Luxury White Star Liner 'Titanic', which sank on its maiden voyage to America in 1912, seen here on trials in Belfast Lough, Jan. 12, 1912. Getty Images/ Topical Press Agency
On April 15, 1912, RMS Titanic sank into the depths of the ocean, after hitting an iceberg on its path to the United States from the United Kingdom. Sunday marks the 106th anniversary of the tragedy that killed more than 1,500 people and triggered decades of search for its wreckage.
Four days after the Titanic began its journey in April 10, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg in the northern Atlantic Ocean, an incident that neither the vessel, nor its crew members were prepared for. Unable to cope with the damage incurred, one of the most luxurious ships of that age met its end 24 hours later.
Here are some lesser known facts about the RMS Titanic that you might have been unaware of:
Although the word “unsinkable” was famously linked to the Titanic, making it’s sinking extra-tragic, according to historians, the word did not become synonymous with the ship until it met its end, according to FOX 51 reported.
Apart from carrying 2,200 passengers on board, Titanic, which was sailing from Southampton, to New York City, was also carrying over 3,000 bags of mail , since it was a Royal Mail Ship, Money Control reported.
The interiors of the ship were loosely based on the designs of the Ritz hotel in London. With the desire to give passengers the feel of being in a luxurious hotel, the ship included a gym, pool, a squash court, Turkish bath and a kennel for first class dogs. Guests also received onboard newspaper – the Atlantic Daily Bulletin.
One of the controversies that erupted after the Titanic sank is the ship carried wooden life boats enough to accommodate only 1,178 people, which is one-third of Titanic's total capacity, but vessel could not be faulted as it did meet the minimum legal requirement in this regard at the time.
The richest passengers onboard the ship was John Jacob Astor IV, who had an estimated net worth of a net worth of $85 million (approximately $2 billion). He did not survive the tragedy. His last remark to a waiter suggested he was a man of humor and wit. “I asked for ice, but this is ridiculous,” he said, the Telegraph reported.
It has been speculated if the Titanic struck the iceberg head-on, it would not have sunk. When First Officer William McMaster Murdoch ordered the ship to change direction, it was too late for the mammoth vessel to avoid the tragedy ahead.
Murdoch and Edward Smith, the ship’s captain went down with the ship. Smith’s last words to his crew was: “Well boys, you've done your duty and done it well. I ask no more of you. I release you. You know the rule of the sea. It's every man for himself now, and God bless you.”
During its entire voyage, the ship received six warning about the deadly iceberg, which was around 100 feet tall and came from a glacier in Greenland.
The youngest passenger onboard the ship – Millvina Dean, who was just two months old at the time – survived the tragedy and died at the age of 95 on May 31, 2009.
The iceberg was first spotted by Frederick Fleet, the lookout on the ship, who upon seeing it proclaimed: “Iceberg! Right ahead!” He survived the tragedy and when he was finally laid to rest in 2012, some pranksters put a pair of binoculars on his grave, with a note saying: “Sorry they’re 100 years too late.”
The Titanic did not just claim lives when it sank. Two deaths were recorded during the ship’s 26-month-long construction in Belfast along with 246 injuries.
