Mar 31, 1909 – Aug 5, 2025·100 events
Titanic Sinking Timeline: The Last 2 Hours 40 Minutes
All 100 events
In date order. Indented events happen within the event above them. Times are shown in UTC. Last updated September 24, 2026.
· Bridge and officers
Titanic is built at Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Titanic and her sister Olympic were built side by side at Harland & Wolff's Belfast yard for the White Star Line. Titanic's keel was laid on March 31, 1909; she was launched in May 1911 and fitted out over the following year.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Titanic's keel is laid
Olympic's keel had been laid on December 16, 1908, and the two hulls rose in parallel on neighbouring slips.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Titanic is launched
The hull went into the River Lagan at 12:15 pm before about 100,000 onlookers, including J. Pierpont Morgan and J. Bruce Ismay. In keeping with White Star practice she was not formally named or christened. Twenty-two tonnes of soap and tallow greased the slipway.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Sea trials in Belfast Lough
Trials began at 6 am, a day late because of weather, with Thomas Andrews and Edward Wilding of Harland & Wolff and a Board of Trade surveyor aboard. Titanic then sailed for Southampton, arriving about midnight on April 4.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic
· Inquiries and aftermath
Ships recover the dead
Four ships chartered by White Star recovered 328 bodies. 119 were buried at sea; 209 were brought to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where 150 were buried. Most victims were never recovered.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Maiden voyage: Southampton toward New York
Titanic left Southampton on April 10 for New York by way of Cherbourg and Queenstown. She sank on her fifth night at sea. Carpathia brought the survivors into New York on April 18.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Bridge and officers
Titanic calls at Cherbourg
Arriving about four hours after leaving Southampton, Titanic took on 274 passengers from the tenders Traffic and Nomadic and landed 24 cross-Channel passengers. She left for Queenstown at 8 pm local time.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Titanic leaves Southampton
She left at noon local time; the US Senate report says 12:15 pm. Her wake snapped the moorings of the liner New York, which swung within about 4 feet of Titanic before a tug took it in tow. Accounts of the delay range from half an hour to an hour. 920 passengers had boarded here.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Bridge and officers
Last port of call: Queenstown, Ireland
Titanic anchored off Queenstown (now Cobh) at 11:30 am local time and took on 123 passengers, 113 of them in third class. She weighed anchor at 1:30 pm and headed west across the Atlantic.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Carpathia
Carpathia sails from New York
The Cunard liner left New York for Fiume, Austria-Hungary (now Rijeka, Croatia), with some 740 passengers and 325 crew, per the British report. Captain Arthur Rostron testified that she backed out from the dock at noon.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Rescue by the SS Carpathia
· Wireless room
First ice warning, from La Touraine
The French liner reported two ice fields, icebergs, dense fog and derelicts. Captain Smith acknowledged the message. The time, 5:46 pm, is from Wikipedia's account.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Coal bunker fire is put out
A fire in one of the coal bunkers had started about 10 days before departure and burned for several days into the voyage. It was extinguished on April 13.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Sunday, April 14: the ice warnings
Titanic's wireless room took a series of ice reports through the day; Wikipedia counts seven warnings over the voyage. The British inquiry found that Smith and his officers knew the ship was entering a region where ice might be expected, and that no order was given to reduce speed.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Finding of the Court
· Wireless room
Caronia reports bergs, growlers and field ice
Received by Captain Smith at 9 am, per the British report (Wikipedia gives 9:12 am), it placed ice at 42°N between 49° and 51°W. Smith acknowledged it and showed it to Second Officer Lightoller at about 12:45 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Caronia relays Noordam's report of 'much ice'
Caronia forwarded an ice report from the Dutch liner Noordam. Smith acknowledged it. The time is from Wikipedia's account.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Baltic relays an ice report; Smith hands it to Ismay
The message passed on the Greek steamer Athenai's sighting of icebergs and field ice. Smith gave it to White Star's J. Bruce Ismay, who kept it until Smith asked for it back at 7:15 pm; only then was it posted in the chart room. British report: 1:42 pm. Wikipedia: 1:54 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Amerika's ice report stays in the wireless room
The German liner Amerika reported two large icebergs in a message for the Hydrographic Office in Washington, relayed through Titanic. The British report found it was never given to any officer. British report: about 1:45 pm. Wikipedia: 1:49 pm, forwarded to Cape Race at 9:32 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Titanic turns onto her final course
At 5:50 pm the course was changed to S. 86 W. true, about half an hour later than usual, leaving the ship four or five miles south of the customary route. The British report judged the change too slight to have been made to avoid ice.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Action That Should Have Been Taken
· Californian
Californian reports three large bergs
Californian's wireless operator Cyril Evans sent Antillian a report of three large bergs five miles to the south. Titanic picked it up, and her junior operator Harold Bride said he took it to the bridge. Sent about 7:30 pm Californian time, per the British report; Wikipedia gives 7:37 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Smith and Lightoller discuss seeing ice at night
Smith came to the bridge about 9 pm and talked with Lightoller for half an hour about the flat calm and how visible ice would be. Leaving at 9:30, Smith said: 'If it becomes at all doubtful let me know at once.'
