The Greatest Tragedy of 1912

Author’s Note:

1912, The Titanic on the White Star Line started on their Journey to Southampton, England, and New York City. The Titanic was known to be the biggest, greatest, and safest ship in the world, until it sunk.

“She watched with Horror as it slipped lower and lower into the dark waters, upended, and finally disappeared into the deep.” This Is a quote from Titanic Love Stories by Gill Paul. The Titanic sinking was a horrendous event that killed hundreds of people. And for the ones that got out alive were scarred for life. Just thinking, reading or watching the film you can feel how petrifying that would have been. Innocent children, newly wedded couples, or just the people that wanted an extraordinary trip, ruined, destroyed, gone.

            The ship was part of the White Star Line, so was the ship that saved the passengers who were on the lifeboats, Carpathia. Carpathia was not bigger than the Titanic though. This ship was 45,000 tons, 882 feet, 8 inches/268 meters. And the height was 60.5 from the water line, but from the feet keel to the top of the funnels it was 175 feet tall. Although the Titanic had 4 funnels, only 3 of the funnels were functional, the fourth funnel was added on to make the ship look more impressive. The Titanic was capable of holding a capacity of 32 lifeboats. They only added on 20 lifeboats. Having 12 more lifeboats would have been so much more helpful to the families that couldn’t get on in time. There were 2,227 passengers onboard the Titanic. About 700 passengers survived the wreck. That is around 1,527 children, parents, animals, newly married couples, or crew workers that did not survive.

            Built and ready, the Titanic set out on its voyage on April 10^th 1912. The passengers had 4 days living luxuriously on the Titanic, until caption E.J Smith saw the Iceberg. They spotted the iceberg when it was 500 yard away. It takes 850 yards for the Titanic to stop. With fear all around the ship, people boarding the lifeboats, not knowing where you children are, or just in shock of what is coming, the titanic hit the iceberg at 11:40 PM on April 14^th. The Titanic had completely sunk at 2:20 AM on April 15^th. The ship had gone completely vertical having people falling from the top all the way down into the dark waters. This was like going on a ride that you really did not want to be on. And was not the most enjoyable ride of the passenger’s life.

            There were 2 films made that were based on the Titanic. The first film was produced by Charles Brackett, in 1953, and the length was 93 minutes long. Unlike the more modern film produced by James Cameron, this was not completely based on a love story of the passengers on the Titanic. More of the film was based on the ship sinking and commotion and what was happening, how people were reacting and more of the facts of the Titanic. James Cameron produced the 194 minute movie in 1997 The Titanic. This movie is coming back into theatres in 3D. Society finds this version of the story more interesting or more worthy of watching because it has a romantic story line to it. Or even because of the effects it has. Watching the movie feels like you are really there.

            The experience of being on that ship scarred hundreds of the survivors. Even though the Titanic was one of the longest, tallest, safest, ships there were. It sank, and killed hundreds. The crew saved as many as they could but when the ship sank at 2:20 there was nothing more they could do but get the survivors to the sister ship Carpathia. There were 2 movies based on this horrendous tragedy and received thousands of dollars from them. Books have been written based on the love stories, event, and lives of the ship and survivors and have made a lot of money. Although this was a money making event, it killed innocent children, newly wedded couples, or just the people that wanted an extraordinary trip, ruined, destroyed, gone.