Maiden Voyage

On April 10, 1912 after much work had been done on Titanic, she was ready to take her maiden voyage.

At 882 ft long, 92 ft wide, weighing at 46,000 tons, with 4 beautiful funnels, 29 coal-fired boilers, and 3 screws(propellers), with the power of 50,000 peak horsepower.

Titanic was the grandest of ships of that era.

The Captain and his officers stood on the bridge awaiting for the strike of noon. The Captain was getting ready for departure. He stepped out of the bridge, and on to the starboard wing. He looked back and what he saw was an endless row of steel. Tours were being given to people who were unfamiliar with Titanic. The tugs were getting into position on the bow some sixty feet below him, and the tours were ending. The passengers began boarding, and the stokers  finishing loading the coal.

Captain Edward James Smith was the captain on this grand voyage. A noble seaman for White Star for 38 years. Smith was definitely the Captain of choice for J. B. Ismay, for he was popular with the crew and the passengers.

Captain Smith turned his head and gazed upon officer Robert Murdoch who was now at the wheel of Titanic. The Captain walked back into the bridge and asked the other officers if the tugs were in place and ready for launch. The officers replied "Tugs are in place and ready sir". He then replied with a thank you, then walked over to the wheel, and told Mr. Murdoch to take her to sea.



In an instant Titanic was underway. Titanic was traveling at seven knots as she moved slowly and gracefully out to sea. in no time they were moving past the dock, and through the mouth of the river. The ship started to move faster and faster until she finally reached nineteen knots. Every passenger on board was either walking the decks of Titanic, or sipping fine wine in one of the many saloons, or cafes.

As they were moving toward the open sea, the captain noticed that the ship was slowing down, so he went to the port bridge wing to see what was happening. There was a ship moving toward the stern of the ship at a very fast speed. The captain then ordered more speed and it washed the other ship, barely escaping a collision. It was later reported that the ship was the New York.

Being precautions Captain smith stopped the ship and checked any damage that the other ship may have caused to the the engines.

The crew and passengers wondered if the ship too big to handle safely. The Captain reported back that the ship was fine. Mr. Murdoch started the ship moving forward slowly as to make sure that Titanic would not collide with any more ships. Then finally Titanic had nothing ahead of her but the open sea.

Mr. Murdoch turned control over to quartermaster Robert Hitchens. Officer Hitchens took over confidently. At that moment Bruce Ismay walked onto the bridge. He talked with Captain Smith, and there was some talk about the ship's speed, and some of the passengers.

Captain Smith walked off the bridge, and went to explore the ship in a more detailed manner. He walked down the promenades and onto the boat decks. He walked back towards the bridge, and through one of the starboard vestibules, and into the Grand Staircase. He talked with passengers, exchanged comments, and talked about how beautiful the grand ship was.

For most of the night, people walked Titanic's decks,and enjoyed dinner. The men spent most of their time talking and smoking in the smoking room. Captain Smith noticed how well the ship was running. Everything on the ship was new. The boilers were new, the engines were new, and massive in size. On the bridge Mr. Murdoch ran the ship according to the chart left by White Star Line.

Titanic's first stop was Cherbourg, France. Here more passengers boarded Titanic. Including self made millionaire John Jacob Astor, and his nineteen year old wife Madeline. This was quite the talk among the passengers who knew him. The tender Nomadic carried passengers and mail meant to be taken to Queenstown or to New York.

The whole second day was spent picking up passengers and mail.

On the third day Titanic was sailing for Queenstown. Captain Smith spent his time amusing the passengers.

At full speed, but only making 20 knots the officers knew that in order to make up lost time they would have to push the ship as much as she could be pushed without straining the engines. Captain Smith could feel the vibrations of the engines as he walked the decks. The afternoon was sunny and the sea was calm as Titanic set sail for Queenstown with an estimated 2,500 people on board. Captain Smith pushed Titanic to her top speed as she pushed with all her might.

Captain Smith began to appreciate the feelings that the Captains before him experienced when their ships were so magnificent and new.

The time was now 3:22 p.m. Captain Smith was very impressed with the ship, completely forgot his routine inspection of the ship. He then walked to the engine room. He walked between the stokers and the engineers, and in the second boiler room, he spotted J. B. Ismay talking with the Chief Engineer. It was obvious that he was talking about Titanic's speed. Bruce Ismay then ordered the chief to light the last four burners to see how fast Titanic could go.

Bruce Ismay was now forcing Titanic's engines to move as fast as she could without over revving them. Titanic was now moving at 22 knots with no hesitation at all.

