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How Did Titanic Sink?

Published in Shipwrecks 2 mins read

The RMS Titanic sank on April 14–15, 1912, primarily due to a catastrophic collision with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Tragic Demise of the RMS Titanic

The immediate and direct cause of the RMS Titanic's sinking was its collision with an iceberg. This monumental event occurred during the late hours of April 14 and early morning of April 15, 1912, during the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

While the "unsinkable" ship was reportedly designed to remain afloat even if as many as four of its sixteen watertight compartments were breached, the impact with the iceberg proved to be far more extensive than this critical threshold. The sheer force and nature of the collision caused damage that affected at least five compartments of the ocean liner. This critical level of flooding surpassed the ship's design capacity to stay buoyant, leading to its eventual and rapid sinking.

Here's a summary of the key factors in the Titanic's sinking:

Factor Detail
Immediate Cause Collision with an iceberg
Date of Sinking April 14–15, 1912
Ship's Design (Survival) Could reportedly stay afloat if up to 4 of its 16 compartments were breached
Actual Damage The impact affected at least 5 compartments, exceeding design limits

The breaching of more compartments than the ship could sustain led to an uncontrollable influx of water, progressively pulling the bow down and ultimately causing the colossal vessel to break apart and plunge to the ocean floor.