The Titanic's final hours
On the cold night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic was sailing through the North Atlantic. It had received a series of messages from other ships in the area, warning about ice. Captain Smith was firm in his belief that his ship was in no danger. But at 11:40 pm, lookout Fredrick Fleet spotted an iceberg and struck the warning bell 3 times.
Quartermaster Robert Hichens, who was at the wheel at the time, steered the ship hard to starboard (right) to avoid a collision, but he was too late. The Titanic struck the iceberg, which punched a series of gashes and holes along 76 m (250 ft) of the ship's hull.
At 12:05 am, 25 minutes after the collision, Captain Smith gave the order to abandon ship. One by one the lifeboats were lowered from the Titanic, starting with number 7 at 12:45 am, and finishing with collapsible D at 2:05 am.
As the lifeboats slid down the side of the ship, a flurry of activity took place on deck. As the final lifeboats were lowered, a number of people tried to jump ship by sliding down the ropes or leaping from the lower decks.
As the Titanic slipped lower and lower into the water, those left on board when the last of the lifeboats had departed were either gripped by a sense of panic or resigned to their fate. The noise on board soon became deafening as the contents of the ship broke free of their fittings and crashed forwards.
At 2:18 am the Titanic's lights finally went out as the boilers were completely submerged. The ship was almost vertical, its bow diving down towards the seabed, its stern rising up into the night sky. At this point, the ship snapped between the back two funnels, causing the stern section to break free and right itself briefly before it to began to sink. At 2:20 am the Titanic finally slipped from view.
Quartermaster Robert Hichens, who was at the wheel at the time, steered the ship hard to starboard (right) to avoid a collision, but he was too late. The Titanic struck the iceberg, which punched a series of gashes and holes along 76 m (250 ft) of the ship's hull.
At 12:05 am, 25 minutes after the collision, Captain Smith gave the order to abandon ship. One by one the lifeboats were lowered from the Titanic, starting with number 7 at 12:45 am, and finishing with collapsible D at 2:05 am.
As the lifeboats slid down the side of the ship, a flurry of activity took place on deck. As the final lifeboats were lowered, a number of people tried to jump ship by sliding down the ropes or leaping from the lower decks.
As the Titanic slipped lower and lower into the water, those left on board when the last of the lifeboats had departed were either gripped by a sense of panic or resigned to their fate. The noise on board soon became deafening as the contents of the ship broke free of their fittings and crashed forwards.
At 2:18 am the Titanic's lights finally went out as the boilers were completely submerged. The ship was almost vertical, its bow diving down towards the seabed, its stern rising up into the night sky. At this point, the ship snapped between the back two funnels, causing the stern section to break free and right itself briefly before it to began to sink. At 2:20 am the Titanic finally slipped from view.
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