Why did the Titanic sink?
The Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg late on April 14, 1912, which ripped open several of its front compartments. Water flooded in faster than pumps could remove it, and it sank in under three hours.
The RMS Titanic was the largest ship in the world when it set off on its first voyage from Southampton to New York. It was traveling fast in an area where ice had been reported. Lookouts spotted the iceberg too late to avoid it. The collision opened gaps along about 90 meters of the hull below the waterline.
The ship was designed to stay afloat with up to four front compartments flooded, but at least five were breached. As the bow sank, water spilled over the tops of the bulkheads into the next compartments. The Titanic broke apart and sank at about 2:20 a.m. on April 15.
Why so many died
About 1,500 of the roughly 2,200 people on board died. The ship carried only 20 lifeboats, enough for about half of those aboard, which met the outdated rules of the time. Many lifeboats were launched only partly full. The disaster led to new safety laws requiring enough lifeboats for everyone.
Did You Know?
The wreck of the Titanic was found in 1985 by a team led by Robert Ballard, about 3,800 meters deep in the North Atlantic.