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Sinking Time Line copyright Maryland Science Center 2001

( what can we learn of the sinking based on survivor testimony on the night of the disaster?)

* This is a partial compilation of very detailed 35 page account of the events involving the crew and eyewitnesses onboard the Titanic the night of the sinking. The FULL account can be found in the TitanicScience Exhibit.

SHIP New York LOCATION SURVIVOR SURVIVOR TESTIMONY SOURCE
TIME TIME NAME
1800 1610 Bridge Charles Lightoller Lightoller assumes watch. Ship making 75 revoloutions, 21.5 knots. British Inquiry
[Note: Calculations show 75 Revolutions = 22.5 knots] Question 13497
1830-1900 1640-1710 Charles Lightoller Becomes dark British Inquiry
copyright Maryland Science Center 2001 Question 13662
1900-2000 1710-1810 Bridge Charles Lightoller Estimates ship will be in ice region (49° meridian) by 1730 hours. British Inquiry
Question 13551
1905-1935 1715-1745 Officer's Mess Charles Lightoller Lightoller at dinner British Inquiry
Question 13586
1900-1930 1710-1740 Bridge Charles Lightoller Water temperature drops from 43° to 39° F. British Inquiry
copyright Maryland Science Center 2001 Question 13589
2045-2050 1835-1840 Bridge Charles Lightoller Sends word to carpenter to look after fresh water (drain it to prevent pipes from British Inquiry
freezing). Telephones engine room to take "necessary precautions for the Questions 13595
winches." & 13607
2045-2050 1835-1840 Bridge Charles Lightoller Telephones engine room to take "necessary precautions British Inquiry
Question 13596
2055 1845 Bridge Charles Lightoller Captain Smith arrives on the Bridge after leaving the dinner party by Mrs. & British Inquiry
Mrs Harry Widener. He engages Second Officer Lightoller concerning the Questions 13615+
weather and sea conditions as well as precautions to be taken in the hours
ahead. Their conversation goes something like this:
Captain Smith: "It is very cold
Lightoller: Yes, it is very cold. In fact, it is one degree above freezing. I have
© 2001   Maryland Science Center
Last Updated on 4/13/2001, titanicscience.com		 sent word down to the carpenter and rung up the Engine Room and told them
that it is freezing or will be during the night."
Captain Smith: There is not much wind.
Lightoller: No, it is a flat calm, as a matter of fact.
Captain Smith: A flat calm?
Lightoller: Yes, a flat calm, there is no wind. It is a pity that there is not
much more wind as it will make it difficult for the lookouts to see icebergs.
Even if the darker side of the iceberg should be towards us, the white outline
of the iceberg should give us sufficient warning.
Captain Smith: It appears to be quite clear. [Losing hs nightblindness]
Lightoller: Yes, it is perfectly clear.
2120-2125 1910-1915 Captain Smith: If the lookouts should spot any haze, we will slow down. If British Inquiry
it becomes at all doubtful, let me know at once. I will be just inside. Question 13629
[On his way to his cabin, Captain Smith stopped by the Chart Room and
recorded the 1930 position calculated by Officer Boxhall.
2130 1920 Bridge Charles Lightoller Orders Sixth Officer James Moody to warn the the two lookouts in the Crow's British Inquiry
Nest to keep a sharp lookout for ice, particularly small ice and growlers until Question 13660
daylight. Officer Moody telephones the lookouts with this order.
2150 1940 Bridge Charles Lightoller Water temperature is now 32 degrees. British Inquiry
copyright Maryland Science Center 2001 Question 13704
2200 1950 Bridge Charles Lightoller Officer William Murdoch relieves Officer Lightoller who repeats Captain Smith's British Inquiry
orders on encountering of ice or haze. Questions 13571
& 13710
2330 2140 Crow's Nest Fredrick Fleet and The lookouts detect a slight haze ahead over the starboard bow. Tom McCluskie
Reginald Lee
2340 2150 Crow's Nest Frederick Fleet Through a slight haze on the horizon, he spots something about the size Haas & Eaton
of two tables directly over the bow. He then recognizes the object as an
iceberg. He rings the bell three times and telephones the Bridge.
© 2001   Maryland Science Center
Last Updated on 4/13/2001, titanicscience.com		 The Titanic heeled to port as she struck the iceberg along the starboard side.
There was the sound of rending metal right away, it seemed to be running
right along the starboard side.
Important Commentary This ship at a speed of 22.5 knots would heeled over to port.
2340 2150 Bridge Quartermaster Hitchens Sixth Officer James Moody answers telephone and hears Fleet's warning of Haas & Eaton
an "iceberg right ahead."
2340 2150 Bridge Quartermaster Hitchens First Officer William Murdoch is on watch from 2000 to 0200 and orders: Haas & Eaton
1) Engines, Full Speed Astern Garzke
2) Helm - Hard-a-starboard
copyright Maryland Science Center 2001
2340.37 2150.37 Shell Titanic makes contact with the iceberg at a speed of 22.5 knots (75 rpm)
2340+ 2150+ Fourth Officer Joseph He is passing the door to the Captain's cabin and hears alarm of three American
Boxhall bells and proceeds to Bridge. Inquiry
2340.48 2150.48 Six areas of the hull are affected about 13.5 feet above the baseline. Paul Matthias
Forepeak - trace (just below the waterline) 1996 Survey
Cargo Hold No. 1 (4 feet and 5 feet - two separate area) Bill Garzke
Cargo Hold No. 2 (15 feet - across this space and into adjacent one) Observation, 1998
Cargo Hold No. 3 (33 feet at a riveted seam)
Boiler Room No. 6 (45 feet - into Boiler Room No. 5)
