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Titanic Sinking: What Was the Cause? Was it the iceberg, or was it something else?
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Introduction
On April 10th 1912 the Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. She was the largest ship in the world and was thought to be unsinkable. On April 14th 1912, late at night, the Titanic hit an iceberg and within a few hours she had sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 1,500 people died in the disaster, making it one of the worst maritime disasters in history.
So, what caused the Titanic to sink? Many people believe that it was because she hit an iceberg. However, there are other theories about what could have caused such a huge ship to sink so quickly.
The Titanic’s Construction
The Titanic was owned by the White Star Line and was constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. At the time of her construction, she was the largest ship in the world and was considered to be unsinkable. The Titanic was designed by Alexander Carlisle and had 10 decks. The first class accommodations were located on decks 1-3, second class on decks 4-7, and third class on decks 8-10. She had a total of 2,224 people on board when she set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
The Titanic was 963 feet long, weighed 46,328 gross tons, and could reach speeds of up to 24 knots (27 mph). She had a double hull that was 49 feet wide and 35 feet deep. The hull was divided into 16 watertight compartments that were separated by bulkheads that went from the keel to the deck. The bulkheads extended 3 feet above the waterline and 2 feet below it. There were also watertight doors that could be closed manually or automatically in case of an emergency.
The Titanic’s Maiden Voyage
The Titanic’s maiden voyage began on April 10th 1912. The Titanic was the largest ship of its time and was said to be “unsinkable”. On April 14th 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and began to sink.
There were 2,224 people on board the Titanic and only 706 survived. The sinking of the Titanic caused a lot of public outcry because it was thought that the ship was unsinkable. It was also deemed as one of the worst maritime disasters in history.
There are many theories as to what caused the Titanic to sink. Some say that it was because the ship was going too fast, while others say that it was due to a design flaw in the ship. No matter what the cause, the sinking of the Titanic is definitely a tragedy that will never be forgotten.
The Titanic Hits an iceberg
At 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912, the Titanic—fully loaded with passengers and cargo, and believed to be unsinkable—hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. The collision ripped a huge gash in the vessel’s starboard (right) side, allowing water to pour in.
The Titanic had been designed with watertight compartments that would keep the ship afloat even if two of them were filled with water. But because the iceberg had ripped such a large hole in the side of the ship, water began to pour into three of the compartments.
As the water level rose, it began to tilt the ship. Because of its design, the Titanic was also very top-heavy. So when it began to tilt, it couldn’t right itself and eventually flipped over and sank into the cold Atlantic Ocean.
It is estimated that about 1,500 people died in the disaster—making it one of history’s deadliest peacetime maritime disasters.
The Titanic Sinks
On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic—then the largest and most luxurious passenger liner in the world—sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the more than 2,200 people on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in what was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.
The Titanic’s sinking has been attributed to a number of factors, chief among them being the ship’s speed, which far exceeded recommendations for conditions in that area at that time of year. Additionally, the ship was not equipped with enough lifeboats to accommodate all of its passengers and crew, and many of those that were deployed were only partially full. And while Titanic’s crew was reportedly well-trained and experienced, they made a number of errors in judgment during the crisis that likely contributed to the loss of life.
Conclusion
After careful analysis of the available evidence, it is our conclusion that the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the ship was travelling at high speed in an area known to be dangerous for icebergs, and that witnesses reported seeing the ship hit an iceberg. Additionally, the damage to the ship was consistent with what would be expected from hitting an iceberg.
