The Titanic has such mystery and intrigue surrounding it. This ship was considered to be unsinkable when it left Belfast, Ireland on March 31, 1911. When it left Southampton, England on April 10, 1912, headed on its first voyage to New York it only had four days to float majestically on the swells of the sea.
The magnificent ship was 882 feet in length and 175 feet high. It had the best of everything, including elevators and a wireless communication system that was state of the art at the time.
Yet, even with all of the technology, the vessel had, just four days after leaving port the enormous vessel sank. It sank in as few as five minutes and it is a miracle that anyone survived the crash, and the frigid waters.
How Much Did The Titanic Weigh?
The Titanic reportedly weighed about 52,310 tons.
The anchor for this ship weighed 16 tons. It took a team of 20 horses to move it the two miles from where it was cast to the train station.
Why Did She Sink?
She was a massive ship. There are many theories on why this accident happened. Some of the most popular theories why the boat sank include:
- The ship was traveling too fast
- The builders used inferior materials in an attempt to save money
- The ship was turned in the wrong direction
- The operator controlling the wireless radio did not pass a warning about another ship, the Californian being stopped by dense field ice very close to where the Titanic was located.
- The lookout did not have the right equipment, such as binoculars that would have helped him spot the iceberg in time to avoid the collision.
How Many People Were on The Ship When It Sank?
The manifest and ship logs report that there were 2,223 passengers and crew on board when the accident happened.
This seems like an amazing amount of people, but the ship could have had more passengers. It was designed to carry as many as 3,500 people at one time.
The crew numbered around 908 and 23 of those were females.
Fueling The Massive Ship
The ship was fueled by coal.
It required 825 tons of coal each day to keep the 150 furnaces burning adequately.
How Big Was The Iceberg The Titanic Hit
Experts believe that the iceberg that hit the Titanic was at least 1.5 tons. It was 400 feet long and it protruded above the ocean about 100 feet.
Scientists have studied all of the facts and figures to come up with the idea that the iceberg may have been formed 100,000 years ago.
These scientists say that the iceberg had been floating and melting into the waters for months before it collided with the big ship. They estimate that the piece of ice was up to 1,700 feet in length and weighed about 75 tons at one point.
Did You Know?
- The Titanic cost $7 million to build. If the same ship was built today it would cost about $185 million to build.
- Less than one-third of the people on the ship survived.
- There were not enough lifeboats for all passengers and crew. The ship could have handled 64 lifeboats but only had 20 on board when it sank.
- 14,000 gallons of drinking water were consumed each day on the ship.
- The water the ship was floating in was below freezing
- There were more than 3,000 dozens of eggs on the ship when it sank.
- There was a heated swimming pool on the ship.
- The gash in the hull created by the iceberg was more than 300 feet in length.
FAQs
How Fast Did The Titanic Sink?
Scientists surmise that the Titanic sank in about 5 minutes.
How Many People Were Lost When The Titanic Sank?
More than 1500 people lost their lives during this tragedy.
Were There Any Animals on The Titanic When It Sank?
There were reportedly 12 dogs on the ship when it went down. Three of the dogs survived.
You May Find Interesting:
1. What Does A T-Shirt Weigh?
2. What is The Weight of A Gold Brick?
3. What Does A Letter Weigh in Ounces?