The morning of Wednesday 10 April 1912 was bright and breezy. A sense of tremendous expectation hung in the cool spring air. The general crew reported to the dockyard at 6am and were directed to their quarters on board the ship. Half an hour later, Thomas Andrews, Harland and Wolff's official representative on the voyage, boarded the ship. He had spent the previous week examining every aspect of the ship in great detail, making copious notes on any minor improvements that could be incorporated into the design to make the Titanic more magnificent. Captain Smith arrived by taxi at 7:30 am and at 8am the Blue Ensign was run up at the stern. While the crew reported on deck for muster, Captain Maurice Clarke of the Board of Trade carried out the final inspection of the ship. He paid close attention to the lifeboats, ensuring that they were in proper working order, but failed to spot the fire down in the bunker number 10. Satisfied that all was well and that with 5,892 tons of coal the Titanic was carrying enough fuel to reach New York, Clarke signed the ship's papers. Captain Smith then handed over the 'Master's Report to White Star's Marine superintendent, Benajmin Steele. It read, "I herewith report this ship loaded and ready for sea. The engines and boilers are in good order for the voyage, and all charts and sailing direction up-to-date. Your obedient servant, Edward J Smith."
The first passengers began to arrive at 9:30am when the boat train carrying second- and third class passengers completed its two hour journey from London Waterloo. Of the 497 third-class passengers leaving from Southampton, 180 (including 30 children) were Scandinavian, reward for White Star's extensive advertising campaign in Norway and Sweden. The majority were heading for a new life in the United States and had booked their passage aboard 'the first available ship.' It was to be their misfortune that the first available ship was the Titanic.
The second- and third-class entrances were both on C Deck, although naturally they were separate. In their rooms, passengers found maps to guide them around the maze of corridors. Many of the 202 first-class passengers embarking at Southampton arrived on the 11:30am boat train, which left Waterloo at 9:45am, and were shown to their sumptuous cabins. As noon drew nearer, pilot George Bowyer, who had been in charge of the Olympic when she was struck by the HMS Hawke, prepared for departure. On the stroke of noon, with crowds lining the quayside waving farewells to their loved ones, three loud blasts on the Titanic's mighty whistles announced that she was in motion. As she was cast off, eight crew members raced along the prier in a desperate attempt to scramble aboard. Two just reached the gangway before it was raised - the other six were left behind on the dock, cursing their luck.
The Making of History
| Owners | A
Grand Design | Construction | Sister
Ships - Olympic and Britannic
|
| Strict Segregation | Outdated
Lifeboat regulations | The Aura of Invincibility
|
| Launch | Specifications
|
Leaving for the New World
| Southampton | Southampton
- The New York and a Near Miss | Cherbourg
| Queenstown |
Provisions |
Passenger Lists
| First Class | Second
Class | Third Class |
Alphabtical list | Crew
| The Band |
Lifeboat Lists
| Lifeboats 1- 3 | Lifeboats
4 - 6 | Lifeboats 7-9 | Lifeboats
10-12 | Lifeboats 13 -16 |
Collapsibles |
Aftermath
| American Inquiry |
| Causes - An extract from February 1995 Edition
of Popular Mechanic |
Facts and Figures
| Harland and Wolff's 101 Answers to
the most asked questions about the RMS Titanic |