This Thursday marks 110 years since the Titanic sank under the waves. For nearly a century, its wreckage has been rotting on the seabed. Update on the program and summary of the sinking.
[Mis à jour le 14 avril 2022 à 11h04] This Thursday takes place the tragic anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It’s been 110 years to the day since the liner collided with an iceberg, before sinking under the waves. The liner sank to the depths of the ocean in less than three hours. 1,520 people will lose their lives there. The wreckage of the Titanic still lies 3,821 meters below the ocean. Nevertheless, it would be nibbled by marine microorganisms for more than a century, according to the magazine Geo environment. It could therefore completely disappear by 2030.
Various cultural events are organized on the occasion of this 110th anniversary date. Goal ? Enlighten the curious on the mysteries and the legend of the Titanic. Here is a non-exhaustive list of these commemoration events:
- The International Ice Patrol commemorates the sinking by flying over the site, and throws a wreath in memory of the victims.
- Tradition has it that all radio-navigation operators cut their radios at 2:17 a.m., for 5 minutes, to make tribute to telegrapher Jack Philips died in the disaster.
- The television channel Paris Premiere offers, on April 14, an evening dedicated to the liner with the film “Atlantic latitude 41”, at 9 p.m., followed by the documentary “Titanic: birth of a legend”, at 11:25 p.m.
- Chain RMC broadcast, on April 1, “Titanic: anatomy of a giant, on RMC replay”. The program remains available for free streaming on RMC Découverte, a few days after the broadcast.
- The publishing house Harper Collins released, on April 6, the book In the depths of the Titanic by Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
- The magazine Geo History published, on March 8, the article “April 14, 1912: the sinking of the Titanic as told by the newspapers of the time”, exploring a completely new angle on the subject.
- The creation of a Titanic museum in Auvergne is planned. It will be called “Immediate Boarding”, will be in Vichy and will be the first museum specially dedicated to the Titanic in France. At the initiative of this project, Aymeric Le Guisquet, a cook by training, is a passionate collector of the liner.
- The scientific and recreational park of the Cité de la Mer, in Cherbourg, opened a “Titanic Space” in 2012, on the occasion of the centenary of the sinking. The exhibitions and reconstructions offered allow you to immerse yourself in the universe of the Belle Époque, and to discover the equipment, the organization as well as the hierarchy of the classes within the liner. The French Titanic Association plans to convene a general meeting in Cherbourg the weekend of April 16, to view the wreckage items at the Cité de la Mer.
It was one of the largest ocean liners of its time. The Titanic sank in 1912 so that he was heading to New York from Southampton on her maiden voyage. The sinking was caused by the collision with an iceberg. Although it occurred more than a century ago, this maritime disaster still marks the spirits : it is the most important outside periods of war, and the most serious at the beginning of the 20th century. The eponymous film by James Cameron, a huge commercial success, has put this tragic story back in the spotlight.
The sinking of the Titanic took place on the night of April 14-15, 1912.
650 km southeast of the island of Newfoundland.
An iceberg ripped open the hull of the starboard liner. The waterway thus created below the waterline quickly caused the submersion of the first five compartments of the ship. The shipwreck was then unavoidable, because the liner could only float if a maximum of four compartments were invaded by water. Recent hypotheses point to a fire that would have deformed and weakened the hull of the boat where it hit the iceberg, even before its departure.
At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the iceberg was signaled straight ahead by the watchman. Thirty-seven seconds later, the hull is torn open by the iceberg and water enters five of the compartments. A passageway on deck E was soon invaded by water. At 11:50 p.m., the bow of the ship had already sunk 4 m under water. At 12:30 a.m. on April 15, water rushed down the front grand staircase. At 1:40 a.m., the 1st class concourse was submerged. At 2:17 a.m., the footbridge was covered in water. At 2:19 a.m., the liner broke in two. At 2:20 a.m., the stern also sank.
