The Unsinkable RMS Titanic

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• The keel for the Titanic was laid on March 31, 1909.
• The Titanic was launched on May 31, 1911 at 12.15 pm.
• The Titanic left Belfast, Ireland and headed for Southampton, England on April 2, 1912.
• Titanic arrives in Southampton on April 3, 1912.
• The Titanic left Southampton on its maiden voyage on Wednesday, April 10, 1912 at 12 noon.
• The Titanic struck an iceberg on Sunday, April 14, 1912 at 11.40 pm.
• The Titanic sank on Monday, April 15, 1912 at 2.20 am.
• The wreck of the Titanic was found on September 1, 1985.

Owner, President, Captain, Officers and Others of Significance of the Titanic

John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837 - March 31, 1913) - American Financier and founding owner of the International Mercantile, controlling trust and owner of the White Star Line, purchased by IMM in 1902. Intentions of traveling on maiden voyage cancelled due to illness. He died next year (1913) at age 76.

J Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of IMM and President of White Star Line, founded by Ismay's father, Thomas. Originally against IMM purchase of WSL. Agreed to remain as president of WSL, promoted to IMM director by JP Morgan. Traveled on Titanic for maiden voyage. Survived disaster. Ridiculed for the rest of his life for not going down with the ship. His actions were exonerated by both investigating inquiries. He died from a stroke at age 74 in October, 1937.

Thomas Andrews Jr, the designer of Titanic. 39-year-old at time of disaster - Managing Director of Harland & Wolff Shipbuilders in charge of design. Traveled on board as first class passenger to observe operation and performance - Last seen in smoking room after assisting in lifeboat loading - did not survive.

Captain Edward John Smith, captain of Titanic and Commodore of the White Star Line fleet. First joined White Star Line in 1886. Made two trooping voyages during Boer War, was given a medal and made honorary Commander of Royal Naval Reserve. Regarded by crew and loved by passengers, gentile but firm ship's master. 38 years at sea. Titanic crossing was to be last voyage before retirement. Last seen on Titanic's bridge, went down with his ship.

Henry Tingle Wilde, Chief Officer on Titanic - Transferred from White Star Liner Olympic (sister ship to Titanic) at Captain Smith's request due to Wilde's familiarity with the Olympic Class Liners. Wilde wrote a letter to his sister dated April 11, 1912 during a port of call at Queenstown., Ireland stating "I still don't like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it." Wilde's last minute transfer to Titanic caused a shift in the officers positions, moving everyone down one notch and eliminating the originally intended second officer, David Blair entirely. Controversy exists to this day as to whether or not Wilde was the officer that shot himself as reported later by two separate survivors in private letters to family members. Wilde was 39-year-old at the time of disaster and did not survive.

William McMaster Murdoch (Febrary 28, 1873 - April 15, 1912) - First Officer of Titanic. Transferred from RMS Olympic as her first officer. Originally intended to serve as Chief Officer. bumped to First Officer at Wilde's transfer. Murdoch was the officer of the watch and on the bridge at the time of Titanic's iceberg impact. He gave the evasive maneuvering orders hard-a-starboard, all reverse full and ordered to close the electric watertight doors. Murdoch is the other officer in question (beside Wilde) believed to have possibly shot himself as reported later by survivors. Murdoch was 39-year-old at the time of the disaster and did not survive.

Charles Herbert Lightoller (March 30, 1874 - December 8, 1952) - Second Officer on Titanic at age 38. Transferred to Titanic from White Star Liner Oceanic having served as her first officer. Considered a by the book officer and regarded as an excellent seaman highly respected by peers. When asked at the US inquiry when he left Titanic, he replied "I did not leave the Titanic sir, the Titanic left me." He stayed aboard until the water rose to his waist. Went on (1940) at age 66, to rescue 130 WWII soldiers at Dunkirk in his private yacht that normally carried 21, with his son while being fired upon by machine guns the entire way by Germans. Died 1952 at age 78.

