Heroes of the Titanic

April 15, 2012, marks the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic.

Construction of the Titanic commenced in 1909 in Belfast, Ireland, by the ship-building company Harland & Wolff. Shipbuilders worked tirelessly for two years to create the mammoth structure that was to become the Titanic, and eight workers died during its construction. After the ship was finished in 1912, the Titanic was set for its maiden voyage in early April.

The Titanic was designed to be a luxury ship to ferry people back and forth across the Atlantic. Onboard, there were more than 900 crew members, including waitstaff, engineering, and deck crews. The Titanic carried first-class, second-class, and third-class passengers. Many second- and third-class passengers were European citizens immigrating to America in search of a new life. The total number of people aboard the Titanic was a little more than 2,000.

When the Titanic struck the iceberg, it quickly became apparent that the ship’s "unsinkable" reputation was not true. The Titanic would be sitting at the bottom of the ocean in a little more than two hours. As the Titanic was sinking, passengers were loaded onto lifeboats by the deck crew. The engineering crew stayed at their posts to work the pumps, controlling flooding as much as possible. This action ensured the power stayed on during the evacuation and allowed the wireless radio system to keep sending distress calls. These men bravely kept at their work and helped save more than 700 people—even though it would cost them their own lives.