1861:
Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding is founded in Belfast, Ireland.
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1867:
The unprofitable White Star Line is purchased by Thomas Henry Ismay and Sir Edward Harland.
1891:
Thomas Ismay's eldest son, J. Bruce Ismay is made a partner of the White Star line. One year later Thomas Ismay retires.
1898:
The American author Morgan Robertson (1861 - 1915) publishes the short fictional novel "Futility" in which a British passenger liner called the 'Titan' hits an iceberg and sinks on her maiden voyage without enough lifeboats in the month of April in the North Atlantic.
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The fictional ship is eerily similar to the yet-to-be conceived Titanic in size, speed, equipment, numbers of passengers (both rich and poor), and those lost.
Both ships were British and sailed in April with a top speed of 24-25 knots. They had the same passenger and crew capacity of 3,000 but sailed with a little over 2,000. Also they were between 800 and 900 feet long and driven with triple propellers. Each also sank 95 miles south of the banks of Greenland.
Here's the most astonishing fact: both ships sank after being pierced by an iceberg on their starboard side.!.!.!
1902:
The White Star Line is taken over by International Mercantile Marine Company founded by J. Pierpoint Morgan. The purchase price is £10,000,000. J. Bruce Ismay stays on to eventually become the managing director of the White Star Line.
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1907:
On a summer night in 1907, a dream to build the most fantastic ships ever conceived was started in London by J. Bruce Ismay, the Managing Director of the White Star Line, and Lord James Pirrie (a partner in the firm of Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding - the giant Belfast shipbuilder that built all the White Star Line vessels) during a dinner party. They planned to build the luxury ship Titanic and the 'Olympic'. A third one, the 'Gigantic' (renamed 'Britannic'), to be built later. Cost of each ship £1,500,000.
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1909:
March 31st:
The construction of the Titanic (keel number 401, official built number 131428) begins in Belfast, Ireland by Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding. The Titanic's principal designer was Alexander M. Carlisle. He retired in 1909 and was succeeded by Thomas Andrews.
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1910:
October 20th:
The 'Olympic', the first of three enormous vessels in the "Olympic Class" and Titanic's sister ship, was successfully launched. After final construction, she began her maiden voyage in June, 1911. Before the completion of the Titanic, she was the largest ship in the world and, later, regained that title until the construction of the German ship 'Imperator'.
1911:
May 31st:
The launch of the Titanic.
12.05 p.m.: Two rockets were fired followed by a third rocket five minutes later.
12.13 p.m.: The hull of a ship that was to become the most known ship in the world gracefully started moving under her own weight down the slipway. Twenty-two tons of tallow, soap, and train oil are used to grease the slipway bed to coat and protect against the enormous three-tons-per-square-inch pressure of the freshly painted hull. She travelled nearly twice her 900 foot length at achieved twelve knots before being brought to a halt by six anchor chains and two piles of cable drag chains, each chain weighing eighty pounds. The launch lasted only sixty two seconds and was watched by over 100,000 spectators.
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Shipyard worker James Dobbins, age 43, had his legs pinned by a support he was cutting. His friends dragged him to safety and he was taken to Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital where he died the next day of contusions and shock.
The Titanic is being towed by tugs to the fitting-out basin. Ten months of fitting out follow.
July:
First projected date agreed on by White Star Line and Harland & Wolff for Titanic's maiden voyage - March 20th, 1912.
September 20th:
The 'Olympic' - Titanic's sister ship, outbound from Southampton (with Captain Edward John Smith who would later captain the Titanic), has a major collision with the H.M.S. 'Hawke', a British Royal Navy cruiser. Repairs made back at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding delay the fitting out of the Titanic one month due to necessary diversion of workers and materials to repair the 'Olympic'.
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October 11th:
White Star Line officially announces new date for Titanic's maiden voyage in the London Times - April 10th, 1912.
1912:
January:
Sixteen wooden lifeboats are installed aboard the Titanic under "Welin quadrant" davits (designed to handle two or three lifeboats).
Titanic's principal designer, Alexander M. Carlisle (who was no longer in the employ of Harland & Wolff Shipbuilding) had suggested davits capable of carrying more boats, but presented it as an economy measure, and not in the interests of increased safety. Outdated British Board of Trade regulations mean that Titanic's 20 lifeboats (including four "collapsible" canvas-sided lifeboats) actually exceed requirements by ten percent capacity.
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March 31st:
The outfitting of the Titanic is completed. She emerged from the fitting-out basin with the most luxurious fittings of any ship ever built.
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April 1st:
Titanic's sea trials are delayed due to high winds.
