Titanic's Launch

May 31st, 1911 was a very special day for Harland and Wolff. The RMS Titanic was being launched. A large crowd gathered at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast to watch the launch. Just before noon, a red rocket was fired high into the sky from the shipyard, announcing to the gathered masses that the launch was imminent. Fifteen minutes later, another rocket soared skywards, and the assembled crowds all stared intently at the hull, waiting to see it slip majestically into the water. Workers had used 22 tons of soap and tallow to lubricate the slipway for the launch. Then, beneath the mighty hull, all of the supporting timbers were knocked free, and it was now 'every man for himself' as the workers leaped from under the hull, scrambling clear as the hull began it's short, graceful journey down the immense slipway and into the River Lagan. Just over a minute later, Titanic was floating for the very first time, riding high in the water due to her unfinished condition. The launch was now over, and Titanic had been brought to a standstill by huge clumps of of anchor chains fastened to her hull. Once these chains had been detached, tugs from Liverpool's Alexandra Towing Company, namely Alexandra, Hornby, Herculaneum and Wallasey, warped Titanic into the fitting out basin, assisted by Harland and Wolff's own tug, Hercules.

Titanic Before Launch

Titanic Being Launched

Titanic After Being Launched

Oh, and I forgot to mention: This happened 103 years ago, on this day in 1911!

Titanic's Final Angle

There has been debate about Titanic's final angle. Some believe it was 11 degrees, others think it's 45 degrees or higher. Some people think her final angle was about 23 degrees. I personally just leave this subject alone, since we will probably never find out. However, if you want to believe one of those theories, go right ahead. When I describe the sinking to someone, I never mention the angle. That's because, like I said before, I just like to leave this one alone.

2048: Titanic Edition

I made a little game called 2048: Titanic Edition and it really helps when you're bored and want to do something involving Titanic. The game also uses real Titanic photos and some other photos from accurate museums. My high is 272 because I'm not that good, but hopefully you can beat me! Want to try it out? Here's the link: http://games.usvsth3m.com/2048/titanic-edition-2/. Enjoy the game!

Exact Titanic Replica?

A couple days ago, I was thinking: What if someone made an EXACT Titanic replica? Not just a model, but a  real sized replica of the ship with correct rooms and everything. People could walk in and see what life was really like aboard the ship. You would see every room, the boilers, the generators, the parlor suites, the swimming pool, everything. All the  little details like the types of paint really used will be included too. And, the ship would be in the water, with only 20 lifeboats. You may ask yourself "How in the world can we do this? The law restricts that!" Well, the ship will be in water, but not in the middle of the ocean. It will be in a dock. So, people would travel over to the dock and get their tickets in. Upon entrance, they would get a book telling you about rooms on Titanic. So, if you went into a room and wanted to learn more about it, you would would flip through the book until you found info on it. Also, smoke machines would be in the funnels so smoke would come out of the 3 funnels, and make it look realistic. And, sound effects would be included in certain rooms. For example, if you're in the engine room you'll here the engines moving. As much as I wish this could all happen, it was all a dream. But we can dream, right?

Collapsible Boats A and B

Titanic had 4 collapsible boats, 2 located behind the emergency cutters and 2 located on the roof of the officer's quarters. The two lifeboats were launched minutes before Titanic's final plunge. On the port side, some of the crew tried to fasten Collapsible B to the davits, but somehow it fell from the roof of the officers' quarters and fell down to the boat deck, on it's back, shortly before the sea washed over that area and Collapsible B floated off with people clinging onto it.

 On the starboard side, crew tried to fasten Collapsible A to the davits but there was no time. It floated off half submerged, because the canvas sides were not put up. People climbed into Collapsible A, but it must have been tough to survive in there considering it was half submerged.

