The Titanic

© Encyclopædia Britannica

The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious

ship of her time, designed to be the fastest way

to cross the Atlantic to America.

The Titanic's gigantic

propellers.

Harland and Wolff's

Belfast shipyard,

May 1911

Courtesy Smithsonian Institute

Look at:

http://www.britannica.com/titanic/art-165558

for an interactive tour of Titanic.

Click on different parts of the ship for some

photographs and information.

She was said to be the safest ship afloat

Eileen and Neal McNamee were excited to

travel on her maiden voyage, even if they were

only Third-class passengers.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARMS_Tita

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N Atlantic Iceberg 1912.Was this the one Titanic hit?

The iceberg tears into the

Titanic.

This is how the hull split open.

We have an eye-witness account

Of the sinking.

Elizabeth Shutes was a governess,

travelling with a rich family

in a First Class cabin.

Read what she had to say:

‘Suddenly a queer quivering ran under me…

Startled by the strangeness of the

shivering motion, I sprang to the floor.

With too perfect a trust in the mighty vessel

I again lay down.

Someone knocked at my door, and the voice of

a friend said:

“Come quickly to my cabin,

an iceberg has just passed our window,

I know we have just struck one”’.

No laughing throng, but on either side (of the

staircase) stand quietly, bravely, the stewards,

all equipped with the white, ghostly life-preservers

….

We passed on… the awful goodbyes.

The quiet look of hope in the brave men’s eyes

as the wives were put into the lifeboats.

We left from the sun deck, seventy five feet above

the water.’

‘Our lifeboat, with thirty six in it, began lowering to

the sea. This was done amid the greatest confusion.

As only one side of the ropes worked, the lifeboat at

one time was in such a position that it seemed we

must capsize in mid-air.

At last the ropes worked together, and we drew nearer

the black, oily water.

And so we put off

– a tiny boat on a

great sea –

and rowed away

from what had

been a safe

home for five

days.’

Robert G. Lloyd, Marine Artist, England

‘The first wish on the part of all was to stay near the

Titanic. We all felt so much safer near the ship.

Surely such a vessel could not sink…

But surely the outline of that great, good ship was

growing less, the bow of the boat was getting black.

Light after light was disappearing.’Robert G. Lloyd, Marine Artist, England

Titanic survivors in a collapsible lifeboat

‘The stars slowly disappeared, and in their place came the

faint pink glow of another day.

Then I heard, 'A light, a ship.' I could not, would not, look while

there was a bit of doubt, but kept my eyes away….

Then I looked and saw a ship. A ship bright with lights;

strong and steady she waited,

and we were to be saved.’

Two lifeboats approach the Carpathia

April 15th 1912

Survivors on board the Carpathia

Eileen and Neal were not so lucky.

They did not survive.

Have another look at the plan of the ship

http://www.britannica.com/titanic/art-165558

Plot a route from the third-class cabins to the

lifeboats.

Do the same for the First-class cabins.

Which is easiest?

What happened to Neal and Eileen?

Eileen’s body was recovered

by the ship the MacKay Bennett .

She was buried at sea.

Neal’s body was never found. Like many brave

men he would have helped women and children

into the boats and stayed

on board the sinking liner.

Burial at Sea

The vivid description of what it was like to be on-board the

Titanic and see her sink comes from an eye-witness.

Evidence

like this

is called Oral History

Why did the mighty ship sink?

Was Captain Smith going too fast?

Had the shipbuilders done a bad job?

Was Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the

White Star line, trying to beat the

speed record to cross the Atlantic?

Look at ://www.historyonthenet.com/Titanic/blame.htm

For more ideas

Look at some pictures of the objects and records

from the Titanic. http://titanic.gov.ns. ca/artifacts-records.asp

Choose one object and think of 10 questions you

would like to ask about it…

(Have a look at the

next slide first to

give you some ideas)

Who did this shoe belong to?

How old were they?

Boy or girl?

What else might they be

wearing?

Do you like the style?

Do you think it was an

expensive shoe ?

What is it made of?

How did it do up?

How did it go missing?

Was it made by hand?

Here’s an example:

Copyright © Nova Scotia Museum

Search the list of

3rd class passengers

to find Neal and

Eileen McNamee.

What can you find out

about them?

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-third-class-passengers/

There’s a lot of

evidence about

the sinking of the

Titanic that you can

explore on-line.

http://www.webtitanic.net/menu.html

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/worksheets/titanic

.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/titanic

http://historyonthenet.com/Titanic/titanicmain.htm