April 2nd:
6.00 a.m.: Sea trials begin. The Titanic assisted by two tugs sails through Victoria Channel to Belfast Lough. All equipment tested, including wireless. Speed and handling trials undertaken, including various turning and stop-start maneuvers. Major stopping test conducted: runs full ahead at 20 knots and then stops full astern.
2.00 p.m.: Running test conducted. She travels for about two hours (about 40 miles) out into the open Irish Sea at an average speed of 18 knots, and then returns in two hours to Belfast. All tests meet Board of Trade standards. Trials have lasted less than a day.
8.00 p.m.: The Titanic leaves Belfast (under Captain Bartlett) for overnight trip to Southampton, her port of embarkation (about 570 miles).
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April 3rd:
The Titanic arrives in the port of Southampton just after midnight to begin provisioning and staffing for maiden voyage.
April 5th:
The Titanic is "dressed" in panoply of flags and pennants for a salute to the people of Southampton. This is the only occasion she is ever "dressed".
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April 6th:
April 8th:
April 10th:
Recruitment day for remainder, and majority, of crew. General cargo begins to arrive. The final total cargo includes 559 tons and 11,524 separate pieces.
As well an additional 5,892 tons of coal are loaded on board.
Fresh food supplies taken on board. All final preparations overseen by the ship's designer Thomas Andrews down to the tiniest detail.
Sailing Day.
7.30 a.m.: Captain Edward John Smith boards the Titanic with full crew. The Officers have spent the night on board. Captain Smith receives sailing report from Chief Officer Wilde.
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8.00 a.m.: Entire crew mustered, followed by brief lifeboat drill using only two starboard boats, No's 11 and 15.
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Mail is taken aboard the Titanic.
9.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.: The Second and Third-Class boat-trains arrive at the dockside.
The Second-Class passengers and Third-Class passengers or "Steerage" board ship.
11.00 a.m. - 11.30 a.m.: Arrival of the First-Class boat-train from London at the dockside.
The First-Class passengers board ship and are escorted to their cabins.
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Noon: The Titanic casts off and begins her maiden voyage. She has a near miss with the steamer 'New York' caused by the suction of Titanic's enormous displacement.
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1.00 p.m.: The Titanic sails down the English Channel for Cherbourg, France.
4.00 p.m.: Late arrival announced in Cherbourg.
5.30 p.m.: Passengers board tenders and wait for the Titanic to arrive.
6.30 p.m.: The Titanic rides at anchor in Cherbourg, France.
8.10 p.m.: The Titanic leaves for Queenstown, Ireland
April 11th:
Various practice turns are being tested during the morning.
11.30 a.m.: The Titanic arrives at Queenstown.
1.30 p.m.: Anchored off of Roche's Point, Queenstown, Ireland, Francis Browne, a Jesuit seminarian, disembarks and takes the last known photograph of the Titanic for the next 73 years. The Titanic would sail into history, leaving in her wake a trail of tragedy, mystery, intrigue and fascination by millions. The Titanic leaves Queenstown for New York.
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April 11th - 12th:
The Titanic sails through calm waters and covers 386 miles.
April 12th - 13th:
The Titanic sails through calm waters and covers 519 miles.
Ice warning are received from the steamer 'Rappahannock'.
April 13th:
1.00 p.m.: The Chief Engineer Joseph Bell reports the coal fire in boiler room #6, coal bunker #10 (which already had started in Southampton).
3.00 p.m.: Captain Smith and Bruce Ismay discuss the voyage.
April 14th:
Sunday.
Several ice warnings are received during the day. Reports come in from the 'Noordamm', 'Caronia', 'Baltic', 'Amerika', 'Californian' and 'Mesaba'.
10.30 a.m.:
Church service is being held in the First-Class dining saloon.
10.00 p.m.:
Second officer Lightoller relieved on bridge by First officer Murdoch. Lookouts in crow's nest relieved. Warning to watch for icebergs passed between the watches. Temperature is 32º F, sky cloudless, air clear.
11.39 p.m.:
The Titanic is steaming at 20.5 knots. Suddenly, the lookouts, Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Robinson Lee, see an iceberg dead ahead about 500 yards away towering some 55-60 feet above the water. They immediately sound the warning bell with three sharp rings and telephone the bridge: "Iceberg right ahead." Sixth officer Moody on the bridge acknowledges warning, relays message to First officer Murdoch who instinctively calls "hard-a-starboard" to helmsman Hichens and orders the engine room to stop the engines and then orders full astern.
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Murdoch then activates the lever to close all watertight doors below the waterline. The helmsman spins the wheel as far as it will go. After several seconds, the Titanic begins to veer to port, but the iceberg strikes starboard bow side and brushes along the side of the ship and passes by into the night. The impact, although jarring to the crew down in the forward area, is not noticed by many of the passengers. Thirty-seven seconds have passed from sighting to collision.
