The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, 1912. She was carrying 1,316 passengers and a crew of 891. Even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship. At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen watertight compartments.
Even if she were to spring a leak, it was thought that at most only two of the sixteen compartments would be flooded. At this time, however, she would still remain afloat. The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life. Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout.
After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision. The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her. Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened. The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged. Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was rapidly sinking.
The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water. As there were not enough lifeboats for everybody, 1,500 lives were lost. When the Titanic was built, rules and regulations for lifeboats were out of date. The Board of Trade rule that applied to the Titanic was based on ships much smaller than the Titanic. It was not until the disaster that new rules were made. The few who were saved were picked up hours later by another ship.
The sinking of the Titanic remains one of the most tragic maritime disasters in history. This catastrophe led to significant changes in maritime safety regulations worldwide. New international safety standards were established, requiring sufficient lifeboats for all passengers and crew. The disaster also highlighted the importance of 24-hour radio watch and proper emergency procedures. The story of the Titanic continues to fascinate people around the world, serving as a reminder of human vulnerability and the need for proper safety measures.