RMS Titanic Sank on April 15, 1912: Ten Interesting Facts About ‘The Unsinkable Ship’ You Probably Never Knew

On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into the ship’s maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The largest ocean liner in service at the time, Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board when she hit an iceberg at around 23:40 (ship’s time) on Sunday, April 14, 1912. Her sinking resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, making one of the deadliest peacetime marine disasters in history. It has been 108 years of the incident, but every time we hear about RMS Titanic, we are immediately struck by a maritime disaster. Survivors from the doomed passenger liner waited for hours in the frigid water of the North Atlantic until they were eventually rescued. The RMS Titanic was also dubbed as, 'The Unsinkable Ship' before its maiden journey. Here are some interesting facts about the RMS Titanic that you probably did not know. Ever Wondered How Titanic Looks Now? Latest Video From Underwater Exploration in Last 14 Years Reveal The Wreckage!

1. The RMS Titanic, when entered service, was the world’s largest passenger ship when it entered service, measuring 269 metres in length. It was also the most massive man-made moving object on Earth.

2. Only 16 wooden lifeboats and four collapsible boats were carried, enough to accommodate about 1,178 people. That was just one-third of Titanic’s total capacity, but also more than legally required at the time.

3. The ship was launched on May 31, 1911, at the Belfast Lough, an intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland.

4. The RMS Titanic cost $7.5 million to build. It took about 3,000 shipbuilders to construct the ship.

5. The first-class passengers were given a music book that contained 352 songs. The musicians were expected to know all the songs given on the book so the first-class passengers could make a request.

6. Out of the four smokestacks, one did not work. Only three were functional. It is said that the extra one was made to make the ship look more impressive.

7. To power, the ship every day, over 800 tons of coal were burned.

8. The exact number of fatalities is still not known.

9. There were only 23 women crew members out of the estimated 885 crew members on the board.

10. The musicians continued to play as the Titanic went down. Yes, the iconic scene from the movie happened in real life. It was done to help the crowd keep their calm. The musicians continued playing, as the ship sank, ultimately losing their lives.

We hope the above facts were informative to you. Aside from the above, there are many interesting things about the RMS Titanic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 15, 2020 10:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).