by TJ Scharff (6th)
Back in 1912, there was a ship being built called the RMS Titanic. It took 3 years to build, and many men died while helping construct it.
About 2,200 people boarded the Titanic, and only 705–712 survived the disaster. There were three groups of passengers. First Class was for wealthy people, Second Class was for middle-class passengers who had decent accommodations, and Third Class was for poorer passengers who had smaller rooms and fewer luxuries.
For people who don’t know where the Titanic is now, it sank to the bottom of the ocean on April 15, 1912. One night, while the ship was traveling to New York, it struck an iceberg on the side of the ship and damaged four compartments. This was very dangerous because if four or more compartments on the ship filled with water, the ship would sink.
The first parts of the ship to flood were the boiler rooms. One by one, different sections went underwater until the stern finally began to sink. The captain lost hope after calling for rescue ships, including the RMS Carpathia, but it was too far away to arrive in time. He eventually went down with the ship. Twelve pets boarded the Titanic, but only three survived.
The scene became chaotic as people pushed and ran toward the lifeboats while rooms on the ship filled with water. At 2:10 a.m., just ten minutes before the ship fully sank, the main staircase was flooding while people desperately tried to escape. Many of them did not make it out. At around 2:17–2:18 a.m., the Titanic split in half, causing many passengers to fall into the freezing ocean. At 2:20 a.m., the ship fully disappeared beneath the sea. Today, the Titanic rests at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland, broken and weakened by time. Some people believe that if the crew had binoculars, they might have spotted the iceberg sooner.
FACT 1: One crew member who did not sail on the Titanic reportedly had the key needed to access the binoculars, which may have contributed to the crew spotting the iceberg too late.
FACT 2: Some experts believe that if the Titanic had hit the iceberg head-on instead of scraping along the side, the damage may not have been as severe.
FACT 3: A project called Titanic II is planned for the future, with reports saying it could launch in 2027.
FACT 4: There are many Titanic Museum Attraction locations and Titanic-related museums across the United States.