Herbert John Pittman (November 20, 1877 - December 3, 1961) - Pittman was 34-year-old at time of disaster. Transferred from White Star Liner Oceanic as her third officer. Pittman was off duty and in bed at the time of the collision. He later said when the collision occurred, he thought the captain had ordered the anchor lowered, he stated that the crash sounded like the anchor chain running over the windlass. Pittman was intensely questioned at the US inquiry about not returning to pick up survivors in a boat capable of carrying 65 that held 41. He replied that the women in the boat objected out of fear of being swamped. Pittman was awarded 7 medals for military service in WWI and WWII. He died in 1961 at age 84.

Joseph Groves Boxhall (March 23, 1884 - April 25, 1967) - Forth Officer. Boxhall joined Titanic after having served for 5 years with the White Star Line aboard various vessels. Boxhall had earned the reputation of being an excellent navigator and because of this, he was assigned to being in charge of all of Titanic's navigation and charting by Captain Smith. Placed in charge of lifeboat 2, Boxhall (as did Pittman) told the US enquiry that he did not return to pick up survivors in the water due to repeated protests from the women in his boat. Boxhall later earned the rank of Commander in the Royal navy. Boxhall died in 1967 at age 83 and at his request, his ashes were scattered over Titanic's wreck site.

Harold Godfrey Lowe (November 21, 1882 - May 12, 1944) - Fifth Officer. Age 29 at time of disaster. Lowe transferred to Titanic from the White Star ship Baltic serving as her third officer. He later commented that he was the stranger to the Titanic officer pool. "Everyone else transferred from the Olympic or the Oceanic and already knew each other" he said. Lowe was questioned at the US inquiry about his use of a gun and firing shots during the loading of the boats. He replied it was due to near panic rushes of the boats by the men. He only fired warning shots. Lowe was in charge of boat 14. In a daring at-sea boat transfer, Lowe managed to clear a boat and return to pick up 4 survivors from the water. He later served in the Royal Navy during WWI and attained the rank of Commander. He died in 1944 at the age of 61.

James Paul Moody (August 21, 1887 - April 15, 1912) - Sixth Officer. Age 24 at time of disaster. Transferred to Titanic from the White Star Liner Oceanic. Moody was one of the Titanic 3 junior officers (Moody, Lowe and Boxhall). many historians feel it was unusual that Moody, being a junior officer, was not ordered in charge of a lifeboat as were Boxhall and Lowe. Moody assisted in several boat loadings and lowering. Stewardess Violet Jessup later stated she last saw him as she entered a boat when he called to her and said "here" and handed her an infant. Other survivors recalled seeing Moody for the last time with Murdoch and possibly Wilde struggling to free a collapsible boat lashed down to the roof of the officers quarters as Titanic was just about to go completely under. His body was never recovered.

Robert Hichens (September 16, 1882 - September 23, 1940) - Quartermaster, 29, a native of Newlands, lived at St James St, Southampton in 1912. Prior to joining the Titanic, he served aboard the Dongola. Hichens was at the wheel when Titanic struck the iceberg. He was put in command of Lifeboat 6. He and Mrs JJ (Molly) Brown came at odds with one another after she said she wanted them to return and help rescue people. Hichens refused until Molly threatened to throw him overboard. It is said that he moved to Australia in his later years and lived out the rest of his days in obscurity.

Frederick Fleet, Lookout of the Titanic. He was the first to spot the iceberg. Fleet was in the last half hour of his watch from the crows nest when he saw a massive iceberg no more than 500 yards away. Fleet phoned the bridge and shouted, "Iceberg right ahead!". Fleet was saved in lifeboat 6. He worked at sea until 1936. In his later years, Fleet sold newspapers and spent most nights alone drinking beer. He died in 1965 after taking his own life.

