After crashing into an iceberg in the North Atlantic, the Titanic slipped beneath the frigid waters on April 15, 1912, taking 1,500 souls with it.
Willy Stöwer/Public DomainA depiction of what the sinking of the Titanic might have looked like.
The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the most tragic and enduring stories in maritime history. More than 100 years later, people around the world are still captivated by the British passenger liner’s shocking demise. While many know the basic story of the Titanic, it’s worth looking closer at the factors that led to the downfall of this “unsinkable” ship.
Though the vessel’s collision with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean is undoubtedly the main cause of the disaster, factors like design flaws, human errors, and the power of nature all played a role in the Titanic’s tragic journey.
Go inside the chain of events that led to the vessel slipping below the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912 — taking about 1,500 souls with it.
The Crew’s Overconfidence Contributed To The Fate Of The “Unsinkable” Titanic
Public DomainPurser Hugh Walter McElroy and Captain Edward J. Smith aboard the RMS Titanic. April 11, 1912.
The Titanic’s fateful journey began on April 10, 1912, when the vessel set sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. Four days later, despite multiple warnings of icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean, the ship maintained its high speed of around 20.5 knots.
On the night of the disaster, the Titanic Captain Edward John Smith reportedly believed that his crew would be able to react in time if they saw any icebergs, especially since the sky was so clear.
Furthermore, the Titanic was widely regarded as a marvel of modern engineering and was thought to be unsinkable. This mindset arguably led to the crew’s lack of preparedness. They were not trained adequately for an emergency, and the vessel was not properly equipped for a disaster.
One critical issue was the small number of lifeboats. The Titanic carried only 20 lifeboats, which was far too few for the 2,240 people on board.
This shortage was largely due to the now-outdated maritime safety regulations of the time and the widespread belief that the ship’s safety features made it unnecessary to equip the vessel with “extra” lifeboats. Back then, lifeboats weren’t usually seen as something that would need to substitute for an entire vessel — especially since the Titanic was the largest ship of its time. And chillingly, some officials may have also wanted to cut costs and preserve a certain “aesthetic” for the ship.
Multiple Iceberg Warnings Were Ignored Before The Sinking Of The Titanic
Public DomainA photo of the suspected Titanic iceberg, which was said to have been smeared with red paint.
The Titanic was warned a number of times about dangerous icebergs in the North Atlantic by other ships in the surrounding area. The final and most important warning never reached Captain Edward John Smith.
Radio operator Jack Phillips reportedly didn’t give the last warning to Captain Smith because it didn’t have the “MSG” prefix (Master’s Service Gram), which would have required the captain’s personal acknowledgment. Phillips deemed the message non-urgent and instead continued sending passenger messages to a wireless station in Cape Race, Newfoundland.
Because of this, those in the ship’s command likely believed that the icebergs were north of their route. Meanwhile, White Star Line chairman J. Bruce Ismay allegedly encouraged Captain Smith to increase the vessel’s speed in the hopes of arriving in New York earlier than expected and getting positive coverage in the media for their speedy arrival, perhaps even trying to beat a speed record (Ismay later denied these allegations).
Either way, the Titanic’s speed was not lowered, and the decision to continue at high speed through iceberg-infested waters paved the way for disaster.
At 11:39 p.m. on April 14, 1912, lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an iceberg directly in the ship’s path and yelled, “Iceberg! Right ahead!” Unfortunately, he didn’t have binoculars on him that night, so his warning came too late for the crew to take appropriate action. The starboard side of the Titanic struck the iceberg, causing holes to form in the ship’s steel plates.
The Titanic Had Design Flaws And Too Many Compartments Flooded, Leading To Its Sinking
Public DomainThe RMS Titanic under construction in early 1912.
Despite the Titanic’s fancy amenities, which included an opulent restaurant, a luxurious gym, and a swimming pool, the ship had design flaws. The Titanic was built with 16 watertight compartments, and it was designed to stay afloat if four compartments flooded, but six flooded after the ship hit the iceberg, and that was too many to keep the vessel afloat.
