Information and research assistance regarding the steamship R.M.S. Titanic is frequently requested from the Smithsonian Institution. To assist those interested in the topic the following has been prepared by the Division of Transportation, National Museum of American History, in cooperation with the Public Inquiry Mail and Telephone Information Service Unit of the Smithsonian's Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center.
The Titanic was a White Star Line steamship carrying the British flag. She was built by Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Ireland, at a reported cost of $7.5 million. Her specifications were:
On 10 April 1912, the Titanic commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, with 2,227 passengers and crew aboard. At 11:40 p.m. on the night of 14 April, traveling at a speed of 20.5 knots, she struck an iceberg on her starboard bow. At 2:20 a.m. she sank, approximately 13.5 miles east-southeast of the position from which her distress call was transmitted. Lost at sea were 1,522 people, including passengers and crew. The 705 survivors, afloat in the ship's twenty lifeboats, were rescued within hours by the Cunard Liner, Carpathia.
The wreck of the Titanic was located by a French and American team on 1 September 1985 in 12,500 feet (3,810 m) of water about 350 miles (531 km) southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. A 1986 expedition documented the shipwreck more thoroughly.
The following photographs are available: the Titanic, starboard view (Neg. #34,460); profile and deck plans (Neg. #44,066 and Neg. #44,066-A). To request an order form and price list, call the Smithsonian's Office of Printing & Photographic Services at (202) 357-1933.
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