Wednesday, April 10, 1912

12 Noon

Titanic leaves Southampton, England for Cherbourg, France.

7.00 p.m.

Titanic arrives at Cherbourg. Picks up & disembarks passengers via tenders.

9.00 p.m.

Titanic departs Cherbourg for Queenstown, Ireland.

Thursday, April 11, 1912

12.30 p.m.

Titanic arrives at Queenstown. Picks up & disembarks passengers. An Irish stoker, who apparently signed on with the intention of getting a free voyage home, deserts by hiding under mailbags on one of the tenders. Another stoker climbs up the inside of the 4th (dummy) funnel and peers out of the top - some onlookers are alarmed by the appearance of his grimy features. This incident is later exaggerated by the Press; the stoker's blackened, 'devil-like' face at the opening of a supposedly smoke-belching funnel is portrayed as an omen of ill-fortune.

1.30p.m/ 2.00 p.m.

Leaves Queenstown, Ireland for New York, USA with 2,227 passengers and crew.

Sunday, April 14, 1912

9.00 a.m.

Titanic receives ice warning from the Caronia:

"Icebergs, growlers and field ice at 42 N, extending from longitude 49 to 50 W."

11.40 a.m.

Titanic receives ice warning from the Noordam:

"Much ice"

in the same area as Caronia.

1.42 p.m.

Titanic's Position: 42, 35 N, 45, 50 W

Titanic receives ice warning from the Baltic:

"Icebergs & large quantity of field ice at 41, 51 N, 49, 9 W.".

1.45 p.m.

Titanic receives ice warning from the Amerika:

"Passed two large icebergs at 41, 27 N, 50, 8 W.".

5.50 p.m.

Titanic 'Turns Corner' at 42 N, 47 W - changing course from S62 degrees W to S86 degrees W.

7.00 p.m.

Air Temperature: 43 degrees F.

7.15 p.m.

Ice warning from Baltic finally posted on bridge.

7.30 p.m.

Titanic receives ice warning from Californian:

"Three large icebergs five miles to south ward of us, 42, 3 N, 49, 9 W.".

Air Temperature 39 degrees F.

9.00 p.m.

Air Temperature 33 degrees F.

8.40 p.m./9.30 p.m.

Second Officer Lightoller instructs carpenter and engine room to monitor the fresh water supply in case of freezing. He also warns the crow's nest to watch for ice.

9.40 p.m.

Titanic receives ice warning from Mesaba:

"Saw much heavy pack ice & great number of large icebergs, also field ice at 42 to 41, 25 N, 40 to 50, 30 W.".

This warning was not passed to the bridge. Titanic was already in this area of ice.

10.00 p.m.

Air Temperature: 32 degrees F.

10.30 p.m.

Sea Temperature: 31 degrees.

11.00 p.m.

The relatively near Californian attempts to warn Titanic of more ice:

"We are stopped & surrounded by ice."

but Marconi operator Jack Phillips is more concerned with sending passenger's messages - California's operator is cut off before being able to transmit his location & told to "Shut up".

11.39 p.m.

Fredrick Fleet sees the iceberg, rings the crow's nets bell three times, calls the bridge & reports, "Iceberg right ahead".

11.40 p.m.

Titanic collides with iceberg, opening up the first 5 compartments to the sea, 300 feet in length. Contrary to the popular belief that the ship's bow was torn open by a huge gash, the damage consists of many cuts & openings (produced by bent/buckled plates & sheared rivets) - some are are quite narrow & barely as wide as a human finger. Experts who attempt to offer this scenario at subsequent enquiries are silenced by Titanic's owners - presumably because the 'multiple cuts' theory potentially raised uncomfortable questions about the type & quality of the steel used in the ship's construction.

11.50 p.m.

Water pours in so fast that excaping air forces up hatch covers and hisses out of forepeak tanks. Water in the forepeak, No.1 and No. 2 hold, mailroom and boiler rooms No. 6 and No. 5 is now 14 feet above the keel level. Thomas Andrews tells Captain Smith the ship is going to sink.

Monday, April 15, 1912

12.05 a.m.

Orders are given to uncover the boats, muster the crew and passengers.

12.15 a.m.

First wireless call for help is sent out.

12.30 a.m.

In the gymnasium, John Jacob Astor slices open a lifebelt to show his young wife what's inside.

12.45 a.m.

First distress rocket is fired from starboard wing of bridge. First lifeboard (No. 7) is lowered.

12.55 a.m.

Fifth Officer Lowe tells J. Bruce Ismay to "Get out of the way of lowering the boats.".

1.10 a.m.

Mrs. Isidor Staus refuses a place in lifeboat No. 8 in order to stay with her husband.

1.35 a.m.

First Officer Murdock prevents a rush on lifeboard No. 15.

1.40 a.m.

Last distress rocket fired. J. Bruce Ismay climbs into Collapsible C & saves himself.

2:05 a.m.

The last lifeboard - Collapsible D - is lowered.

2.10 a.m.

Last wireless signals sent due to failing power.

2.18 a.m.

Lights go out & flicker back on momentarily, but then go out permanently.

2.20 a.m.

Titanic sinks, breaking in two at the surface. The stern rights itself, then fills with water & follows the bow below the surface.

3.30 a.m.

Carpathia's rockets sighted by lifeboats.

4.10 a.m.

First lifeboat (No.2) picked up by the Carpathia.

8:30 a.m.

Last lifeboat (No. 12) is picked up by the Carpathia.

8.50 a.m.

Carpathia heads for New York with 705 survivors.

Thursday, April 18, 1912

9.00 p.m.

Carpathia reaches New York & the World begins to learn the full extent of the tragedy. Souvenir hunters steal items and fittings from Titanic's lifeboats when they are set down by the Carpathia at the White Star Line's Dock. The boats are later removed to a storage facility and an inventory documents the systematic looting of ghouls and opportunists. The final fate of the lifeboats is unknown - the official records are silent on the subject. It is widely believed that they were issued to other vessels in the White Star fleet or discreetly sold to other companies.