At 23:40 on April 14, 1912 (ship time), the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. Just a few hours later, at 02:20 on April 15, the "unsinkable" ship vanished beneath the Atlantic. Over a century later, it remains the most infamous maritime disaster in history. Today, we dive into some fascinating facts—and, of course, the stamps that commemorate this legendary vessel.
The Titanic was part of a grand plan by the White Star Line to dominate the luxury transatlantic travel industry. Their biggest competitor, Cunard Line, had just launched the Lusitania and Mauretania, the fastest ships of the time. Instead of competing on speed, White Star Line chose to focus on size, comfort, and luxury.
The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster
Jersey – 2012
To achieve this, White Star Line planned to build three Olympic-class liners, and they did. These ships were the RMS Olympic (1911), RMS Titanic (1912), and HMHS Britannic (1915). They were the largest and most luxurious ships ever built at the time. For example, the Titanic featured a grand staircase, elegant first-class lounges, a gym, swimming pool, Turkish bath, and even a squash court. The cost of building these ships was enormous as well.
One factor that added significantly to the cost was the use of the latest technologies, including 16 watertight compartments designed to keep the ship, crew, and passengers safe. Because of these innovations, the Titanic was marketed as a practically unsinkable ship. This likely contributed to the decision to have fewer lifeboats onboard, a problem that led to many deaths after the ship sank.
The RMS Titanic had 2,224 people on board during its maiden voyage, including both passengers and crew. Of these, around 900 were crew members, while the rest were passengers: 324 in first class, 284 in second class, and 709 in third class (mostly poor immigrants from Europe heading to the USA).
A first-class ticket in 1912 cost more than a new house. In contrast, a third-class ticket was hundreds of times cheaper.
Centenary of the Sinking of the Titanic
Alderney – 2012/02/22
Titanic leaving Southampton, Titanic sailing past Alderney, The Grand Staircase,
Orchestra playing, Captain Edward J. Smith, Lifeboats leaving Titanic
The RMS Titanic was commanded by Captain Edward John Smith, one of the most experienced and respected captains of the White Star Line. With over 40 years at sea, he began as an apprentice in 1869. He was known as the "Millionaire's Captain" because wealthy passengers trusted him. The Titanic was meant to be his final voyage before retirement, but he went down with the ship.
The planned route was:
The main tragedy of the Titanic was overconfidence. As mentioned, it was marketed as “practically unsinkable.” Captain Edward J. Smith likely understood the ship's strength and how it compared to anything else at the time. Because of this, he decided to maintain a high speed through the known iceberg zone, despite receiving multiple warnings from other ships.
Centenary of the Sinking of the Titanic
Isle of Man – 2012/04/02
When the lookouts spotted the iceberg, it was too late to turn. The impact caused 5 out of 16 watertight compartments to flood, which led to the ship sinking 2 hours and 40 minutes later. The lack of lifeboats, the chaos, and the launching of many lifeboats half-empty, along with many third-class passengers trapped below deck, resulted in countless deaths that could have been avoided. The RMS Carpathia rescued about 706 survivors around 4:00 AM.
Today, we've explored some lesser-known and well-known facts related to the Titanic tragedy. We've also looked at some fascinating stamps and materials that provide a deeper insight into the Titanic, its captain, crew, and passengers.
