Information on the Titanic

Lloyd’s Register was not requested by White Star Line to survey the Titanic to ensure the vessel’s seaworthiness, hence she was not classed and we have relatively little original information on her. The vessel did, however, appear in the 1912-1913 edition of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships, wherein the following details are recorded:

Brief reference is made to the Titanic’s demise in Lloyd’s Register’s Casualty Returns, where it is stated that she “struck an iceberg and sank in lat. 41.16N., long. 50.14 W.“ on April 14, 1912.

The official records held at The National Archives, Kew, and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Belfast, tell more of Titanic’s story. For example, we are told that the Titanic cost £1.5million to build and that she was intended to run White Star Line’s passenger service from Southampton to New York.

She was assigned the title Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) as she was to carry transatlantic mail for Royal Mail.1

Titanic was designed by Thomas Andrews. The largest passenger steamer of her day, the vessel was believed to be “practically unsinkable”. She was divided into 16 watertight compartments by 15 transverse bulkheads extending above the waterline. The Captain operated her watertight doors from the bridge “by simply moving an electrical switch”.2

As a luxury liner, Titanic boasted the latest technology and sumptuous accommodation - for first class passengers - including a swimming pool, Palm Courts, a Turkish bath and a gymnasium. Her passengers ranged from the world’s richest citizens to some of its poorest, with many emigrating to new lives in America. The passenger list for Titanic’s one and only voyage is available from The National Archives. A full passenger list is also included within the appendices of Eaton & Haas’ Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy and Debbie Beavis, Who Sailed on the Titanic? The Definitive Passenger Lists.3

The Titanic’s fatal voyage began at Southampton. She departed at 12:15pm on Wednesday April 10, 1912 calling at Cherbourg, France, to collect wealthy American and Canadian tourists, who had been visiting Paris, as well as some emigrants from Europe and the Middle East. At 8:10pm she left Cherbourg for Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh) arriving at 11:30am on April 11.

Here many Irish emigrants boarded, presumably seeking a new and prosperous life in America. Titanic left Queenstown at 1:30pm, but never reached her final destination. At 11:40pm on April 14, 1912, she struck an iceberg in or near latitude 41.16N, longitude 50.14 W, North Atlantic Ocean. She sustained extensive damage to her hull, seawater flooded her four forward compartments as well as two forwardboiler rooms. She had flooded to a depth of 15 feet within ten minutes. By 12:02am on April 15, the squash court, 32 feet above the keel, was awash and the Captain ordered the standard CQD distress call to be sent. The SOS signal had superseded the CQD signal in 1908 but the latter was still widely used.

The radio operator, John George ‘Jack’ Phillips, at the suggestion of his fellow radio operator Harold Bride,decided to try the SOS signal. By 2:20am on April 15, however, Titanic finally sank to the seabed. The steamship Carpathia intercepted the distress calls at 12:25am and arrived some four hours later to offer assistance.4 She managed to save 705 men, women and children from the lifeboats of Titanic.

Official statistics

Analysis of those saved from the official Report on the Loss of the “Titanic” (S.S).5

Passengers

These figures do not, however, match later counts, which show the number of passengers to be 2,228, not 2,201.

The death registers of the Titanic, which are from the archive of the Registry of Shipping & Seamen, are at the National Archives, Kew, under the Board of Trade class references BT 334/52 and BT 334/53.

As a result of the tragedy and in response to the findings of the Mersey Committee (set up to investigate the loss), the British Government initiated the first International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Conference members met in London in 1913 and 1914. Thirteen nations reached an agreement on watertight and fire-resisting bulkheads, life saving appliances, fire prevention and fire fighting appliances on passenger ships, which were adopted in 1914. Measures were to come into force in July 1915, but due to the outbreak of the First World War, they did not. However, many countries adopted the provisions set out. There was also a general acceptance of the principle of the provision of lifeboat places for everyone on board ocean-going passenger ships.6

It is mentioned in the opening paragraph of this information sheet, that Lloyd’s Register did not class the Titanic. Press articles of the period had reported that the vessel had been built considerably in excess of the requirements of Lloyd’s Register. This was not the case and Lloyd’s Register’s Secretary, Andrew Scott, wrote a letter to The Times, which was duly published on July 8, 1912.

Although the vessel itself was not classed, Lloyd’s Register did approve her anchors, which to this day remain intact on the seabed.

Although the vessel itself was not classed, Lloyd’s Register did approve her anchors, which to this day remain intact on the seabed.

• “Official Titanic Website”
• Encyclopaedia Titanica

Researchers should check availability, accessibility and opening times with the repositories listed before making a personal visit.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective officers, employees or agents are, individually and collectively, referred to in this clause as ‘Lloyd’s Register’. Lloyd’s Register assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused by reliance on the information or advice in this document or howsoever provided, unless that person has signed a contract with the relevant Lloyd’s Register entity for the provision of this information or advice and in that case any responsibility or liability is exclusively on the terms and conditions set out in that contract.