from the Titanic, Violet escaped on a boat. During the First World War, the girl went to work as a nurse, and in 1916 she got on board the Britannic, which ... also went to the bottom! Two boats with a crew were pulled under the propeller of a sinking ship. 21 people died.

Among them could be Violet, who was sailing in one of the broken boats, but again luck was on her side: she managed to jump out of the boat and survived.

Fireman Arthur John Priest also survived a shipwreck not only on the Titanic, but also on the Olympic and Britannic (by the way, all three ships were the brainchild of the same company). Priest has 5 shipwrecks on his account.

On April 21, 1912, the New York Times published the story of Edward and Ethel Bean, who were on the Titanic in second class. After the crash, Edward helped his wife into the boat. But when the boat had already sailed, he saw that it was half empty, and threw himself into the water. Ethel dragged her husband into the boat.

Among the passengers of the Titanic was the famous tennis player Carl Behr and his lover Helen Newsom. After the disaster, the athlete ran to the cabin and brought the women to the boat deck.

The lovers were ready to say goodbye forever when the head of the White Star Line, Bruce Ismay, personally offered Beer a place on the boat. A year later, Karl and Helen got married, and later became the parents of three children.

Edward John Smith is the captain of the Titanic, who was very popular with both crew and passengers. At 2:13 am, just 10 minutes before the ship was completely submerged, Smith returned to the captain's bridge, where he decided to meet his death.

Second mate Charles Herbert Lightoller was one of the last to jump off the ship, narrowly avoiding being sucked into the ventilation shaft. He swam to the collapsible boat B, which was floating upside down: the Titanic's pipe that broke off and fell into the sea next to him drove the boat away from the sinking ship and allowed it to stay afloat.

American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim helped women and children into lifeboats during the crash. When asked to save himself, he replied: "We are dressed in our best clothes and are ready to die like gentlemen."

Benjamin died at the age of 46, his body was not found.

Thomas Andrews - first class passenger, Irish businessman and shipbuilder, was the designer of the Titanic ...

During the evacuation, Thomas helped the passengers into the boats. Last time he was seen in the first class smoking room near the fireplace, looking at a painting of Port Plymouth. His body was never found after the crash.

John Jacob and Madeleine Astor, the millionaire science fiction writer, were traveling first class with their young wife. Madeleine escaped on lifeboat number 4. The body of John Jacob was raised from the depths of the ocean 22 days after his death.

Colonel Archibald Gracie IV is an American writer and amateur historian who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Returning to New York, Gracie immediately began writing a book about his voyage.

It was she who became a real encyclopedia for historians and researchers of the disaster, thanks to the information contained in it. a large number the names of the stowaways and 1st class passengers who remained on the Titanic. Gracie's health was badly damaged by hypothermia and injuries, and he died in late 1912.

Margaret (Molly) Brown - American society lady, philanthropist and activist. Survived. When panic arose on the Titanic, Molly put people into lifeboats, but she herself refused to sit there.

"If the worst happens, I'll swim out," she said, until eventually someone pushed her into the number 6 lifeboat that made her famous.

After Molly organized the Titanic Survivors Relief Fund.

Millvina Dean was the last of the surviving passengers of the Titanic: she died on May 31, 2009 at the age of 97 in a nursing home in Ashurst, Hampshire, on the 98th anniversary of the liner's launch. .

Her ashes were scattered on October 24, 2009 in the port of Southampton, from where the Titanic began its first and last voyage. At the time of the death of the liner, she was two and a half months old.