Titanic: 5 Things You Should Know

Question: Titanic had 16 watertight compartments and was called “practically unsinkable.” Why did the ship still sink after the iceberg hit?

Answer: The compartments weren’t sealed at the top, so water spilled from one into the next like an ice cube tray. Too much damage in too many places doomed the ship in under three hours.

Question: Titanic received several ice warnings by radio on April 14, 1912. Why didn’t the ship slow down before hitting the iceberg?

Answer: Captain Smith followed the common practice of the time: keep speed and rely on the lookouts. On a moonless, glassy-calm night, the iceberg was spotted too late to avoid.

Question: Titanic carried about 2,200 people but only 20 lifeboats. Why was the ship allowed to sail with so few boats on board?

Answer: Rules written in 1894 never imagined a ship as large as Titanic, which actually carried more boats than required. After the disaster, new laws demanded a lifeboat seat for every person on board.

Question: About 60% of first-class passengers survived Titanic, but only about 25% in third class did. Why did third class fare worse?

Answer: Third-class passengers had to find their way through long, confusing corridors and stairways to reach the boat deck, often with little guidance. Where you slept on Titanic strongly shaped your chance of survival.

Question: Titanic sank in 1912, but its wreck stayed hidden for 73 years. What finally allowed explorers to find it in 1985?

Answer: Robert Ballard’s team towed a camera sled called Argo across the dark ocean floor until it spotted one of Titanic’s boilers. The images proved the ship had broken in two, settling a long debate about how it sank.