Captain Smith caught up with Bruce Ismay in The Grand Staircase where he stood looking at his pocket watch. Captain Smith walked up to him and asked him about his earlier conversation with the Chief Engineer. They walked into the first class dining room at the bottom of the stairs. They sat and talked together. Bruce Ismay wanted to make it into New York earlier than the Olympic and get into New York by Tuesday night instead of Wednesday night. As the ship was pulling in to dock at Queenstown, Ireland, a man walked up to Captain Smith and Purser McElroy and took a picture. He then shook Captain Smith's hand, and introduced himself as Father Browne. The pictures he took of Titanic are very famous today.

Here in at Queenstown, Ireland, most of the immigrants boarded foe New York, and a promised new life. The third and second class passengers disembarked here. Mail, coal, food, and other necessities were loaded here.

The ship was getting ready for departure, the lookouts were asking White Star personnel where their binoculars were. They said that they were misplaced, and this would become an element in the destruction of the ship.

The ship was off again, headed for New York, and taking her innocent passengers on the death ride that the world would not soon forget.

The Disaster

As Titanic steamed towards the open sea at six knots, the cables that held the ship New York to Oceanic suddenly snapped. Now free of her cables, New York began drifting toward the massive, and much larger Titanic. Disaster was avoided when tug Vulcan came to the aid of New York, passing a cable to the stern, slowing New Yorks drift toward Titanic. Some of the passengers thought an omen of this event.

It was Sunday April 14,1912. The sea was calm, and the moon glowed like a pearl in the sky. The temperature was just above the freezing mark, and the passengers were all inside enjoying their dinner and cocktails in the warmth of the ship.

In the wireless room Jack Phillips and Harold Bride continued to receive ice warnings from distant ships in the area. These ice warnings were given to Captain Smith who thought such warnings were normal for this time of year, and no danger to the Titanic. It was 9:30 p.m when the steamer MESABA sent an urgent message reporting a very large ice field in the path that Titanic was steaming.

On board Titanic in the crows nest Frederick Fleet was keeping watch when he noticed a huge black form in the near distance, and he knew at once it was an iceberg.

First Officer William Murdoch was on the bridge at the time, and ordered the engines to reverse, and the wheel to be turned hard to starboard. The ship began to turn slowly, but it was not fast enough, and the Titanic hit the iceberg. When he heard a loud scrapping noise he knew that a seaman's worst nightmare was coming true, and he ordered the watertight doors to be closed. Titanic's watertight doors sealed all of her sixteen compartments, but it was too late.

Soon after the collision Mr. Thomas Andrews met with Captain Smith. It was at this time that Mr. Andrews informed Captain Smith that Titanic would founder. Titanic could stay afloat with four compartments flooded, but not more, and there were already six watertight compartments that were flooding and the water was already flowing over the watertight doors, which only went as high as e-deck.

Knowing that the ship was going to sink, Captain Smith ordered the lifeboats to be filled with women and children first. There unfortunately was only enough lifeboats for half the passengers on board the Titanic.

In the wireless room Jack Phillips and Harold Bride worked franticly to send out distress calls to any ships that may be within rescue range to the Titanic. They sent out the CQD distress call known to that era in time indicating Titanic's position.

The Titanic sent out many distress flares in hopes that a ship in the area would see them and come to the aid of Titanic and her crew and passengers, but no response was achieved.

The Californian was ten miles away, but did not respond their wireless operator was asleep, and they thought the flares were only Titanic's way of celebrating her maiden voyage.

The lifeboats were being sent out only half full as the band plays music to try and keep the passengers calm. Some say that lessened the reality of the sinking ship to the passengers, since the Titanic WAS known as the unsinkable ship.

As the last lifeboat was lowered from the ship, there were still 1,500 people left on the sinking ship. Two hours after striking the iceberg water starts to flood the first class stairs as the ship goes down at the head. As the water rises the stern lifted higher and higher into the cold night air. Those in the departing lifeboats heard the shrill screams and cries of the 1,500 people left on the ship as is sank into the Atlantic sea. As the front of the Titanic sank further and further into the sea, the stern lifted higher and higher out of the water. The weight of the stern was so great that the middle of the ship could not take the pressure, and Titanic broke in half. First the bow went under, and then at exactly 2:20am on April15,1912 Titanic's stern made its two and a half mile decent to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean floor, leaving nothing but the terrified screams and cries of the 1,500 passengers that went into the freezing water on that fateful night.

Three hours after Titanic struck the iceberg the screams and terrified cries of the 1,500 passengers that went into the freezing water seized. All that was left was the lifeboats, and the freezing darkness.

The steamer Carpathia was the closest ship to Titanic,and they knew that they would still not make it in time. At exactly 4:00am the first lifeboat noticed the lights of the Carpathia. Their Rescue had finally come, but this was a night that they would remember for years to come. In fact this was a night they would never forget.

DarkestAngel68@yahoo.com