Ships and Boats RMS Titanic sea trials

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Titanic beginning a day of sea trials, April 2, 1912. (NARA, RG 306, Records of the U.S. Information Agency)

"Not even God himself could sink this ship."
--Employee of the White Star Line, at the launch of the Titanic, May 31, 1911

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When the British ship Titanic steamed out of Southampton bound for New York on April 10, 1912, it was the largest and most sumptuous luxury liner that had ever sailed. It was a monument to the promise of technology and to Victorian elegance, with magnificent oriental carpets and crystal chandeliers. It was thought to be unsinkable.

Confidence was so high that the owners and builders rejected plans calling for as many as 64 lifeboats. Although the number of lifeboats on the Titanic (20) exceeded government standards, the boats would only accommodate about half of the 2,228 people aboard. In one of history's great ironies, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, after colliding with an iceberg off the banks of Newfoundland. More than 1,500 people died in the accident.

RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. Author: F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923)

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