1、RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early hours of 15 April 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City。 There were an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, and more than 1,500 died, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history。
2、RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and was the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line。 She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast。 Thomas Andrews, her architect, died in the disaster。
3、Titanic was under the command of Capt。 Edward Smith, who also went down with the ship。 The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe who were seeking a new life in the United States。
4、Although Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, it only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people—about half the number on board, and one third of her total capacity—due to outdated maritime safety regulations。 The ship carried 16 lifeboat davits which could lower three lifeboats each, for a total of 48 boats。
5、A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a women and children first protocol for loading lifeboats。[8] At 2:20 a。m。, she broke apart and foundered with well over one thousand people still aboard。 Just under two hours after Titanic sank, the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia arrived and brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors。
6、The disaster was met with worldwide shock and outrage at the huge loss of life and the regulatory and operational failures that led to it。 Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to major improvements in maritime safety。 One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which still governs maritime safety today。
7、Additionally, several new wireless regulations were passed around the world in an effort to learn from the many missteps in wireless communications—which could have saved many more passengers。
8、The wreck of Titanic was discovered in 1985 (more than 70 years after the disaster), and remains on the seabed。 The ship was split in two and is gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12,415 feet (3,784 m)。 Thousands of artefacts have been recovered and displayed at museums around the world。