According to estimates, the sinking of the Titanic would have cost the death of about 1,500 people. More than three quarters of the crew members were among the victims. 3rd class passengers are the most affected (75% of victims), while 1st class passengers account for only 40% of deaths. These figures need to be balanced: 75% of women, all categories combined, survived the sinking, while half of the children perished. In total, 62.2% of the passengers died during the sinking.
Michel Navratil, who was 3 years old at the time of the sinking, says: “My father came into our cabin while we were sleeping. He dressed me very warmly […]. A man I did not know did the same with my brother. When I think about it now, I am very moved. They knew they were going to die.” Daisy Minahan, 33, explains that “The Titanic sank quickly. After he had disappeared under the water, the cries were horrible.” Anna Sophia Turja, an 18-year-old Finnish girl, recounts the fright and helplessness of the survivors in the face of people dying in the icy water: “They were in the water and we couldn’t help them…”.
It is quite simple to find the list of Titanic survivors, as compiled by the Reuters agency in New York a few days after the sinking. The newspaper Le Matin, in Paris, published the names of the survivors on April 17, 1912. A copy of this edition is available online. This list, however, contains duplicate names. The website The Bookworm published a list that even specifies the price of their ticket and their profession.
The wreck of the Titanic was discovered by Jean-Louis Michel of Ifremer and Dr Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on September 1, 1985. Out of respect for the dead, they did not collect any objects. In the centenary year of the sinking, in 2012, UNESCO placed the wreck of the Titanic under the protection of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in order to protect it from looting. However, the damage is done, and according to researchers’ estimates, the wreckage will be gone by 2050.
- May 31, 1911 – Inauguration of the largest ocean liner in the world
- On this day, the Titanic, which was then the largest ocean liner in the world, was inaugurated in front of more than 100,000 people in Belfast, Ireland. Several tons of grease and soap will have to be used to launch the ship. By superstition, he had not been baptized with champagne. After the successful launching of the boat, a feast putting French gastronomy in the spotlight is given at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.
- April 14, 1912 – Sinking of the Titanic
- It is 11:45 p.m. when the British liner “Titanic”, off the coast of Newfoundland, in the North Atlantic, hits an iceberg. A hole 90 meters long, and which goes forward amidships, will be caused by the shock. The largest and most luxurious ship in the world (269 meters), flagship of the shipping company “White Star Line”, was deemed unsinkable. However, it sinks into the ocean a few hours later. The disaster resulted in the death of 1,513 people, mostly men and third-class passengers who were unable to board the lifeboats. With 2224 passengers on board, the “Titanic” has only 1178 places on the canoes. The ship “Carpathia” will save 711 people overnight. The “Titanic” had left Southampton in England on April 10, and was due to arrive in New York on the 16th.
- February 26, 1914 – Launch of the Britannic
- Third in line after the Olympic and the Titanic, the Gigantic was finally renamed Britannic. Improved based on lessons learned from the sinking of the Titanic, the Britannic is advertised as the safest and most luxurious ship. She was launched in Belfast on February 26, 1914 but was never commercially exploited because she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy on August 4 to serve as a hospital ship, in the midst of the First World War. After two years of service, she sank on November 21, 1916 in the Aegean Sea.
- September 1, 1985 – The Rediscovery of the Titanic
- Seventy-three years after the sinking of the Titanic, a Franco-American team locates the wreckage, submerged in 3,800 meters of water, off Newfoundland. The luxurious British liner, deemed indestructible, sank after hitting an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people. It will be explored in 1987 by the remote-controlled French submarine the Nautile, which will notably bring up silverware and jewellery.
- January 7, 1998 – French release of “Titanic”
- The most expensive film in the history of cinema (more than 200 million dollars) appears on French screens three weeks after its American release. It will total more than 20 million admissions in France and will be the first film to exceed the billion dollar mark at the global box office. “Titanic” will bring its director James Cameron and Century Fox 1.2 billion in revenue and 11 Oscars in Hollywood.