The following is a re-creation of the significant events that took place aboard the Titanic. Although there were many important events on each day of the voyage, I am primarily highlighting the events moments before and directly after the Titanic crashed into the iceberg. All times indicated are "ship time" (i.e. the current time at the location of the Titanic). Many of the times are approximate, but are close enough to give a good chronology of when the events actually took place. Most sources seem to agree however, that the Titanic collided with the iceberg at approximately 11:40 pm and finally sank at 2:20 am.

Chronology of events aboard the Titanic

Wednesday, April 10, 1912

• 12:00 Noon
  • The Titanic Leaves Southampton, England on its maiden voyage.

• 07:00 pm

  • The Titanic stops at Cherbourg, France.

• 09:00 pm

  • The Titanic leaves Cherbourg and sets sail to Queenstown (currently known as Cobh), Ireland.

Thursday, April 11, 1912

• 12:30 pm
  • The Titanic arrives in Queenstown, Ireland.

• 02:00 pm

  • The Titanic leaves Queenstown and sets sail to New York.

Friday, April 12, 1912 -- Saturday, April 13, 1912

• Fairly uneventful. The weather is good and the sea is calm. The temperature is getting colder. The Titanic receives several wireless messages from other ships reporting ice.

Sunday, April 14, 1912

• 09:00 am
  • The Caronia reports ice at Latitude: 42° N and Longitude: 50° W.

• 01:42 pm

  • The Baltic reports ice.

• 01:45 pm

  • The Amerika reports 2 large icebergs at Latitude: 41° 27' N and Longitude: 50° 08' W. This message was not sent directly to the Titanic, but was suppose to be passed on later when the Titanic came within range of a transmitter.

• 07:15 pm

  • Temperature drops to 39 degrees (F). The ice warning from the Baltic is finally posted on the bridge.

• 07:30 pm

  • The Californian reports passing 3 large icebergs at Latitude: 42° 03' N and Longitude: 49° 09' W.

• 09:00 pm

  • Temperature drops to 33 degrees (F).
    
  • The crow's nest is ordered by Second Officer Lightoller to "keep a sharp lookout for ice".

• 09:20 pm

  • Captain Smith retires to his cabin.

• 09:40 pm

  • The Mesaba reports pack ice, field ice and icebergs in the location of where the Titanic was traveling. There is no evidence that this message ever reached Captain Smith or Titanic's bridge. Apparently, wireless operator Jack Phillips was so preoccupied with sending messages that had accumulated during the day to the land station at Cape Race, he put the ice warning from Mesaba aside.

• 10:00 pm

  • Temperature drops to 32 degrees (F).
    
  • The Titanic was traveling at 22.5 knots.
    
  • The sea is calm, the skies are perfectly clear and the stars appear as brilliant points of light. There is no moon.
    
  • Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee take over lookout duty in the crow's nest. Interestingly, they did not have binoculars.

• 10:50 pm

  • The Californian sends a wireless message directly to the Titanic telling them that they were stopped and surrounded by ice. Before the Californian could relay their position (about 20 miles north of Titanic), wireless operator Jack Phillips angrily responded, "Shut up, shut up. You're jamming my signal. I'm busy. I'm working Cape Race". The Californian's wireless operator, Cyril Furmstone Evans, waited patiently and then finally gave up, turned off his equipment and went to bed.
    
  • The ocean water temperature is about 28 degrees (F).

• 11:30 pm

  • Lookouts Fleet and Lee notice a low-lying mist ahead, but do not see an iceberg. They probably would have sighted the iceberg if they had been issued binoculars.

• 11:39 pm

  • Lookout Frederick Fleet picks up a phone that is directly connected to the bridge. Sixth Officer Moody answers the call and is told, "Iceberg Right Ahead!".
    
  • The bridge immediately sends a "Stop" signal to the engine room. This is followed by "Full Astern".
    
  • Quartermaster Robert Hitchins is urgently ordered to turn the ship "Hard-a-starboard".
    
  • The Titanic turns to the left.....

• 11:40 pm

  • Titanic strikes iceberg!
    
  • The Titanic begins to flood.
    
  • First Officer William Murdoch closes the watertight doors.
    
  • Fourth Officer Boxhall arrives on the bridge.
    
  • Captain Smith returns to the bridge after the collision and asks First Officer Murdoch, "What have we struck?". Murdoch confirms that Titanic had struck an iceberg.
    
  • Smith asks Boxhall to inspect the forward area of the hull.
    
  • During the next 15 minutes, Boxhall looks at the damage and discovers that the Orlop deck was flooded forward of the #4 watertight bulkhead.

• 11:45 pm

  • Boxhall returns to the bridge and reports his findings.
    
  • Smith asks Boxhall to establish Titanic's position.
    
  • Captain Smith requests that Thomas Andrews and the ship carpenter "sound the ship" (inspect the damage).

Obviously, many events took place after the Titanic hit the iceberg, but I have decided not to include all of the specific details. The purpose of the "Time Line" section is to provide a general chronology of events.

Monday, April 15, 1912

• 12:00 midnight
  • Thomas Andrews informs Captain Smith that the first 6 watertight compartments had been breached and predicts that Titanic will stay afloat at most 2 hours.

• 12:05 am

  • Captain Smith orders his crew to prepare the lifeboats and requests that wireless operators Harold Bride and Jack Phillips send the "CQD" distress signal. The message "CQD" is a general call to all vessels, which indicates the vessel sending is in distress and requires immediate assistance.

