The once-thought-unsinkable ship foundered in a record-setting time. While other ships before have sunk after being in similar iceberg collisions, it took them close to 12 hours to actually be fully submerged. Ironically, in the Titanic’s case, it sank in just 2 hours and 40 minutes. At that time they thought it dropped to the bottom in one piece.
Had it taken longer for the liner to sink, as the other ships had in the past, rescue ships could have gotten to the area to help. The Carpathia arrived at around 4 a.m., and it could have helped by contacting other ships within proximity.
They Had Already Sold Tickets for the Return Voyage
The Titanic was scheduled to make a couple of stops before crossing the Atlantic. It had to be assisted by tenders in and out of both ports of Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland because they weren’t ready to take in a ship its size. There were some passengers dropped off while 123 passengers boarded it from Queenstown.
Then it was scheduled to sail to Manhattan. This was where the first and second-class passengers were supposed to disembark. And then head to Ellis Island for the third-class passengers who needed to pass through immigration. Its return trip tickets had already been booked. The liner was scheduled to leave on the 20th of April, and its itinerary was already filled up until the 28th of December.
There Weren’t Enough Lifeboats for Everyone
The Titanic was capable of carrying 64 lifeboats, but it only installed 20 of them so it wouldn’t block the passengers’ view of the vast ocean. Had they carried as much as they were designed to equip, there is no doubt many lives could have been saved. But this wasn’t in violation of maritime laws at the time.
It had just enough number required by maritime standards, as lifeboats were thought to ferry passengers to a rescuing ship and not keep them afloat for a long time.
The Iceberg Stayed Afloat Nearby
For all the stories about the Titanic’s might and size, it is perhaps normal for anyone to wonder what had become of the object it had rammed. The reports had already reached other vessels about it hitting an iceberg, and a steward was among those who happened to pass by Iceberg Alley the next day.
He took photographs of the place, at the same time watching for clues to determine how the Titanic met its deadly fate. He saw this large iceberg with a large black mark on its side. He took an ominous picture of it still floating as if it had merely shrugged off the tragic event of the night before. The Titanic was clearly no match for it.
The Orchestra Played Happy Tunes
If you’ve watched the film "Titanic" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, you must remember the scene where, in the middle of growing chaos, the ship’s band made quite an effort to play upbeat music. It was a little sweet and sad to watch at the same time as everything else that was going on onboard.
All that happened in the actual event of the sinking. To avoid the passengers from panicking, they played happy tunes to appease everyone. But it became more evident that nothing was going to be alright, and as their deaths gradually became certain they gave in to the stranded passengers’ personal requests; playing their instruments for one long and final climactic moment.