Jack Phillips and Harold Bride - Radio Operators. The two radio operators' main duty was the sending of private telegrams for passengers. However, they also received seven iceberg warnings from other ships on April 14. After the collision they were asked to send the distress signal CQD (Come Quick Disaster). The signal was changed to the new distress code SOS. After contacting the Carpathia both operators stayed at their post until water poured into the Marconi room. Bride survived by climbing onto the overturned hull of collapsible B. Phillips also reached collapsible B but died sometime before dawn.

And The Band Played On...

An eight-man band led by violinist Wallace Hartley, demonstrated extreme courage by entertaining passengers as Titanic sank. Their music most likely averted panic and made the passengers feel that things were not as bad as they appeared. After all, how bad could things be if the band was still playing? Some witnesses stated that the band played until Titanic slipped beneath the waves. Although it has been argued that the steep incline of the deck would have prevented the band from playing until the bitter end, it is clear that they played until it was no longer possible.

None of the eight musicians were employed by the White Star Line. They all worked for Messers C W and F N Black of Liverpool, England and were ticketed on Titanic as second class passengers.

The Band Members:

All eight musicians lost their lives.

According to some survivors, the band played Nearer, My God, to Thee as Titanic sank. Others, including wireless operator Harold Bride, claim that the last piece played by the band was a hymn called Autumn. Other possibilities include, Songe d'Automne and Londonderry Air. The debate continues.

Nearer, My God, to Thee may be the most likely candidate as this song was one of Wallace Hartley's favorites.

The actual tune played is not really important. The important thing is that 8 brave men gave up the chance to save themselves in order to pay musical tribute to the doomed Titanic and those still aboard. Although their music died, their memory never will.

Almost two weeks after the Titanic disaster, Wallace Hartley's body was recovered from the icy North Atlantic, still wearing his bandsman's uniform, and with his music box and violin allegedly strapped to his body. Wallace Hartley's body arrived back in England at Liverpool on the May 12, 1912, aboard the White Star liner Arabic. His coffin was loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse for the somber 60-mile journey back to Colne. Over 30,000 people turned out to pay their last respects to Wallace Hartley at his funeral on May 18, 1912, and a procession to the Bethel Independent Methodist Church, where Hartley once sang in the choir, was almost half a mile long.

Last Survivors

On May 6, 2006, the last American survivor, and the last survivor to have memories of Titanic's sinking, Lillian Gertrud Asplund (October 21, 1906 - May 6, 2006), died at her home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Asplund, who was just 5 years old at the time, lost her father and three brothers (including her fraternal twin) in the tragedy. Her mother Selma Asplund and brother Felix, then 3, survived. Selma Asplund had died on the anniversary of the sinking in 1964.

At the time of Lillian Asplund's death, survivors Barbara Joyce West Dainton of Truro, England, ten months old at the time of the sinking, and Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean of Southampton, England, who was two months old, were still living, but were too young to have memories of the catastrophe. Therefore, with the death of Lillian Gertrude Asplund, first-hand experience of the Titanic's sinking has passed out of living memory.

Barbara Joyce West (born May 24, 1911) Barbara Joyce West was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England and was 10 months and 22 days old when the Titanic sank. Her family boarded Titanic at Southampton as second-class passengers. Barbara, her mother and older sister Constance escaped on one of the lifeboats (possibly number 10). Barbara's father, Edwy Arthur West, died in the sinking. Barbara West married in 1952 and currently lives in Truro, England. She is 97 years 5 months 27 days old. Elizabeth Gladys Milvina Dean (born February 2, 1912) Eliza Gladys Milvina Dean was 10 weeks old when the Titanic sank. She was the youngest of the 2,227 people aboard the liner. Milvina and her family boarded Titanic as third-class passengers at Southampton with the intention of emigrating to Wichita, Kansas. Milvina, her mother and older brother Bertram escaped the ship on lifeboat 10; her father died in the sinking. Milvina never married and now lives in Southampton, England. She is the only one to attend Titanic-related events. Note: According to interviews with Milvina Dean, she contends that she was rescued in lifeboat number 13 as opposed to number 10 as previously noted. She lives in England today and is 96 years 9 months 18 days old.