• 12:15 am

  • Titanic's wireless distress signal is first received by the Cape Race wireless station and the ships Mount Temple and La Provence. The message gives Titanic's position as: Latitude: 41° 44' N and Longitude: 50° 24' W.

• 12:25 am

  • Captain Smith realizes the ship is lost and gives order to start filling lifeboats--"women and children first".
    
  • Distress signal sent again using the corrected position of: Latitude: 41° 46' N and Longitude: 50° 14' W.
    
  • The call for help is received by the Cunard liner Carpathia.

• 12:45 am

  • The first lifeboat is launched (boat #7).
    
  • The first distress rocket is fired.

• 12:55 am

  • Lifeboat #5 is launched.
    
  • Lifeboat #6 is launched.

• 01:00 am

  • Lifeboat #3 is launched.

• 01:10 am

  • Lifeboat #8 is launched.

• 01:12 am

  • Lifeboat #1 is launched.

• 01:15 am

  • The water is up to the name plate on the bow.

• 01:20 am

  • Lifeboat #9 is launched.
    
  • The last distress rocket is fired. A total of eight were fired between 12:45 am and 1:20 am.

• 01:21 am

  • Lifeboat #10 is launched.

• 01:25 am

  • Lifeboat #11 is launched.
    
  • Lifeboat #12 is launched.

• 01:27 am

  • Lifeboat #14 is launched.

• 01:30 am

  • Lifeboat #13 is launched.
    
  • Lifeboat #15 is launched.

• 01: 35 am

  • Lifeboat #16 is launched.

• 01:40 am

  • J Bruce Ismay gets into lifeboat "C".
    
  • Collapsible lifeboat "C" is launched.

• 01:45 am

  • Lifeboat #2 is launched.

• 01:55 am

  • Lifeboat #4 is launched.

• 02:05 am

  • Collapsible lifeboat "D" is launched.
    
  • As the bow of the Titanic continues to submerge, the water is almost up to the Bridge deck.

    

• 02:10 am

  • The last wireless distress signals were sent. "We are sinking fast....cannot last much longer".
    
  • The stern is noticeably beginning to rise above the ocean.
 
• 02:17 am
  • Titanic's distress signals abruptly end as radio room looses power.
    
  • Bride and Phillips leave the radio room.
    
  • Collapsible lifeboat "A" floats off as Titanic sinks further.
    
  • Collapsible lifeboat "B" floats off and flips over as Titanic sinks further.
    
  • The ship's bow plunges under and the stern rises high above the ocean surface.
 
• 02:18 am
  • The lights blink once and then go out.
    
  • The forward funnel breaks off and hits the water crushing anyone in its path.
 
• 02:19 am
  • The Titanic breaks into 2 pieces between the third and fourth funnels.
    
  • As the bow sinks further, the stern momentarily remains on the ocean surface.
 
• 02:20 am
  • Two hours and forty minutes after striking the iceberg, the "unsinkable" RMS Titanic slips into the sea and begins its descent to the ocean floor.

• 04:10 am

  • The Carpathia picks up the first of Titanic's lifeboats (boat #2).

• 08:30 am

  • The Carpathia picks up the last of Titanic's lifeboats (boat #12).

• 08:50 am

  • The Carpathia heads to New York with the survivors from the Titanic.

• Time unknown

  • One of the survivors, J Bruce Ismay, the Managing Director of the White Star Line sends a message (from the Carpathia) to his company's New York offices. The message read, "Deeply regret to advise you Titanic sank this morning after collision with iceberg, resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars later, Ismay".

Lifeboat Launching Summary:

*Collapsible A and B floated off the Titanic (exact time unknown).

Wednesday, April 17, 1912

• If Titanic's voyage had been uneventful, Titanic would have arrived in New York Wednesday morning at White Star Line's Pier 60.

Thursday, April 18, 1912

• 9:25 pm
  • Carpathia docks at Pier 54, North River, New York with Titanic's survivors.

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Friday, April 19, 1912

• The United States Senate begins an inquiry into the Titanic accident. The inquiry ends May 25, 1912.

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Saturday, April 20, 1912

• Titanic was to leave New York at Noon for its return trip.

May 2, 1912

• The British Board of Trade begins formal investigation into the loss of the Titanic. The inquiry ends July 3, 1912.

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November, 1913

• The International Conference for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) approves the following resolution:
  "When ice is reported on or near his course, the Master of every vessel is bound to proceed at night at a moderate speed or to alter his course, so as to go well clear of the danger zone".

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In 1913

• The International Ice Patrol is formed to guard the shipping lanes from ice.
  Its purpose is to patrol the ice regions during the period of greatest iceberg danger (January-September) and attempt to keep the transatlantic lanes clear of ice during the remainder of the year.

  Since its creation, no lives have been lost due to collisions with icebergs in the areas monitored by the Ice Patrol.

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In 1915

• With only 16 lifeboats and four small collapsible boats for the some 2,228 passengers and crew, the Titanic did not have an adequate number of lifesaving vessels. After the Titanic sank, there was an outcry for stricter rules regarding lifeboats. The LaFollette's Seaman's Act of 1915 stipulated that the number of passengers on a ship, not the gross tonnage, would determine the number of lifeboats necessary.

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September 1, 1985

• The wreck of the Titanic is located in the North Atlantic ocean 13,000 feet (2.5 miles) below.

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August 10, 1998

• A twenty ton section of Titanic's hull, measuring 26 ft x 30 ft, was raised to the surface by RMS Titanic Inc.

 

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