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received
· Bridge and officers
Lightoller orders a sharp lookout for ice
After Smith left, Lightoller sent word to the crow's nest to 'keep a sharp look-out for ice, particularly small ice and growlers' until daylight. The lookouts had no binoculars because of a mix-up at Southampton.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Mesaba's warning never reaches the bridge
Mesaba reported 'much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs' in the area Titanic was entering. Jack Phillips, busy sending passengers' messages via Cape Race, acknowledged it, but the British report found it never reached Smith or any officer. British report: 9:40 pm. Wikipedia: 9:52 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
First Officer Murdoch takes the watch
At 10 pm Lightoller handed the bridge to First Officer William Murdoch, telling him the ship might be 'up around the ice any time now'. Lookouts Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee were in the crow's nest. The British court found speed about 22 knots, and excessive.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Ice Messages Received; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Finding of the Court
· Californian
Californian stops for the night in field ice
Captain Stanley Lord stopped and reversed engines on meeting field ice at 10:20 pm Californian time, per the British report, and decided to wait for daylight. Wikipedia's sinking article gives about 10 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Californian
Californian to Titanic: 'We are stopped and surrounded by ice'
Evans called Titanic with Lord's message about 11 pm Californian time, per the British report. Phillips, whose reception from Cape Race was drowned out, replied 'Keep out'. Accounts give different times: Wikipedia's sinking article says about 10:07 pm.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Californian
Californian's only wireless operator goes to bed
Evans listened to Titanic working Cape Race until 11:30 pm Californian time, then turned in. Californian carried one operator, so no one aboard heard Titanic's distress calls.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance
· Bridge and officers
The night of April 14 to 15, 1912
From the lookout's warning to Carpathia taking aboard the last lifeboat. Titanic sank 2 hours 40 minutes after the collision. Carpathia arrived at about 4 am and, by the British report's count, took 712 people from the boats.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Collision; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Rescue by the SS Carpathia
· Bridge and officers
Lookout Frederick Fleet sights the iceberg
Fleet rang the crow's nest bell three times and telephoned the bridge: 'Iceberg right ahead.' Murdoch ordered 'hard a-starboard' and signalled the engine room. Times differ: Wikipedia gives 11:39 pm, the British report 'a little before 11.40', the US Senate report 11:46 pm ship's time.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Collision; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Titanic strikes the iceberg
Having swung about two points to port, the ship struck the berg a glancing blow on the starboard bow at about 22 knots. The British report put the damage along about 300 feet of hull; ultrasound surveys of the wreck found six narrow openings totalling about 12 to 13 square feet.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Collision; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Smith and Andrews survey the damage
Smith and shipbuilder Thomas Andrews found the forward holds, mail room and No. 6 boiler room flooding. Six compartments were open; she could float with the first four flooded. Andrews gave the ship about two hours. The British report says it was realised about midnight that she could not stay afloat.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Gradual Effect of the Damage
· Californian
Californian sees a steamer stop and its lights dim
Third Officer Charles Groves watched a large, brightly lit steamer approach, stop and appear to put out its deck lights at 11:40 pm Californian time. His Morse lamp signals got no clear reply. The British inquiry concluded the steamer was Titanic.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Bridge and officers
Engines stopped; watertight doors closed
Murdoch closed the watertight doors in the engine and boiler rooms from the bridge. About five minutes after the collision all engines were stopped, and the ship drifted south in the Labrador Current with her bow facing north.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Collision
· Bridge and officers
Smith orders the lifeboats uncovered
At about 12:05 am the order was given to uncover the 14 lifeboats under davits and to muster the passengers. Titanic's 20 boats could hold 1,178 people, about half of those aboard. Wikipedia says Smith also told the wireless operators to call for help at this time.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
