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Futility is Published
In 1898, American author Morgan Robertson’s novel ‘Futility’ was published. In the novel a British liner named Titan, whilst on her maiden voyage in April, strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic. This story of the novel has an interestingly similar plot to the true story of the Titanic. This book did not predict the Titanic and it is purely a crazy coincide. -
Titanic Plan is Made - Artifact
Design plans for the Titanic and her sister ship Olympic are agreed upon. Construction began two days later. The Titanic was finished in 1912 and was considered the greatest ship of its time. The ship was 882 feet long and had over 2,200 passengers with passengers in three classes.
“Titanic Construction Design Information.” Ultimate Titanic, August 19, 2022. -
Construction Flaw: Rivets Continued
This is example of poor business ethics. With stronger rivets, many more passengers would have been able to escape the lower decks. There was trouble finding steel for rivets during construction. In order to not delay the ship maiden voyage and to save money, the builders used low-quality iron. This decision shows the theme of profit over safety
“Artifacts - Titanic History.” Discover Titanic. Accessed April 27, 2025. -
Construction Flaw: Rivets - Artifact
Harland Wolf were the builders of the Titanic. When deciding on what rivets to use in the ship, they used a majority of low-quality iron instead of steel while building them. This caused for rivets in the ship to be weak, especially in cold temperatures. These rivets did not hold after the collision and allowed for icey water to rush inside the ship dooming many passengers.
“Artifacts - Titanic History.” Discover Titanic. Accessed April 27, 2025. -
Construction Flaw: Watertight Decks - Artifact
The Titanic had 16 watertight decks. However, the bulkheads did not extend high enough. This made these watertight compartments less effective. If the ship's watertight decks had been engineered correctly, the ship would have either been able to withstand the blow from the iceburg or take longer to sink. This design flaw was intentional and made of out arrogance because the builders thought that the ship was unsinkable
“R/Titanic on Reddit.” Reddit. Accessed May 1, 2025. -
Construction Flaw: Lifeboats
J. Bruce Ismay was the heir to the White Star Line. The Titanic was designed to have 64 lifeboats. Ismay decided to keep the minimum required of 20 lifeboats on the Titanic because he did not want too much clutter on the ship. This fatal move caused for many more people to die. This move illustrated poor business ethics. The decision was made to keep the aesthetics of the ship and to save money. This shows the theme of profit over safety -
Warnings of Ice - Artifact
The Titanic was received multiple warnings of ice in the North Atlantic before hitting an iceberg. On April 7 and 10, ice was reported near the Titanic's path. The Titanic's crew heard these reports and continued on. The first reason was overconfidence in the ship and its design. Another reason was because the crew did not want to be delayed and had pressure to be early in New York.
“They Said It Couldn’t Sink.” National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed May 1,
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Titanic sets Sail
The Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on Wednesday, April 10, 1912, at 12 PM (GMT). -
Distress Signals - Artifact
Around 11 PM EST, the Titanic began to send out distress signals to the SS Californian. The SS Californian was much closer but showed up later than it could have. They were late due to the radio operator being asleep while the distress signals were sent. The crew saw the Titanic's rockets in the sky but did not respond immediately. With an immediate response, more lives could have been saved.
Coughlan, Sean. “Titanic: The Final Messages from a Stricken Ship.” BBC News, April 9, 2012. -
Titanic Sinks
On April 14, 1912, at 11;40 PM (GMT-2:30), the Titanic struck an iceberg. Then at around 2 AM (GMT-2:30) on April 15, 1912, the Titanic broke apart and sank beneath the ocean