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11.50 p.m.:
Captain Smith asks designer Thomas Andrews and the ship's carpenter John Hall Hutchinson to conduct a visual inspection of the damage. They tell Captain Smith that water had poured in and risen 14 feet in the front part of the ship.
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April 15th:
Monday.
12:00 a.m.: The captain is told the ship can only stay afloat for a couple of hours.
He gives order to the wireless operators to call for help over the radio.
(Click HERE for the Final Wireless Transmissions aboard the R.M.S. Titanic).
The boilers are shut down and relief pipes against the funnels blow off huge noisy clouds of steam.
The Titanic's estimated position: 41º 44' N, 50º 24' W.
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12.05 a.m.: Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats and to get passengers and crew ready on deck. There is only room for half of the estimated 2,227 aboard in the lifeboats.
12.15 a.m. - 2.17 a.m.: Numerous ships receive the Titanic's distress signal, including her sister ship the 'Olympic', some 500 miles away. Several ships, including 'Mount Temple' (49 miles away), 'Frankfort' (153 miles away), 'Birma' (70 miles), 'Baltic' (243 miles), 'Virginian' (170), and 'Carpathia' (58 miles) prepare at various times to come to assist.
12.35 a.m.: Fourth Officer Boxhall notices a light in the distance and assume it is a ship which may rescue them. He asks Captain Smith about lighting the rockets and Captain Smith agrees.
1.15 a.m.: The tilt of the deck grows steeper. Lifeboats now begin to leave fully loaded.
2.18 a.m.: The ship's lights blink once then go out. Several survivors see the ship break in two. The bow section sinks.
3.20 a.m.: The final cries of the drowning people in the water fade away.
April 18th:
April 17th - May 25th:
April 19th - May 25th:
Eighty-two witnesses are called.
April 24th:
April 30th:
May 2nd - July 3rd:
In total 25,622 questions are asked of 96 witnesses, including such expert witnesses as the inventor of the radio, Marconi, and the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton regarding ice and icebergs. The only passenger witnesses are Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon and J. Bruce Ismay. Other witnesses include Captain Stanley Lord of the 'Californian' (the "Mystery Ship"), Second Officer Lightoller, who endures 1,600 questions alone, members of the crew, the ship's owners, and members of the British Board of Trade. The final judgement recommends "more watertight compartments in ocean-going ships, the provision of lifeboats for all on board, as well as a better lookout."
May 14th:
1913:
June:
1914:
1916:
1932:
1935:
1937:
1955:
1964:
1980:
1980:
1981:
1983:
1985:
Final resting place of the Titanic:
1986:
1987:
1987:
October:
1988:
1989:
1991:
1991:
1993:
1994:
1994:
1995:
April 15th:
1996: April 23rd: In the "Lunt Fontanne-Theatre" on 42nd Street, Broadway the musical "TITANIC" did have its gala opening. By the yearly Tony-Awards the musical won all the awards it had been nominated for:
The musical "TITANIC" is totally different than the movie "TITANIC". The movie "TITANIC" is mainly fictional and was based on the love story of two passengers Jack and Rose who met aboard the Titanic (performed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet). The musical "TITANIC" is about the real and fateful story of the White Star liner Titanic and of those who sailed aboard her on the "Maiden Voyage". It tells the story of the captain (Edward John Smith), the owner - Managing Director of the White Star Line - (J.Bruce Ismay) and the designer (Thomas Andrews) of the Titanic. Remarkable is the scene that shows the lookouts (Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Robinson Lee) - without binoculars - in Titanic's crowsnest when the the ship is being hit by that "Fatal Iceberg". All the caracters in the musical "TITANIC" actually were on the original Passenger List and Crew List. The musical "TITANIC" has been written by the "Broadway-veterans" Peter Stone (script) and Maury Yeston (music and lyrics). They scored a total of 832 performances.!.!.! December 19th: The movie "Titanic", written and directed by James Cameron, begins its release around the world. Until today at over $200 million, "Titanic" is the most expensive motion picture ever made.
1998:
April 6th:
August 10th:
being recovered by the research vessel 'Abeille'
August 15th:
2000:
July 20th - August 30th:
On July 22nd, 2000 the 'Ocean Intervention' with aboard the 'Magellan 725 ROV' (a remotely operated vehicle), the Russian ship 'Akademyk Keldysh', the survey vessel 'Explorer' and the tow craft ‘Koresh’ and their crew actually have started the expedition.
"The RMS Titanic, Expedition 2000" has constituted the largest and most ambitious expedition ever to study the RMS Titanic.!.!.!"
November 2nd:
This website is dedicated to the eternal legacy of the RMS Titanic and to all of those who needlessly died one cold night in April, 1912...
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