First distress call: CQD
Phillips sent the distress call CQD, heard by several ships and by Cape Race, which logged it at 10:25 pm New York time, per the US report. The British report gives 12:15 am ship's time. Later, at Bride's suggestion, Phillips also used the newer SOS.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Stewards tell passengers to put on lifebelts
Around 12:15 am stewards went door to door, as Titanic had no public address system, telling passengers to put on lifebelts and go to the Boat Deck. Many took it as a joke; some kicked chunks of ice around the forward well deck.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Boats swung out over the side
At 12:20 am the order came to swing out the boats. Steam venting from the boilers was so loud that Lightoller had to give directions by hand signals. On average there were no more than three deckhands to each boat.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats
· Bridge and officers
Smith tells Boxhall the ship will sink
Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall was told at around 12:25 am that the ship would sink, per Wikipedia. Boxhall had worked out the position sent in the distress calls; it proved to be about 13.5 nautical miles off.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
'Come at once, we have struck a berg'; Carpathia answers
By 12:25 am Boxhall had worked out a position and a new call went out. Carpathia, 58 miles away, heard it and replied that she was coming. The British report dates the call 12:25 and, citing Bride, Carpathia's reply 12:35.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats
· Wireless room
'Sinking; cannot hear for noise of steam'
Sent at 12:26 am, per the British report. Steam venting from the funnels made it hard to hear incoming signals.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance
· Bridge and officers
Order to put women and children in the boats
Smith told Lightoller and Murdoch to 'put the women and children in and lower away'. Lightoller, on the port side, took it as women and children only; Murdoch, on the starboard side, let men board when no women were waiting. The British report dates the order to about 12:30 am.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Californian
Californian's watch sees eight white rockets
Second Officer Herbert Stone and apprentice James Gibson watched the stopped steamer send up white rockets from after 12:30 until about 1:40 am Californian time. Stone remarked that 'a ship is not going to fire rockets at sea for nothing'. The British report matched them to Titanic's eight.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Californian
Stone reports rockets to Captain Lord
About 1:10 am by the British report (Gibson put it at 12:55), Stone told Lord by voice pipe of five white rockets. Lord asked if they were company signals and told him to keep signalling by Morse lamp. Lord testified he was told of one rocket.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Carpathia
Carpathia turns toward Titanic
Rostron was told of the distress call at 12:35 am Carpathia's time, 10:45 pm New York time by his account, after operator Harold Cottam picked it up largely by chance. He turned the ship, called out extra stokers and cut the heating to raise steam for a 58-mile run.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: RMS Carpathia
· Bridge and officers
Bunker wall gives way in No. 5 boiler room
Engineers Herbert Harvey and Jonathan Shepherd were swept away when the bunker door holding back flooded No. 6 boiler room burst, at around 12:45 am by Wikipedia's account; the British report says about an hour after the collision. Leading fireman Frederick Barrett escaped.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Gradual Effect of the Damage
· Bridge and officers
Boxhall fires distress rockets
Boxhall fired about eight rockets throwing white stars, beginning about when No. 7 was lowered and ending when he left the ship at about 1:45 am. He also signalled with a Morse lamp toward a ship's lights on the port bow, five or six miles off by his estimate. It never answered.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance
· Lifeboats and passengers
The lifeboats leave the ship
Eighteen boats were lowered between about 12:45 and 2:05 am; two more floated off as the ship went down. The British report called all times after the collision unreliable. Its per-boat counts total 854, far above the 712 actually saved, so modern estimates differ.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Encyclopedia Titanica: Titanic Lifeboats
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 7, the first boat, is lowered
Starboard side. Murdoch and Lowe had struggled to persuade passengers to board a boat 65 feet above the water. The British report gives 12:45 am and 27 aboard; Wikipedia estimates 28, against a capacity of 65.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 5 is lowered
