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In the Summer of 1907, Lord Pirrie, chairman of Harland & Wolff Shipbuilders, and Bruce Ismay, director of the White Star Line, decided to build three huge luxery liners. The ships names were to be Britannic, Olympic and Titanic. Construction of the Titanic began on March 31, 1909. She was launched at 12:45 p.m. on May 31, 1911 while more than 100,000 people watched.

The Titanic was ready to set sail on March 31, 1912. She was pulled out to sea by tugs on April 2 for her sea trials. The Titanic left Belfast at 8:00 p.m. and arrived in Southampton shortly after midnight on April 4 after traveling 570 miles.

The crew boarded the Titanic on Wednesday, April 10, 1912 at 5:18 a.m. Thomas Andrews, managing director of Harland & Wolff and builder of the ship, arrived at 6:00 a,.m. Captain Smith boarded the ship at 7:00 a.m. and Bruce Ismay arrived at 9:30 a.m. The passengers began to board the Titanic between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.

After being delayed by a near collision with the New York, the Titanic finally set sail for France around 2:00 p.m. She arrived in Cherbough Harbor at 6:30 p.m., where more passengers, their luggage and the mail were taken to the ship by two small White Star Steamships. At 8:10 p.m., the Titanic set sail for Ireland.

On Thursday, April 11, 1912, the Titanic arrived in Queenstown at 11:30 a.m. and anchored 2 miles offshore. She left Queenstown at 1:55 p.m. and set sail for New York.

The Titanic received messages about ice in the sea lanes on Friday, April 12, 1912. Captain Smith steered the ship 16 miles further south before turning towards New York.

The wireless machines aboard the Titanic quit working at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, 1912. By 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 14, 1912, Jack Phillips, wireless operator, and his assistant Harold Bride, had them repaired after working all night.

At 9:00 a.m. on April 14, 1912, the Titanic received an ice warning from the Carona. Later the Dutch Liner Noordam reported lots of ice at 11:40 a.m. The White Star Liner Baltic warned of icebergs and ice fields at 1:42 p.m. Captain Smith showed the Baltic’s ice warning to Bruce Ismay. At 1:45 p.m., the German Liner Amerika reported two large icebergs, but Captain Smith never got that message.

Later that evening at 7:30 p.m., Harold Bride overheard an ice warning from the Californian. The ice was approximately 50 miles ahead of the Titanic. He sent the message to the bridge. Jack Phillips, who was feelings exhausted, cut off the Californian’s ice warning at 10:55 p.m. 

Fredrick Fleet, a lookout, spotted the iceberg at 11:39 p.m. The Titanic hit the iceberg at 11:40 p.m., which punched a series of gashes and holes along 250 feet of the ship’s hull. At 11:41 p.m., Captain Smith instructed Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall to inspect the Titanic for damage. Thomas Andrews inspected the ship for damage at 11:50 p.m.

At midnight on Monday, April 15, 1912, Thomas Andrews told Captain Smith that the Titanic would sink within an hour and a half. Jack Phillips sent out a call for help at 12:10 a.m. using the international morse code distress signal “CQD.” Later he used the new international call “SOS”.

At 12:25 a.m., Captain Smith ordered women and children to the lifeboats. The first lifeboat was lowered at 12:45 a.m. At 12:55 a.m., the first distress flare was fired. The last lifeboat was lowered at 2:05 a.m.

At 2:17 a.m., the Titanic’s bow plunged underwater. The ship broke in two at 2:18 a.m. and the bow section sank. At 2:20 a.m., the stern sank, resulting in the lose of around 1,500 lives that night.

At 4:10 a.m., survivors from the first lifeboat boarded the Carpathia, and survivors from the last lifeboat boarded at 8:10 a.m.

On Thursday, April 18, 1912, the Carpathia reached New York with 705 survivors from the Titanic.