Encyclopedia Titanica

Discover the true story of a tragedy

• RMS Titanic

  Titanic was the greatest shipwreck drama of the 20th century, a catastrophic event that has already passed into myth and legend. But what is the truth behind the myth and what were the true stories of the real people that sailed on her?

  The British registered ocean liner was completed in 1912 for the transatlantic passenger and mail service between Southampton and New York. Constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland the Royal Mail Ship Titanic was, on her maiden voyage, the largest vessel afloat.

  On 10 April 1912 the new liner sailed from Southampton, England with 2,208 passengers and crew, but four days later she collided with an iceberg and sank: 1496 people died and 712 survived. This website tells their story and that of the great ship with which their lives would be inextricably linked.

  Quick Facts

  324 1st class passengers, 201 survived.
  277 2nd class passengers, 118 survived.
  708 3rd class passengers, 181 survived.
  885 crew members, 212 survived.
  13 postmen/musicians, none survived.
  Grand total: 2,207 on board, 712 survivors.

  Length: 882 feet 9 inches, Beam: 92 feet
  Gross tonnage: 46,328 tons
  Propulsion: Three propellers, Two triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines, One low-pressure Parsons turbine
  25 double-ended, 4 single-ended Scotch-type boilers
  159 coal burning furnaces
  Top speed : 23 knots.

  Learn More
  More detailed statistics.
  More about Titanic's engines and speed.

• People

  RMS Titanic carried 2207 people. People all ages, people of great wealth and of bitter poverty. Unsuspecting witnesses to an event they could never have envisaged

  Hint: Choose from one of the Titanic Passenger and Crew lists in the sidebar

  If you could walk the decks of RMS Titanic you would hear a dozen or more languages being spoken with every imaginable dialect. Not surprisingly RMS Titanic is often described as a microcosm of society.

  The route to understanding the RMS Titanic story is to learn about and understand the people that built her, the people that sailed on her, those that died and those that survived when she met her end.

  Encyclopedia Titanica contains a biography for every single person that travelled on RMS Titanic on her maiden voyage as well as information about the places people came from and the ships her crew served on.

  Constantly revised and updated by a dedicated crew of our own, Encyclopedia Titanica is the ultimate RMS Titanic resource.

  Use the search engine to find people by name, perhaps even someone related to you or browse the comprehensive RMS Titanic Passenger List and Crew List.

  You can also support the work of Encyclopedia Titancia in keeping alive the memory of the people by helping us tell the story of people from your own area.

• History

  According to legend RMS Titanic was conceived at a dinner between Lord Pirrie of the Harland & Wolff shipyard and Joseph Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line, at Downshire House, Lord Pirrie's London home.

  With the introduction of the Lusitania and Mauretania Curnard had stolen a march on the White Star Line; with Olympic, Titanic and Britannic Bruce Ismay and Lord Pirrie saw an golden opportunity to regain the initiative and with it a hefty slice of the transatlantic passenger trade.

  The new vessels would forsake speed for the increased safety and comfort that would come with a significant increase in scale. Fittings and appointments would also be improved over the competions. Lavish staterooms, a swimmings pool, squash raquet court, gymnasium, stylish cafe and plush a la carte restaurant would attract the wealthy, while significantly improved accommodation in other classes was also provded. Millionaires might grab the headlines but it would be steerage (Third Class) and the growing middle class (Second Class) that would drive economic success.

  Having been laid down in 1909 it would take three years of construction and fitting out before RMS Titanic was ready for sea, commanded by veteran Captain Edward John Smith. After brief sea trials she departed Southampton on 10 April 1912.

  After brief stops and Cherbourg and Queenstown she turned her head to the Atlantic ocean never to return.

• Design

  RMS Titanic was designed and constructed at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland under the supervision of marine architect Alexander Carlisle and chief designer Thomas Andrews

  She was 882 feet 9 inches in length and 92 feet in breadth. Her gross tonnage was 46,328 tons. Three propellers were driven by two four-cylinder, triple-expansion, inverted reciprocating steam engines and one low-pressure Parsons turbine. Steam was provided by 25 double-ended and 4 single-ended Scotch-type boilers fired by 159 coal burning furnaces that gave her a theoretical top speed of 23 knots.

  Although she was the largest ship in the world, she was only fractionally greater in size than her sister ship RMS Olympic. RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic were constructed side-by-side and less than one year would elapse between their respective maiden voyages. They were practically identical in both appearance and fittings. A third sister Britannic would follow, but would enter World War One as a vast hospital ship; she would never see service as a passenger liner.

  The fascination with RMS Titanic is not confined to the lives of her passengers and crew but in the fine technical details about which more is learnt all the time. On Encyclopedia Titanica you can view RMS Titanic Deckplans for a deck-by-deck view of the ship and read technical articles and follow technical discussions which explore this aspect of the RMS Titanic story in incredible detail.

• Culture

  RMS Titanic forms part of our cultural landscape. Since 1912 she has been depicted in countless films and books.

  Through art, drama and music her tragedy is replayed and reinterpreted and collections of her relics can be seen in museums and exhibitions across the glode.

  RMS Titanic has even entered the language: the phrase re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic exemplifying a futile exercise.

  Encyclopedia Titanica enables you to learn about how the RMS Titanic has been reflected in contemporary culture; Titanic on film and record, in photographic images and in art.

  You can also learn about the true stories that inspired the movie makers including The Real Jack Dawson, the story of a real life Titanic victim who's namesake was the hero of James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic.

  You can also watch the rarest of all motion pictures: RMS Titanic archive film.

• Community

  The Titanic story has spawned a thriving community. On the message board you'll meet historians, enthusiasts and the descendants of Titanic passengers and crew.

  The members will be happy to help you if you have questions about the Titanic.