Starboard side, with Third Officer Herbert Pitman in charge. The British report gives 12:55 am and 41 aboard; Wikipedia gives 12:43 am and about 36, from passenger Charles Stengel's estimate. Capacity 65.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 6 is lowered with Molly Brown aboard
Port side, Quartermaster Robert Hichens in charge, with lookout Fleet and Margaret Brown. Major Arthur Peuchen climbed down a rope to help row. Both main accounts give 12:55 am; the British report counts 28 aboard, Wikipedia about 24.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 3 is lowered
Starboard side, Able Seaman George Moore in charge, lowered at about 1 am. One davit jammed for a time on the way down. The British report counts 50 aboard from the evidence; Wikipedia estimates 32.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Emergency boat 1 leaves with 12 aboard
Starboard cutter, capacity 40, carrying seven crew and five first-class passengers, among them Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon. Both accounts give 1:10 am and 12 aboard. The British report singled it out among boats that did not try to save people in the water.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 8 is lowered; the Strauses stay aboard
Port side, loaded under Captain Smith and Chief Officer Wilde at about 1:10 am. Ida Straus refused a seat to stay with her husband Isidor, who declined one because of his age. The Countess of Rothes took the tiller. British report: 39 aboard. Wikipedia: about 27.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 9 is lowered
Starboard side, Boatswain's Mate Albert Hames in charge, at about 1:20 am. Benjamin Guggenheim saw his companion Léontine Aubart and her maid into it, then returned to his stateroom. British report: 56 aboard. Wikipedia: 40. Carpathia picked it up at about 6:15 am.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 10 is lowered
Port side, Able Seaman Edward Buley in charge. The British report gives 1:20 am and 55 aboard; Wikipedia places it at about 1:50 am, alongside No. 4, with about 57. A woman who fell short jumping in was hauled back aboard and made it on a second try.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 11 is lowered
Starboard side, Able Seaman Sidney Humphreys in charge. It was nearly swamped by water pumped out of the ship's side. The British report gives 1:25 am and 70 aboard; Wikipedia gives 1:37 am and estimates of 50 to 70.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 12 is lowered
Port side, Able Seaman John Poingdestre in charge. The British report gives 1:25 am and 42 aboard; Wikipedia gives 1:35 am and about 41. By dawn it had taken on people from other boats and from overturned collapsible B.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 14 is lowered; Lowe fires warning shots
Port side, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in charge, at about 1:30 am. He fired three shots in the air as men pressed toward the boat. The British report counts 63 aboard, Wikipedia 40. Lowe later shared out his passengers, rowed back to the wreck site and found four men alive, one of whom died.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 13 is lowered
Starboard side, Leading Fireman Frederick Barrett in charge, with Lawrence Beesley aboard. It drifted under No. 15 as that boat came down, and its ropes were cut just in time. British report: 1:35 am, 64 aboard. Wikipedia: 1:43 am, about 55.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 15 is lowered
Starboard side, Fireman Frank Dymond in charge; Wikipedia calls it the most heavily loaded boat at launch. The British report gives 1:35 am and 70 aboard; Wikipedia gives 1:45 am and about 66 to 70.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 16 is lowered
Port side, Master-at-arms Joseph Bailey in charge, with stewardess Violet Jessop aboard. The British report gives 1:35 am and 56 aboard; Wikipedia gives about 1:25 am and 52 to 53.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Collapsible C is lowered; Ismay boards
Starboard side. Purser Hugh McElroy fired two shots in the air when the boat was rushed. White Star chairman J. Bruce Ismay got in. The British report and Wikipedia's sinking article give 1:40 am; Wikipedia's lifeboat article gives 2 am. British report: 71 aboard; Wikipedia: about 43.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Emergency boat 2 is lowered
Port cutter, capacity 40, with Fourth Officer Boxhall in charge. Chief Officer Wilde first ordered out a group of firemen who had climbed in. The British report gives 1:45 am and 26 aboard; Wikipedia gives 1:40 to 1:45 am and 18 to 25. Boxhall's green flare later guided Carpathia.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Lifeboat 4 is lowered; John Jacob Astor stays behind
Port side, loaded from the Promenade Deck. Madeleine Astor boarded; Lightoller refused her husband a place, and he died. British report: 1:55 am and 40 aboard. Wikipedia: 1:50 or 1:55 am and 30 to 34. It later pulled several men from the water.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Collapsible D, the last boat lowered
