Titanic’s Launch & Olympic’s Trials

#otd 1911 Witnessed by over 100,000 spectators, #Titanic ’s hull is successfully launched before being towed to the fitting-out basin

#OtD 1912, 5:18 GMT, (2:20 Ship time) #Titanic sinks.

#OtD 1912, 5:15-5:18 GMT, (2:17-2:20 Ship time) Released from the flooded bow, the stern section settles back to nearly an even keel. Then something connecting the two halves of the ship exerts a powerful tug on the forward-port side of the stern. It is pulled forward and down, spinning counter-clockwise as it begins to climb toward the nearly-full vertical position. Some survivors see the ship’s propellers pass over their heads as the stern swings about. Finally, the two halves of the ship separate, and the stern is reported standing almost perfectly vertical by many survivors viewing from all angles.
She pauses, suspended in a nearly-vertical attitude. Then water begins to flood the previously-unflooded stern section, and the inevitable begins to occur. Gradually at first, but with an exponentially-increasing speed, the stern begins to sink from sight. #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 1912 5:15 GMT (2:17 Ship Time) With the ship having reached an angle of about 30° down by the head, her hull visibly fails, creating a large opening at the upper decks seen by many survivors. Most of the lights fail immediately; according to a few survivors, a few of the lights may continue operating for a brief period thereafter. #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 1912 3:45 GMT (0:47 Ship Time On the Bridge, Fourth Officer Boxhall has noticed the lights of another vessel on the horizon. At this time, he fires the first of a series of distress rockets in an attempt to contact her. #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 1912 3:25 GMT (0:27 Ship Time) At Captain Smith’s order, Jack Phillips sends the first CQD distress call. The position given is 41° 46′ N, 50° 24′ W. Thomas Andrews moves into the First Class Entrance and begins circulating among passengers, telling them to don their lifebelts? #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD1912, 2:38 GMT, (23:40 Ship time) #Titanic collides with the iceberg, opening a series of small deformations in her lower starboard side hull plates. The damage stretched from the Forepeak tank to Boiler Room No. 6. As the ship’s hull flared from a point, and her turn remained steady, each succeeding instance of damage was longer than its predecessor. The final stretch of damage, running about forty-five feet, ran the length of Boiler Room No. 6 and just across the bulkhead into the starboard-forward coal bunker of Boiler Room No. 5. First Officer Murdoch orders the helm “Hard a port!” in an attempt to “fishtail” the liner’s stern away from the berg. The maneuver succeeds, and the damage ceases. The ship’s engines come to a stop shortly after the collision. #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 1912 2:37 GMT (23:39 Ship Time) Lookouts Fred Fleet and Reginald Lee spot an iceberg directly in the path of the #Titanic. They sound the warning bell three times, and Fleet lifts the handset on the telephone receiver to call the Bridge. Sixth Officer Moody answers the phone, and receives Fleet’s warning: “Iceberg right ahead!” Moody relays the warning to Murdoch. In the intervening period, First Officer Murdoch had likely been scrutinizing the water ahead of the ship, carefully ascertaining the situation and what his best option for evasive action would be under the conditions he faced. As soon as Moody’s relayed warning was heard, he “rushed” onto the Bridge, ordering “Hard a starboard!” and swinging the engine telegraph handles to “Stop”. Quartermaster Hichens, at the ship’s wheel in the Wheelhouse, immediately – and correctly – carried out Murdoch’s order; his action was carefully watched by Sixth Officer Moody, who stood beside him to ensure that there was no mistaken response. Although the Titanic responded remarkably quickly to the helm orders, the iceberg was simply spotted too late… #MaidenVoyage

Realtime sinking livestream. https://www.youtube.com/live/SMyv4yPwiOI

#OtD 1912 16:52 GMT (13:54 ShipTime) RMS Baltic transmits an ice warning to Captain Smith. The message is acknowledged at 14:57 ship’s time. #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 2012 7:58 GMT (5:00 Ship Time) Jack Phillips and Harold Bride complete their repairs on the Marconi set. #Titanic #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 13:55GMT (13:30 Ship Time) #Titanic departs Queenstown Harbour. Shortly after departure this Photo was taken by Francis Browne. It is the last known picture of the Ship afloat. #MaidenVoyage

#OtD 1912 11:55GMT (11:30 Ship time) #Titanic drops anchor in Queenstown Harbour. The tenders Ireland and America carry baggage, cargo, mail and additional passengers to the ship, along with photographers and reporters who document the ship’s brief first stay in that port. #MaidenVoyage

#otd 1912 (8:20)GMT #titanic departs Cherbourg, bound for Queenstown. Overnight, the ship’s clocks were set back some 25 minutes from GMT to harmonize with Dublin Mean Time, which Queenstown clocks were set to. #MaidenVoyage

#otd 1912 6:20 (GMT), #Titanic is anchored inside the breakwater at Cherbourg harbor. Passengers and mail are transferred from the Nomadic and Traffic #MaidenVoyage

#otd 1912, 12:00-12:15(GMT) #titanic leaves Southampton dock. #MaidenVoyage