Titanic's Last Night

14 Apr 1912, 11:58 – 16 Apr 1912, 00:0055 items

disastermaritime

From the first warning to the last lifeboat

On Sunday 14 April 1912 RMS Titanic, the largest ship afloat, received six ice warnings and kept up 22 knots. At 23:40 on her own clocks she struck an iceberg; two hours and forty minutes later she was gone. This timeline follows the day of warnings, the night on board, the wait in the boats, Carpathia's rescue, and the day the news took to reach the shore.

By the numbers

about 2,224 people aboard
20 lifeboats, with room for 1,178
about 710 survivors; the two inquiries counted 706 and 711
62% of first-class passengers survived, and 25% of third class

Reading it

Five eras run from the first warning to the news ashore; shorter bands mark the distress calls, the lowering of the boats and Carpathia's dash. Filter by ice for the warnings, wireless for the messages, lifeboats, rescue, californian for the ship that watched, and news.

All times are GMT, converted from the ship's clocks, which ran 2 h 58 min behind: the survivors' “sank at 2:20” is 05:18 here. Transcripts of both inquiries are at the Titanic Inquiry Project.

Items

14 Apr 1912, 11:58 – 15 Apr 1912, 02:38
Steaming into the ice
14 hours, 40 minutes
14 Apr 1912, 11:58
Ice warning from Caronia
Ice reported by Caronia, along 42° N
14 Apr 1912, 16:40
Baltic's warning goes into Ismay's pocket
Ice reported by Athinai, relayed by Baltic
14 Apr 1912, 16:43
Amerika's warning never reaches the bridge
Two large icebergs reported by Amerika
14 Apr 1912, 20:48
Titanic turns at the Corner
“The Corner”, 42° N 47° W
14 Apr 1912, 22:28
Californian warns of three large bergs
Three large bergs reported by Californian
15 Apr 1912, 00:18
Smith leaves the bridge
15 Apr 1912, 00:38
Mesaba's warning is never delivered
Pack ice and icebergs reported by Mesaba
15 Apr 1912, 00:58
Murdoch and the lookouts take over
15 Apr 1912, 01:58
“Shut up, I am busy”
Californian, stopped in the ice
15 Apr 1912, 02:37
Iceberg right ahead
South of the Grand Banks, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 02:38 – 15 Apr 1912, 05:18
Two hours and forty minutes
2 hours, 40 minutes
15 Apr 1912, 02:38
Collision
South of the Grand Banks, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 02:58
Andrews: she will sink
15 Apr 1912, 03:03
Order to uncover the boats
15 Apr 1912, 03:13 – 15 Apr 1912, 05:18
Wireless distress calls
2 hours, 5 minutes
15 Apr 1912, 03:13
First distress call
15 Apr 1912, 03:23
Carpathia answers
Carpathia, at the first distress call
15 Apr 1912, 03:00
Cape Race hears the call
Marconi station, Cape Race, Newfoundland
15 Apr 1912, 03:33 – 15 Apr 1912, 06:58
Carpathia's dash
3 hours, 25 minutes · Carpathia's run north-west
15 Apr 1912, 03:43 – 15 Apr 1912, 05:13
Lifeboats away
1 hour, 30 minutes
15 Apr 1912, 03:43 – 15 Apr 1912, 04:43
Distress rockets
1 hour
15 Apr 1912, 03:43
Lifeboat 7, first away
15 Apr 1912, 03:43
“It may be your last chance to send it”
15 Apr 1912, 03:53
Lifeboat 6 with Margaret Brown
15 Apr 1912, 04:03
Lifeboat 1 leaves with twelve
15 Apr 1912, 04:08
Lifeboat 8: the Strauses stay
15 Apr 1912, 04:23
Olympic told: women into the boats
15 Apr 1912, 04:00
Californian's officer reports the rockets
Californian, stopped in the ice
15 Apr 1912, 04:00
The band plays on
15 Apr 1912, 04:00
Guggenheim dresses in his best
15 Apr 1912, 04:38
Lifeboat 13 nearly crushed
15 Apr 1912, 04:38
Ismay leaves in Collapsible C
15 Apr 1912, 04:43
“Engine room full up to boilers”
15 Apr 1912, 04:48
Lifeboat 4: Astor stays behind
15 Apr 1912, 05:00 – 15 Apr 1912, 09:00
On upturned Collapsible B
4 hours
15 Apr 1912, 05:03
Collapsible D, last boat lowered
15 Apr 1912, 05:08
Smith releases the wireless operators
15 Apr 1912, 05:13
Collapsibles A and B wash off
15 Apr 1912, 05:15
Last wireless message
15 Apr 1912, 05:16
The lights go out
15 Apr 1912, 05:18 – 15 Apr 1912, 06:58
Waiting in the dark
1 hour, 40 minutes
15 Apr 1912, 05:18
Titanic sinks
Titanic wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 05:00
The baker in the water
15 Apr 1912, 06:20 – 16 Apr 1912, 00:00
The news ashore
17 hours, 40 minutes
15 Apr 1912, 06:20
The Times reads the silence
Times Tower, Times Square, New York
15 Apr 1912, 06:00
Lifeboat 14 goes back
The lifeboats, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 06:58 – 15 Apr 1912, 11:48
Rescue
4 hours, 50 minutes · The lifeboats, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 07:08
Lifeboat 2 picked up first
15 Apr 1912, 08:00
Daylight shows the ice
15 Apr 1912, 08:00
Californian learns what happened
Californian, stopped in the ice
15 Apr 1912, 11:28
Last lifeboat taken aboard
15 Apr 1912, 11:00
Californian reaches the scene
The lifeboats, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 11:48
Carpathia sails for New York
The lifeboats, near the wreck site
15 Apr 1912, 23:00
White Star admits the loss
White Star Line offices, 9 Broadway, New York