Port side, at 2:05 am, with crew in a ring letting only women and children through. A Deck was already under water. Edith Evans gave up her place and died. British report: 44 aboard. Wikipedia: 20 to 25, with two men jumping in as it was lowered.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The Boats; Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Thomas Andrews is last reported
Titanic's builder was reportedly seen in the first-class smoking room after about 2:05 am, making no attempt to escape. Other accounts have him still helping, throwing deck chairs into the sea. He did not survive.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Collapsible A washes off, partly flooded
Starboard side. Swept off as it was being fixed to the davits, with its canvas sides not raised. People climbed in from the sea; several died of cold overnight. About a dozen survivors were taken off by Lowe's boat 14 at dawn, leaving three bodies aboard.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Collapsible B floats off upside down
It landed upside down on the deck and was swept away. About 30 men, among them Lightoller, Bride, Archibald Gracie and Jack Thayer, stood on its hull through the night. The US report places Phillips on it too, dying before rescue; Wikipedia says he went aft. Boats 4 and 12 took the men off.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Bridge and officers
Water rises into No. 4 boiler room
About 1 hour 40 minutes after the collision water began coming up through the floor of No. 4 boiler room. Stokers left; engineers kept working further aft to power lights, pumps and wireless. None of the ship's 35 engineers and electricians survived.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Gradual Effect of the Damage; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
'We are putting the women off in the boats'
Sent at 1:25 am, per Wikipedia. Olympic, about 512 miles away, and Baltic, about 243 miles away, were among the ships in contact, per the US report; Mount Temple turned toward Titanic but was stopped by pack ice.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Wireless room
'Engine room getting flooded'
Sent at 1:35 am, per Wikipedia. The US Senate report says this was the last message Baltic and Carpathia received from Titanic.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Wireless room
Distress message to the Russian liner Birma
Phillips sent a distress message to Birma at about 1:40 am. The US report put Birma about 70 miles off.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Wireless room
'Engine room full up to boilers'
Wikipedia calls it Titanic's last intelligible signal, sent at 1:45 am as the electrical system began to fail. The British report says Carpathia heard it; the US report says Carpathia's last message was the earlier 'Engine room getting flooded'.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Californian
Gibson tells Lord eight rockets have been seen
At 2:05 am Californian time Gibson told Lord in the chart room that eight white rockets had been seen and the steamer was disappearing to the south-west. Lord asked if they were all white. Lord later said he recalled nothing reported to him between 1:30 and 4:30.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian
· Bridge and officers
The bow plunges and a wave sweeps the Boat Deck
At about 2:15 am the angle increased quickly as water poured through deck hatches. A wave washed along the Boat Deck, carrying off collapsibles A and B and many people, including Sixth Officer James Moody, who died. The forward funnel then fell into the sea.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Final Effect of the Damage
· Bridge and officers
Lights fail and the hull breaks apart
The lights burned 'practically until the last', per the British report, then failed as the stern rose. Survivors disagreed on whether she broke up. Both 1912 inquiries concluded she sank intact; the wreck lies in two main pieces about 600 m apart. The exact minute is not recorded.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Final Effect of the Damage; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Wireless room
Last signal, heard faintly by Virginian
The British report says the last message, 'CQ', went out at 2:17 am and was faintly heard by Virginian, so the wireless worked until minutes before the sinking. The US report says Virginian last heard Titanic at 12:27 am New York time, blurred and ending abruptly.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Means Taken to Procure Assistance; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Bridge and officers
Titanic sinks
The stern disappeared at 2:20 am ship's time (5:18 GMT), 2 hours 40 minutes after the collision. Figures differ: the British inquiry counted 711 saved of 2,201 aboard; the US Senate report 706 saved and 1,517 lost of 2,223; Encyclopedia Titanica lists 712 survivors and 1,496 dead.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Numbers Saved; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Encyclopedia Titanica: Titanic Victims; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Lifeboats and passengers
