The Titanic was a British cruise
ship that sank on April 15, 1912
during its first voyage from
England to New York. More than
1,500 people died. Only 700
escaped to safety on the lifeboats.
When the Titanic left England, it
was the largest ship in the world.
It was 882 feet long, over 100 feet
tall, and had 10 levels. The Titanic
was thought to be unsinkable.
The First Class passengers had
every luxury you can imagine:
gourmet meals, a heated pool,
and squash courts. The ship even
had its own onboard newspaper.
On the night of April 14, 1912,
the R.M.S. Titanic sailed through
the cold waters of the North
Atlantic Ocean. The 2,200 people
on board were not aware of the
danger just ahead.
At 2:20 a.m. early the next
morning, the Titanic ran into an
iceberg. It tore a 300-foot hole
into the ship's hull. As it flooded,
people ran to the lifeboats.
But although there were many
luxuries on the ship, the Titanic
had only 20 lifeboats. That was
only enough to hold one third of
the people on board.
Only about 700 people would
survive the sinking of the Titanic.
And the ship, which took three
years to build, would sink in less
than three hours. Of the 109
children on board under the age
of fourteen, 53 lost their lives. All
except one were from the third
class, or steerage class, section
of the boat. These children were
from poor families. In many cases
their families had spent their
life savings to make the trip to
America for a better life.
Scientists and historians believe
that problems with the design
of the Titanic led to the disaster.
They continue to study the
famous steamship for answers.
But that has not been an easy
thing to do. The remains of the
Titanic wreck sit on the floor of
the ocean more than 12,400 feet
beneath the surface.
Remembering
the
R.M.S. Titanic:
The world's most famous shipwreck
photos courtesy of titanic museum attraction, branson
By Randy Rice | Official Kids Mag
6 • OctObeR 2020 • Officialkidsmag.com
