Titanic was an ocean liner of the Olympic class, ordered by the White Star Line in 1909.
At the time, it was the largest passenger ship in the world, designed to transport passengers and mail between Europe and America.
The ship could carry up to 2,603 passengers, as well as dozens of carriages and vehicles.
The crew numbered up to 899 members from various professions, such as beauticians, personal masseurs, horse grooms, dog handlers, organists, chefs for special diets, stokers, lamplighters, sound signalers, child attendants, librarians, salon stewards, fire starters, chimney sweeps, entertainers, deck ushers, deck carpenters, and more.
The hull was divided into 16 watertight compartments to ensure high safety, reinforcing designer Thomas Andrews' belief in its unsinkability.
On its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, on April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m., it struck an iceberg and sank in the icy Atlantic at 2:20 a.m. on April 15.
About 1,500 passengers perished in the tragedy.
The Titanic disaster is probably the most famous maritime tragedy, but in terms of casualties, it was not the largest. That distinction goes to the sinking of the German ship Gustloff, where over 9,400 people died after Soviet torpedo attacks.
The tragedy gained worldwide attention due to the presence of some of the wealthiest people on board.
The Titanic’s destruction had an extraordinary impact on global society, prompting numerous rule changes and technical improvements in maritime transport.
A ticket for a luxury cabin in today’s prices would have cost around 2,800,000 CZK.
Some historical sources report that even before the collision with the fateful iceberg, a fire was raging in the coal store below deck, where 6,000 kg of coal were stored, and the intense heat could have weakened the steel structure.
Titanic was equipped with 4 desalination devices capable of producing 4,000,000 liters of fresh water per day. The ship's kitchens alone consumed approximately 450,000 liters of drinking water daily.
No expense was spared on provisions. Before departing Southampton, the ship carried 100,000 kg of meat, 60,000 eggs, 15,000 bottles of wine, 8,000 liters of milk, 8,000 cigars, and a large quantity of vegetables.
The Titanic tragedy still draws worldwide attention today and left a deep mark on culture and in the memory of the global population, which sociologists now refer to as the "Titanic effect".
Technical Specifications:
Dimensions: length 269.1 m, width 28.25 m, draft 10.54 m
Displacement: 52,310 t
Propulsion: 29 steam boilers with a total output of 50,000 hp
Fuel: coal
Coal bunker capacity: 6,611 tons
Coal consumption: 600–850 tons / 24h
Number of propellers: 3
Maximum speed: 43–46 km/h
Crew: 885 persons (max. 994)
Capacity: 1st class 1,034 persons, 2nd class 1,022 persons, 3rd class 1,134 persons
Captain Edward John Smith on the Titanic:
“I cannot imagine anything happening to me on board the ship. I cannot conceive of any disaster that would sink it. A modern ship is built too well today.”