Cries in the water fade
The sea was about -2 °C. Most of those in the water died within 15 to 30 minutes, and the cries faded about 20 minutes after the sinking. Most boats did not go back. Wikipedia counts only 13 people helped into lifeboats from the water, against almost 500 empty places.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Carpathia
Carpathia sights a green flare
At 2:40 am Carpathia's time Rostron saw a flare on the port bow; it came from Boxhall in lifeboat 2. From then until 4 am he altered course again and again to clear icebergs.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Rescue by the SS Carpathia
· Californian
Stone reports the steamer has gone
At about 2:40 am Californian time Stone called Lord again to say the ship that had fired the rockets had disappeared, bearing south-west by west.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian
· Carpathia
Carpathia fires rockets
Rostron ordered Cunard company rockets fired at 2:45 am and every quarter of an hour after, to let Titanic know help was coming.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Carpathia
Survivors in the boats see Carpathia's lights
Carpathia's lights were first spotted from the boats around 3:30 am, per Wikipedia. It took several more hours to bring everyone aboard.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Carpathia
Carpathia arrives and begins picking up the boats
Rostron stopped his engines at 4 am (the British report says 4:05) near the first boat, as day broke among some 20 large icebergs. The boats were spread over four to five miles. He took aboard 712 people from 17 boats; one died soon after.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Rescue by the SS Carpathia; US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron (continued)
· Carpathia
Lifeboat 2 is the first boat picked up
Boxhall's boat came alongside at 4:10 am in Rostron's account. Boxhall called up that he had only one seaman aboard, so Rostron brought Carpathia as close as he could.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron (continued); British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Rescue by the SS Carpathia
· Carpathia
Collapsible C reaches Carpathia
The first collapsible to arrive, carrying Ismay, came alongside at 5:45 am, per Wikipedia. Other boats followed over the next three hours: No. 9 at about 6:15, No. 11 at about 7, No. 15 at about 7:30.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
· Carpathia
Lifeboat 12, the last boat, is taken aboard
Lightoller's No. 12 was the last boat to reach Carpathia, with 74 people in a boat rated for 65, per Wikipedia. Rostron testified all were aboard by 8:30 am; the US report agrees, while the British report says 8 am.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron (continued); US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Californian
Californian learns of the sinking
Chief Officer George Stewart told Lord of the rockets at 4:30 am, and Evans was woken. The British report says news came from Virginian at about 6 am; Wikipedia says from Frankfurt. The US report puts Evans's waking at 3:30 am New York time. Lord set off through the ice.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: The SS Californian; Wikipedia: SS Californian; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Californian
Californian reaches Carpathia
Rostron put Californian's arrival at 8 am; Wikipedia's Californian article says 8:30 and its sinking article 9:15. Rostron asked her to search for a boat he thought unaccounted for. She found wreckage and empty boats but no survivors.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron (continued); Wikipedia: SS Californian; Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
· Carpathia
Carpathia sets course for New York
Rostron held a short service, consulted Ismay and chose New York over Halifax or the Azores. Three men who had died in the boats and a fourth who died aboard were buried at sea that afternoon, Rostron testified.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Day 1: Testimony of Arthur H. Rostron (continued); Wikipedia: RMS Carpathia
· Carpathia
Carpathia reaches New York
She arrived on the evening of April 18 after a passage through ice, fog and rough seas, with about 40,000 people waiting on the wharves. Carpathia first stopped at White Star's Pier 59 to lower 13 of Titanic's lifeboats, then docked at Cunard's Pier 54.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic; Wikipedia: RMS Carpathia
· Inquiries and aftermath
US Senate inquiry
Senator William Alden Smith opened hearings at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on April 19, the day after Carpathia docked, and later moved to Washington. The committee heard 86 witnesses over 18 days of hearings.
