This day in 1912: The 'unsinkable' Titanic hits an iceberg

It was on April 14, 1912, that the RMS Titanic, called the unsinkable ship, hit an iceberg and sunk shortly after midnight (April15) into the Atlantic.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 1,517 people.

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The Titanic was nearly 900 feet long, and more than 100 feet in height. It was the world's largest ship, and also the fastest ship.

On the night of April 14, the ship scraped an iceberg, tearing open six compartments. The ship's design was only made to withstand four compartments of flooding.

About ten minutes past midnight, on April 15, passengers were given lifeboats -- but there were only enough for about half of the people on board the ship.

At 2:20 a.m., the ship finally sank. It broke in half, and plunged to the ocean floor. About 705 people made it onto lifeboats.

Officials blamed the catastrophe on the captain and bridge crew -- all of them died.

 


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.