Halifax: City of Sorrow

Shortly after the Titanic sank the White Star Line chartered four Canadian vessels; two Halifax-based cable ships, the MacKay-Bennett and the Minia, a Canadian government vessel Montmagny and a St. John's-based Bowring vessel, Algerine. There were 328 bodies recovered, with 209 being returned to Halifax; the badly damaged, or deteriorated bodies were buried at sea. Of the 119 buried at sea, about 60 were unidentified at the time and 49 remain unidentified.

Once victims were returned to Halifax, a temporary morgue was set up in the Mayflower Curling Rink near the northwest corner of Agricola and McCully Streets. From there, identified bodies were shipped out to families' or interred in Halifax according to families' wishes. The Halifax Deputy Registrar of Deaths, John Henry Barnstead, supervised the handling of victims, with all personal effects kept in small canvas bags, numbered to match the body number assigned at sea. Careful records of the artifacts were kept and can be inspected today at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. J. H. Barnstead's son, Arthur S., was to be appointed head of the Mortuary Committee five-and-a-half years later after the devastating Explosion in Halifax Harbor when Halifax and Dartmouth had 10 times as many victims to deal with.

Ultimately 150 Titanic victims were buried in ceremonies from May 3, to June 12, 1912. 19 are in the Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 10 are in the Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery, and 121 are in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery. Of these, 44 remain unidentified. Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. At Fairview Cemetery 121 victims of the Titanic disaster are resting. The other 29 victims buried in Halifax can be located at Mount Olivet Cemetery and Baron de Hirsch Cemetery. All in all, 150 victims were put to rest here, in the so-called City of Sorrow.

Memorials

The Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, New York The Titanic Memorial Lighthouse is located on the corner of Fulton Street and Water Street in New York, at the entrance to the South Street Seaport Museum. Raised by public subscription in 1915, it originally stood on top of the Seamans Mission, which was demolished in 1967.

Titanic Women's Memorial, Washington, DC, United States

The Titanic Women's Memorial is in Potomac Park, Washington, DC, next to the Washington Channel. People often assume that it is dedicated to the women who died, but in fact it was raised by the women of America, including Titanic widows, as a memorial to their men folk lost in the tragedy. Originally located at the site of what is now the John Kennedy Memorial Centre for the Performing Arts, it was moved to its present location in 1972.

The unveiling was performed by President Taft and his wife in 1931. People often assume that the memorial is to the women who perished on the Titanic, but if you read the inscription this makes it plain that it is to the men. Women in America raised the money and organized the building of the monument.

Titanic Bandsmen's Memorial, Broken Hill, NSW, Australia

The Titanic Bandsmen's Memorial is one of the few memorials in the Southern hemisphere, and is at the small town of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. It was erected very soon after the sinking, and is in the town's main park.

The Titanic Bandsmen, led by Wallace Hartley, really did play on to almost the very end, by all accounts. We will never really know whether Nearer My God, to Thee or Autumn was the last tune they played, but their courage can be in no doubt. The inscription reads:

The inscription on the rear view of the memorial reads:

Captain Smith's Memorial, Lichfield, England

Captain E J Smith is one of the central characters in the story of the Titanic. Highly popular with his passengers, some of whom would even change the dates of their trips to travel on his ship, he has been labeled both hero and villain over the years. The statue in the picture stands in Beacon Park, Lichfield, Staffordshire, England.

Captain Smith's statue was sculptured by Kathleen, Lady Scott, and unveiled by the Captain's daughter Helen on July 29, 1914. The inscription reads:

Titanic Stewards' Memorial

The Titanic memorial pictured here on the left, the Titanic Stewards' Memorial fountain in Southampton, was unveiled over three years after the disaster, on July 27, 1915.

