100 Facts About Titanic Ship
Here’s a comprehensive list of 100 well-researched facts about the RMS Titanic.
General Information
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The RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner.
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“RMS” stands for Royal Mail Ship, as it carried mail under contract.
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It was operated by the White Star Line.
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The Titanic was built at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.
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Construction began on March 31, 1909.
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It took about three years to complete.
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The ship was launched on May 31, 1911.
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Sea trials were held on April 2, 1912.
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It was the largest ship in the world at its launch.
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The Titanic’s hull number was 401.
Design and Construction
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The Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269 meters) long.
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It was 92 feet 6 inches (28 meters) wide.
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It stood 175 feet (53 meters) tall from keel to funnel top.
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The ship weighed 46,328 gross tons.
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It displaced over 52,000 tons of water when fully loaded.
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More than 3 million rivets held the ship together.
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It had nine decks in total.
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The hull was divided into 16 watertight compartments.
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Titanic was designed to stay afloat if up to four compartments flooded.
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The ship was considered “practically unsinkable.”
Engines and Power
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The Titanic had two reciprocating steam engines and one low-pressure turbine.
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It was powered by 29 boilers and 159 coal furnaces.
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Total horsepower: over 50,000 HP.
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The ship could reach a top speed of 23–24 knots (26–28 mph).
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It burned about 600 tons of coal per day.
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Over 100 tons of ash were dumped into the sea daily.
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Each of the three propellers was massive, with diameters up to 23 feet.
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The ship carried 6,611 tons of coal on departure.
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It had four funnels, but only three were functional—the fourth was decorative.
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The ship’s whistle was audible for 11 miles.
Maiden Voyage
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The Titanic’s maiden voyage began on April 10, 1912.
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It sailed from Southampton, England, to New York City, USA.
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The route included stops at Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland.
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Captain Edward John Smith commanded the ship.
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It was to be his final voyage before retirement.
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There were 2,224 people on board (passengers and crew).
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Of these, 1,316 were passengers and 908 were crew.
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Passengers came from over 30 nationalities.
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The Titanic carried 3,423 sacks of mail.
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The ship was nicknamed the “Ship of Dreams.”
Luxury and Amenities
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First-class passengers enjoyed unprecedented luxury.
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The ship featured a heated swimming pool—the first on an ocean liner.
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It also had a gymnasium, Turkish baths, and squash court.
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The Grand Staircase extended through seven decks.
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The first-class dining room could seat 500 passengers.
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Meals featured up to 11 courses.
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The Café Parisien offered a French-style dining experience.
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A daily newspaper, the Atlantic Daily Bulletin, was printed on board.
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The ship had electric elevators and telephones in some cabins.
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Titanic’s interior was inspired by London’s Ritz Hotel.
Tickets and Crew
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Building the Titanic cost $7.5 million in 1912 (about $400 million today).
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About 15,000 workers helped build it.
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Eight men died during construction.
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There were 885 crew members on the voyage.
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The average crew wage was $5–$10 per month.
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First-class ticket: up to $4,350 (≈$150,000 today).
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Third-class ticket: about $40 (≈$1,700 today).
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Titanic carried 900 tons of luggage.
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There were over 75,000 pounds of meat on board.
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Chief Designer Thomas Andrews sailed on the maiden voyage.
The Iceberg Collision
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The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 PM on April 14, 1912.
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The iceberg had likely broken off from Greenland.
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It was about 100 feet tall above water.
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Lookout Frederick Fleet first spotted it.
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There were no binoculars in the crow’s nest.
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The ship hit the iceberg on its starboard (right) side.
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The damage extended across six compartments.
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The ship began sinking within minutes.
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Captain Smith ordered distress calls immediately.
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The water temperature was 28°F (-2°C).
Lifeboats and Rescue
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The Titanic carried only 20 lifeboats.
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Total capacity: 1,178 people—about half those aboard.
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Regulations required just 16 lifeboats for ships of its size.
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Many boats were launched half-empty.
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Lifeboat No. 1 carried only 12 people, though it could hold 40.
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The distress signals sent were CQD and SOS.
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The nearest ship, RMS Carpathia, responded to the call.
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Carpathia was 58 miles away.
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It arrived at 4:00 AM, about two hours after Titanic sank.
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Only 706 people survived the disaster.
Passengers and Crew
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Over 1,500 people died in the sinking.
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Among the dead were John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim.
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Isidor and Ida Straus, co-owners of Macy’s, died together.
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Molly Brown became known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
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All eight band members died while playing music until the end.
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Radio operator Jack Phillips sent SOS messages until power failed.
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Captain Smith went down with the ship.
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Thomas Andrews was last seen in the First-Class Smoking Room.
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Chief baker Charles Joughin survived by floating in icy water for hours.
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Many third-class passengers were trapped below deck.
Aftermath and Investigations
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The Titanic sank at 2:20 AM on April 15, 1912.
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The Mackay-Bennett ship recovered most of the bodies (333 total).
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Victims were buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Both U.S. and British inquiries were held afterward.
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The disaster led to the SOLAS Convention (1914)—new safety rules.
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Ships were required to carry enough lifeboats for everyone.
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24-hour radio watches became mandatory.
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The wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, by Dr. Robert Ballard.
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The wreck lies 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) deep in the Atlantic.
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The Titanic remains a symbol of human ambition, tragedy, and legacy.