Before long, water flooded into the Titanic much faster than it could be pumped out. As the compartments filled with water, the bow of the vessel started to dip down deeper into the ocean, dooming the ship.
These compartments were separated by bulkheads, or walls, which didn’t extend very high above the waterline. If they had been built taller, this could have bought precious time for nearby ships to come and rescue passengers.
Another design flaw that is believed to have contributed to the disaster is the low-quality iron rivets used in the construction of the ship, specifically in the stern and bow of the vessel. These rivets were less expensive than high-quality steel rivets, but they were also weaker, meaning they could have been damaged more easily after the Titanic’s fateful collision.
Steel rivets were only used in the ship’s central hull. Many experts believe that the ship would have still sunk if steel rivets had been used throughout the entire vessel. But much like the arrangement of the Titanic’s watertight compartments, using only steel rivets could have possibly slowed the vessel’s sinking, potentially saving many lives that night.
The Design Of The Ship Made It Difficult To Avoid Collision — And Evacuation Was A Disaster
National ArchivesTitanic survivors navigate their lifeboats toward the RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued them.
As the iceberg loomed ahead, First Officer William McMaster Murdoch reportedly signaled the engine room to reverse the ship’s engines. But while the right and left propellers spun backward, the design of the Titanic meant that the central propeller could only be stopped, not reversed.
Furthermore, the Titanic’s massive size meant that changing course required a considerable distance and more notice — much more than was available. Unfortunately, Murdoch’s order negatively impacted the vessel’s turning ability, and if he had not given the order, the ship may have actually had a better chance of turning and avoiding such a terrible crash.
Alas, by 11:40 p.m., the Titanic had hit the iceberg, causing extensive damage to the right side of the ship’s hull. After the collision, Captain Smith and his officers realized the severity of the situation. By midnight, the ship’s first lifeboats were ready for launch, but the evacuation was chaotic.
Wikimedia CommonsCollapsible Boat B, a Titanic lifeboat that wasn’t launched properly and was found upside down after the disaster.
Lifeboats were launched partially filled, and many passengers, especially those in third class, struggled to reach the deck due to poor communication and the fact that few of them had easy access to lifeboats. As the bow of the Titanic dipped below the surface, the stern lifted high into the air.
Shortly before 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the Titanic broke apart, and then sank to the bottom of the ocean, leaving about 1,500 people to perish in the icy waters. The 706 Titanic survivors faced cold temperatures and harrowing conditions until they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia around 4 a.m.
Other Potential Causes Of The Titanic’s Sinking
Wikimedia CommonsSome believe that a fire in the coal bunker of the Titanic may have weakened the ship’s hull before it even set sail.
Like many other famous disasters from history, the story of the Titanic’s sinking has been analyzed countless times for other potential causes besides the infamous collision with the iceberg. Some Titanic conspiracy theories are so outlandish that they border on ridiculous, like the idea that a millionaire purposely sunk the ship to kill his business rivals.
But other theories may be worth exploring further, like the possibility that a fire in the Titanic’s coal bunker weakened the ship’s hull before the vessel set sail. Another theory suggests that charged particles from the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, could have potentially interfered with the ship’s navigation and communication systems on that fateful night.
Either way, the Titanic’s collision with the iceberg remains the main cause of its sinking. While other factors played a role, the crash was the event that undoubtedly sealed the ship’s fate. Still, many have wondered what would have happened if things had played out differently. What if the ship had slowed down that night? What if the crew had been able to spot the iceberg earlier? What if the ship had been designed differently? And perhaps most heart-wrenching, what if there had been more lifeboats on board?
Richard Corfield, a science writer for Physics World, wrote, “No one thing sent the Titanic to the bottom of the North Atlantic. Rather, the ship was ensnared by a perfect storm of circumstances that conspired her to doom.”
Indeed, the Titanic disaster wasn’t caused by one big mistake, but by a series of small errors, unexpected events, and poor decisions that led to the ship’s sinking and an immense loss of life that we still remember to this day.
After learning about the events that led to the Titanic sinking, see some of the most heartbreaking artifacts unearthed from the famous shipwreck. Then, discover stunning photos of the Titanic in color.
