Titanic Leaves Port for Final Journey

The RMS Titanic was intended to be one of the greatest achievements in maritime history.  The ship was the largest passenger steamship ever built and deemed by the White Star Line to be unsinkable.

On this day, April 10th, in 1912, the Titanic left port in Southhampton for its ill-fated journey to New York.  Four days into the journey, the ship scrapped the side of an iceberg and began to take on a considerable amount of water.  Although the ship was designed to withstand two of its compartments being filled with water, the damage caused by the iceberg quickly surpassed the manageable level of flooding.  The ship sank at 2 a.m. on the morning of April 14th and 1,517 of the 2,223 passengers lost their lives.

The tragic story of the Titanic has had a lasting impact on the world.  In terms of ocean-liner safety, the event led to improvements in regulations, especially in regards to the mandatory number of lifeboats.  Several movies and films have been inspired by the tragic tale, including the Academy Award winning film Titanic (1997) that has grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide.