BY LEAH MCHUGH

R.M.S. Titanic

Why Titanic was built?

In 1908 White Star Line employed shipbuilders Haarland and Wolfe to make the biggest ship in the world when their rivals Cunard Line built Mauretania and Lusitania. The shipyard and port in Belfast, Ireland where Titanic was built had previously been swamp and wasteland. The designer of the ship was Thomas Andrews and his plans were drawn on linen.

White Star Line V Cunard Line

When White Star Line found out that their rivals built two huge ships, straight away they wanted to build a faster and bigger ship than their rivals, which showed how intense their rivalry was. They decided to build two ships: The Olympic and The Titanic.

Titanic Facts

1. The R.M.S. Titanic was the biggest ship in the world at that time.

2. It took millions of man hours to make.3. It was built in Belfast, Ireland.4.It was supposed to travel from Southampton to Queenstown to Cherbourg to New York but failed.

5. It was referred to as the Unsinkable, Queen of the Ocean and the Floating Palace.

6.There were nine decks and fully laden it weighed 67 tonnes

Titanic Facts (2)

7. It would fit three and half thousand passengers and crew on it.

8. It had two engines each the size of a two storey building.

9.It was 883 feet long which was 90 foot longer than Cunard Lines Mauretania and Lusitania.

10. It took 180 minutes to sink and 1500 people died.

First ClassThe first class passengers

on board Titanic were very wealthy. Most of the space on board was given to them.

They had great facilities including a swimming pool, turkish baths, squash courts and they were allowed use Morse Code.

There was also a grand staircase near where their orchestra played beautiful music.

Second Class

The second class passengers on the Titanic were what we would consider today to be the middle class. The passengers in second class were mostly professionals: teachers, doctors, professors and authours.Many of these passengers would have traveled as first class on other ships. A second class ticket at that time cost approximately 13 to 79 pounds.

Third classThird class passengers were in what was termed ‘steerage’. They were mostly emigrants moving to the United States to start a better life. A third class ticket ranged from seven to forty pounds. Children’s tickets were three pounds.

The JourneyTitanic was sailing from Southampton to America and it stopped at Queenstown and Cherbourg. 2,224 passengers and crew were on board.

People InvolvedCaptain Edward

Smith Bruce Ismay

(Managing director of White Star Line)

Thomas Andrews (Ships designer)

William Pirrie (Chairprson of Harland and Wolfe)

The SinkingTragically on Titanic’s maiden voyage it hit an iceberg on

the way to America, It was only 500 miles away from Newfoundland. Tragically, the ship Californian which was quite close by, ignored several emergency flares from Titanic.

The iceberg hit the starboard (right hand) side of Titanic which caused ruptures in the ship and water to flow through the compartments. Ultimately, the ship snapped in half and sank with over 1500 people on board.

Initially, as was the protocol, women and children were only allowed on lifeboats. Although it emerged that ‘sneaky’ White Start Line Chairman J.Bruce Ismay managed to hop on to one.