Sources: Wikipedia: United States Senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic; US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Inquiries and aftermath
US Senate report is presented
It found that no general alarm was sounded, ice warnings went unheeded and speed was not reduced, and boats left partly filled. It called Californian's conduct 'most reprehensible' and praised Rostron. It counted 706 saved and 1,517 lost.
Sources: US Senate Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project); US Senate Inquiry, Final Report: Californian (Titanic Inquiry Project); US Senate Inquiry, Final Report: Passengers and crew (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Inquiries and aftermath
British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry
Lord Mersey heard evidence in London from May 2 to July 3, 1912, and published his report on July 30.
Sources: Wikipedia: British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Final Report (Titanic Inquiry Project)
· Inquiries and aftermath
Mersey report is published
It found the speed of about 22 knots excessive but did not blame Smith, who had followed long practice; the same 'would without doubt be negligence' in future. It found Californian could have reached Titanic had she tried at the first rocket. It counted 711 saved of 2,201 aboard.
Sources: British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Finding of the Court; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Action That Should Have Been Taken; British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Report: Numbers Saved
1914 · Inquiries and aftermath
International Ice Patrol is established
Set up in 1914 in response to the sinking and run by the US Coast Guard, it tracks icebergs in the North Atlantic shipping lanes. Every April 15 the patrol lays a wreath at the site of the sinking.
Sources: Wikipedia: International Ice Patrol
· Inquiries and aftermath
First SOLAS convention signed in London
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea set rules for lifeboats and other emergency equipment, continuous radio watches and an ice patrol. It never entered into force because of the First World War. Wikipedia's Ice Patrol article gives the signing date as January 30.
Sources: Wikipedia: SOLAS Convention; Wikipedia: International Ice Patrol
· Inquiries and aftermath
The wreck is found
A French-American expedition co-led by Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER and Robert Ballard of Woods Hole found it just after 1 am, when the towed camera system Argo showed one of Titanic's boilers under more than 12,400 feet of water. It lay about 13 miles from the position in the distress calls.
Sources: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 1985 discovery of RMS Titanic; Wikipedia: Wreck of the Titanic; Wikipedia: SS Californian
1992 · Inquiries and aftermath
UK reappraisal of the Californian evidence
Reopened after the wreck was found away from the distress position, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch reported in 1992. Its two inspectors disagreed on whether Californian saw Titanic herself, but both concluded Titanic's rockets were seen and not properly acted on.
Sources: Wikipedia: SS Californian
· Inquiries and aftermath
Titan submersible implodes on a dive to the wreck
OceanGate's submersible Titan lost contact 1 hour 33 minutes into a dive to the wreck. After a four-day search a debris field was found about 550 yards from Titanic's bow. All five aboard died, including OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Sources: Wikipedia: Titan submersible implosion; NBC News: Titan submersible disaster was 'preventable,' Coast Guard report says
· Inquiries and aftermath
Coast Guard board reports on the Titan loss
The US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation concluded that the loss of five lives was preventable. It placed primary responsibility on OceanGate's safety practices, including its use of an uncertified carbon-fibre hull, and made 17 safety recommendations.
Sources: NBC News: Titan submersible disaster was 'preventable,' Coast Guard report says; Wikipedia: Titan submersible implosion