Over many years it became neglected and vandalized, and as a result, it was moved to a new, safe location within the ruins of Holy Rood Church, on April 15, 1972, the 60th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic.

The Liverpool Titanic Engineers Memorial

The home port of Titanic and the White Star Line, Liverpool, commissioned a memorial to remember the heroism and devotion to duty shown by the ship's engineers, who remained at their posts operating electrical and pumping equipment to ensure that the ship stayed afloat for as long as was possible.

The design of the memorial was changed during construction to incorporate those mariners lost during WWI. It stands in a very prominent position adjacent to the Liver Insurance Building, and it looks out across the wide expanse of the River Mersey, and the landing stage where once the very biggest of the White Star and Cunard liners would tie-up, ready to embark expectant passengers traveling to the New World. Of course, it is only a stone's throw from the old White Star offices on James Street, where Bruce Ismay had his office in the turret overlooking the river.

It bears the following inscription:

Titanic Band Memorial at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

A fitting memorial to Titanic's eight bandsmen is a carved plaque located at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, home of the world-renowned Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. It was unveiled on November 4, 1912, and has stood the test of time well, as the original Philharmonic Hall was destroyed by fire in 1933.

A new hall opened six years later, and somehow, the building and the plaque within survived the heavy bombing of the Luftwaffe during WWII, despite nearby buildings being totally obliterated.

The inscription reads:

Musicians Memorial, Southampton

The original Titanic Musicians Memorial was unveiled on April 19, 1913, and was located in Southampton library. It bore the dedication seen here below right, but the library, along with the memorial, were destroyed during World War Two, and for over forty years, Southampton was without a tribute to the heroic members of the ship's band.

The replica Memorial that now sits on the same site was unveiled onMarch 7, 1990 by Edith Haisman, Millvina Dean, Bert Dean and Eva Hart.

The inscription reads:

Titanic Memorials, Belfast

The Titanic disaster hit the people of Belfast particularly hard. Not only had she been built in Belfast, she had spent the largest part of her life there too, and to many people of the city, she was aBelfast ship.

Between the 3rd and the 25th of May, a memorial fund managed to raise over £1,000 to go towards the construction of a memorial in the city. This included donations of £231 5s 11d from employees of Harland & Wolff, £105 from the White Star Line, and £360 from Thomas Andrews' family.

The commission was awarded to Sir Thomas Brock RA, whose previous works included a statue of Sir Edward Harland situated in Donegall Square East, and Brock was also responsible for creating the statue of Queen Victoria which stands outside Buckingham Palace, London.

The statue was unveiled onJune 26, 1920, more than eight years after the sinking of Titanic, and amongst the music and hymns played that day were Nearer My God To Me. It bears the names of 22 Ulstermen,together with those members of Harland & Wolff's Guarantee Group who also perished in the sinking.

In 1959, due to an ever-increasing number of cars colliding with the statue, Belfast City Council sensibly decided to move it, although it took some-time to find a suitable home. However, in November of that year, it was re-located in the grounds of Belfast City Hall, which can be seen in the background of the photograph above left.

The inscription reads:

Titanic Engineers Memorial, Southampton

There stands in East Park, Southampton, a magnificent granite memorial, pictured here on the left, dedicated to the heroic engineering staff, which was unveiled on April 22, 1914, in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 people, a real indication of the loss felt by the city.

It bears the inscription seen here below:

Cobh Titanic Memorials The Irish port of Cobh, formerly known as Queenstown, was of course the last port Titanic called at on April 11, 1912. The full inscription on the Titanic Memorial at Cobh reads:   Commemorating R. M. S. Titanic and her last port of call on her maiden and final voyage, April 11, 1912. In special memory of the Irish emigrants and all those who lost their lives in this great tragedy. Ar Dheis De Go Raibh a N-Anamacha. Memorial erected by the Titanic Historical Society, the Irish Titanic Historical Society, and the people of Cobh.