Detailed ship statistics

Owners:
Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (Ismay, Imrie & Co) popularly known as the White Star Line

Ship type: steel triple screw steamer

Registered dimensions:
Length: 852.5 feet
Length overall: 882.75 feet
Breadth: 92.5 feet
Depth: 59.6 feet

Registered tonnage:
Gross: 46,329
Net 21,831

Official number: 131428

Signal letters: HVMP

Number of decks: 7

Engines
2 triple-expansion 8 cylinder engines and 1 low pressure turbine

Registered horsepower: 6906
Total horsepower: 46,000
Service speed: 21 knots
Estimated top speed: 23/24 knots

Passenger capacity
First class: 735
Second class: 674
Third class: 1026

Crew: 885

Number of lifeboats: 20; capacity 1178 persons

Sister ships
Olympic: launched 20 October 1910, arrived at Jarrow for scrapping 13 October 1935
Britannic: launched 26 February 1914, sunk by mine 21 November 1916

Builders: Harland and Wolff, Belfast

Yard number: 401

Hull number: 390,904

Significant dates

31 March 1909: Laid down

31 May 1911: Launched

31 March 1912: Completed

2 April 1912: Sea trials (Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea)

12.15, 10 April 1912: Sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York via Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland

18.35, 10 April 1912: Arrived Cherbourg

20.10, 10 April 1912: Sailed from Cherbourg

11.30, 11 April 1912: Arrived Queenstown

13.30, 11 April 1912: Sailed from Queenstown

09.00, 14 April 1912: First ice warning, received from Caronia

23.40, 14 April 1912: Collision with iceberg

00.45, 15 April 1912: Wireless call for assistance, first transmission, using code CQD. Transmission altered to the new code SOS, first use of this code by a passenger liner.

02.10, 15 April 1912: Last transmission

02.20, 15 April 1912: Titanic foundered

04.10, 15 April 1912: First lifeboat picked up by Carpathia

21.25, 18 April 1912: Carpathia docked in New York

1 September 1985: Titanic wreck site located, approx 2.5 miles below the Atlantic, by a joint French/USA expedition

People on board the Titanic

Crew: 909, one of whom deserted at Queenstown

Passengers:

	1st class	2nd class	3rd class
Joined at Southampton	195	234	497
Joined at Cherbourg	142	30	102
Joined at Queenstown	0	7	113

In addition, 27 passengers joined at Southampton and disembarked at Cherbourg, and a further seven joined at Southampton and disembarked at Queenstown.

Total passengers and crew on board when the ship left Queenstown: 2228

Losses: 1523 people; 815 passengers and 688 crew

Note: these figures are approximate. The original passenger lists and crew agreement for the Titanic are held by The National Archives.

Next steps

Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching the Titanic are:

Research guide D2: RMS Titanic: Bibliography
Research guide D3: RMS Titanic: Images and artefacts at the National Maritime Museum

For general research help see:

Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records

Although care has been taken in preparing the information contained in this document, anyone using it shall be deemed to indemnify the National Maritime Museum from any and all injury or damage arising from such use

© National Maritime Museum 1998. All rights reserved.

Last updated April 2008

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