One Of Mackay Bennett Lifeboat's Picking Up Collapsible B

The Carpathia

The Twin Screw Cunard steamship Carpathia was laid down at the Wallsend-on-Tyne works of Swan & Hunter in 1901. She was launched on August 6, 1902 and, after fitting out, registered a gross tonnage of 13, 603. She was 558 feet in length with a breadth of 64 feet 3 inches and depth 40 feet. Her eight cylinder quadruple-expansion engines installed by the the Wallsend Slipway Co. gave her a service speed of 14 knots. On May 5th, 1903 Carpathia left Liverpool on her maiden voyage, travelling via Queenstown to New York. She could carry 100 first class passengers, 200 second class passengers, and 2,250 third class passengers. On the night of April 14th, 1912 Carpathia received a distress call from the RMS Titanic. She raced toward the location of the Titanic, and arrived there well after the ship sank. By that time, anyone in the near freezing water would be dead. She rescued the survivors of the RMS Titanic. However, on July 17, 1918 Carpathia was travelling in a convoy, bound for Boston, when she was struck by two torpedoes some 120 miles west of Fastnest. A third torpedo hit the ship as the lifeboats were being manned. Five of the crew were killed by the explosions. The remainder of the crew and the 57 passengers aboard were picked up by H.M.S. Snowdrop and safely brought to Liverpool. The Carpathia sank at 12:40 AM that day.

How to make a accurate Titanic model

Making a accurate Titanic model can be very, very hard. For example, finding the correct paint can be hard. However, there is a website that can help you. It's called the Titanic Research and Modeling Association A.K.A. TRMA. I recommended you use it, here is the link: http://www.titanic-model.com/. Hope it helps!

SS Titan

You have all heard of the new RMS Titanic II coming out soon, but have you heard of the SS Titan?  The SS Titan will honor the legacy of Titanic, travel the world and provide an educational platform to Titanic and the age of Trans-Atlantic ship travel, while benefiting the health and well being of sick and needy children worldwide. She is also planned to be the world's largest and fastest ocean liner once constructed. It is hoped that Titan will be designed by Harland & Wolff, ltd., Titanic's Original Builder, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. SS Titan's interiors will boast all of the famous areas known to Titanic; the Grand Staircase, Palm Court, Cafe Parisian, Turkish Bath, and much more. She will also incorporate subtle modernized attributes of other great ships of the golden age of trans-Atlantic steamship travel, including the French Liner Normandie, among others. It is estimated that construction of Titan will cost approximately $1.6 billion (US), and take up to three years to complete, making her the most expensive ship ever built as well, far surpassing the $800 million price tag for the Queen Mary 2. She will look and feel like Titanic, but behind her bulkheads it would be ultramodern, safe, efficient, and cost effective to run. To find out more, click on this link: http://www.sstitan.org/Home.aspx. They also have their own Facebook page, which you can check out here: https://www.facebook.com/sstitan?fref=nf.

It's Offical, I'm going to Orlando!

In 7 weeks, I will hopefully be at the Titanic Exhibit in Orlando Florida. Expect a review of it in 7 weeks as well!

The Titanic Exhibit In Orlando Florida.

Titanic's Coal Bunkers

Titanic had 11 coal bunkers, located in the front and back of each boiler room. However, Boiler Room 1 did not have a coal bunker in back of it because it contained the single ended boilers. The coal bunkers were basically big bins full of coal. Trimmers would take some coal out of the bunker, break it up, put it in a wheelbarrow, and then cart it over to the firemen.

                                                    Firemen shovel coal into the boilers.
                                                   

Titanic Book Review (1)

First of all, welcome to my new series. In this series, I will review Titanic books and rate them. My first book I will be reviewing is the RMS Titanic Manual by Haynes Manuals. It's a really great book, it goes over the technical facts about Titanic and explains the history and construction. The only problem is that the technical facts are really, really technical. It even confuses me because I am not a really technical person. I am just a little bit. Still though, even if you aren't really technical, it's still a great book and probably could teach you something you never knew.


Before I rate this, I would like to explain the rating system. 1 means it's a really bad book, 3 means it's decent, and 5 means it's great. I would personally give this a 4. It's a good book, it just has really, really technical facts and some people might not understand it. Still though, this book is worth a try.


If you would like to purchase this book or check it out, click on this link: http://www.amazon.com/RMS-Titanic-Manual-1909-1912-Workshop/dp/076034079X. Enjoy the book!