Titanic Tragedy Essay Example

director of the ship's owners, estimated the extent and consequences of the damage at two minutes before midnight. The Titanic had approximately an hour and a half, possibly two, before it sank. According to Foster (11), the creators of the Titanic prioritized passenger accommodations and speed in order to surpass all previous ships.

Harland and Wolff, the shipbuilding company, was responsible for constructing the Titanic. After completing her sister ship the Olympic, the Titanic underwent improvements at a different site within the company, following Ismay's standards (Wade 18). The ship was officially numbered as 3909 04, which when reflected in a mirror, spells NO POPe. Many attribute this as the reason behind the ship's sinking (Lord 17). The total number of passengers aboard was approximately 2240 (Foster 28-29). Out of these individuals, only 337 were first-class members, occupying only forty-six percent of the available first-class accommodations. The second-class deck housed 271 passengers, accounting for forty percent of its capacity. The third-class passengers, mostly emigrants, made up a total of 712 individuals on board the Titanic (Wade 25-26).

Included in the riders were 860 crew members (Foster 28). The first class riders had various special accommodations such as a promenade, a bridge, and a saloon. The dining experience was exquisite (Foster 28-42). The Titanic boasted a lavish dining saloon with carpeted floors and a grand reception room adorned with wicker furniture and hard wood floors (Wells 36). Additionally, the Titanic featured a French cafe staffed by French waiters (Lord 24). The first class menu included delectable items like dumplings, custard pudding, apple meringue, salmon, and shrimp (Foster 42). The accommodations for first class riders were incredibly

luxurious, leading to the Titanic being hailed as "the last word in luxury" (Wade 19).

On the B deck, there were twenty-eight staterooms, each of which had its own unique decoration inspired by different time periods (Lord 23). Among these staterooms, two cost $4350 (Wade 18) and were exceptionally luxurious, featuring private decks for strolling (Lord 23). Another lavish feature provided to the first class passengers was the Turkish baths, located on F deck and decorated in an Arabian seventeenth century style (Foster 33). Although the voyage of this floating town seemed to be proceeding smoothly, the captain's office received several warnings regarding ice in the afternoon of April 14. Around noon, a message arrived alerting about a significant cluster of icebergs approximately 250 miles ahead of the Titanic (Lord 49). Throughout the night, six messages about icebergs directly in the Titanic's path were received and disregarded.

Around 11:40 PM, two lookouts spotted an iceberg right ahead of the Titanic and were unable to avoid the disaster (Foster 43-60). The Titanic collided with the iceberg approximately 37 seconds after it was sighted, while traveling at a speed of 20.5 knots (MacInnis 20). The iceberg caused a massive hole in the Titanic, measuring around 300 feet in length (Lord 62). Despite the situation, the crew of the Titanic remained composed and calmly prioritized the evacuation of women and children, leading to the first lifeboat being launched around 12:45 AM (MacInnis 20). Captain E.J. Smith soon realized that the available lifeboats would only accommodate 1178 people, which was insufficient for everyone on board (Lord 72). ...