Fireman Barrett sees water pouring into Boiler Room from a failed seam
about 2 feet above Grating level that is about 10 feet above keel.
Boiler Room No. 5 (About 5 feet of damage to riveted seam) Fireman Barrett
Boiler Room No. 4 - Rivet damage (extent unknown) Bill Garzke
Important Commentary At question 14394 and 14886, Lightoller says he interviewed lookouts aboard
"Carpathia"; Fleet told him that "practically at the same moment he struck
the bell he noticed that the ship's head commenced to swing, showing that the
helm had been altered probably a few moments before he struck the bell.
"Thus, men on the bridge may actually have seen berg first.With helm hard
over, Lightoller said (Q145515) tover, Lightoller said (Q145515) that Titanic
could turn in around in three times
2340.48 2150.48 Bridge Quartermaster Hitchens First Officer Murdoch pulled a lever that closes liner's watertight doors.
2340 2150 Boat Deck Charles Lightoller Feels "jar and grinding sound", "a few seconds long." "Slight jar followed by a Britsih Inquiry
2nd Offcrs Qtrs. grinding sound" followed by bumping from forward. Believes that the ship has Questions
hit something with propellers, stripping off the blades. 13734-7
2340 2150 Midships Saloon James Johnson, Steward He felt the noise of collision sounded like the ship had lost a propeller. British Inquiry
Page 89
Reciprocating Thomas Dillon, Trimmer he felt a slight shock. Britsih Inquiry
Engine Room Page 98
Electric Shop Thomas Ranger He felt a slight jar; it lifted us off our feet. British Inquiry
E Deck Greaser Page 103
Boiler Room No. 4 George Cavell The impact felt like a shock. The shock knocked down the coal in which he British Inquiry
Trimmer was working and surrounded him, carrying to the floor of the bunker. Page 106
Firemen's Quarters Alfred Shires He was in his bunk when the collision began. He felt a rumble, a shock, not British Inquiry
D Deck, Starboard Side Fireman much Page 111
Quarters Next to 3rd John Hart, 3rd He was in his bunk and was not awakened by the collision. British Inquiry
Class Dining Room Class Steward Page 221
Outside 3rd Class Albert Pearcy, 3rd Just a small motion, but nothing to speak of. British Inquiry
Pantry Class Pantryman Page 231
Edward Brown He was awakened by the shock of the collision, but thought that there was British Inquiry
1st Class Steward no danger. Page 233
Quarters, E Deck Charles Mackay Felt a shock from the collision, but it was not too severe. British Inquiry
Midships Bathroom Steward Page 236
Quarters, E Deck Frederick Morris He was in his quarters asleep and not awakened by collision. British Inquiry
Bath Steward Page 126
Quarters, E Deck Samuel Rule He was not wakened by the shock of the collision. British Inquiry
Port Side Bath Steward Page 148
In watertight door Frederick Scott Felt the shock as though had gone wrong in the main engine room British Inquiry
opening between Recip Greaser copyright Maryland Science Center 2001 Page 130
Engine and Turbine Rms
Officer's Quarters Charles Lightoller He was in his stateroom relaxing. He described the ship-iceberg encolunter British Inquiry
Boat Deck as a jar and grinding sound. There was a slight jar followed by this grinding Page 309
sound. It was as though she might have hit something with her propellers
and stripped the blades off. There was a slight jar followed by the grinding -
a slight bumping. It continued for a couple of seconds, a very few.
Officer's Quarters Third Officer Herbert J. He was in his quarters asleep. He was awakened by a noise. He thought British Inquiry
Boat Deck Pitman that the was coming to anchor. Page 346
Quarters, E Deck Baker Charles Joughin He felt the shock of the collision and immediately got up. British Inquiry
Midships Page 139
2340.44 2150.44 E Deck AB George Symons He is awakened after less than 1.5 hours of sleep by a scraping noise along British Inquiry
the bottom of the ship [sounded like ship lost her anchor and chain and it Question 11347
was running along the ship's bottom]. He did not get up. Companion
lookout Hogg came to awaken him later.
Circa 2341 Circa 2151 Well Deck Fireman Charles He was asleep when the iceberg encounter began, but was awakened by a British Inquiry
Hendrickson crew member in time to see the iceberg abaft the engine room on the Questions 4844
Circa 2345 Circa 2155 E Deck starboard side of the ship. He noted that there was much ice on the through 4895
starboard side of the Well Deck. He believed that the encounter was not
serious and was going to return to his quarters. Fireman Ford came to him
to inform him that he spotted water coming into the spiral staircase that was
the access to the Firemen's Passage that passed through Cargo Hold Nos.
2 and 3. Proceeding forward to Hatch No. 1, he noticed that the tarpaulin Questions 4912
over that hatch on E Deck was like "a big dome." He believed this was due through 4923
to water flowing and expelling the air. He then entered the spiral staircase
and started to descend as far as G or F Deck. He noted that these stair-
cases were spiral type, rimmed with a railing in an open setting within a
trunk. Hendrickson noted that he saw water falling into the trunk along
its starboard side above the tank top. Although he was certain that he saw
flooding there, he could not tell exactly how it was coming.
Important Commentary This was the source of flooding for the Firemen's Passage. Bill Garzke
Observation: As these forward spaces flooded, the vessel's trim
increased, the incoming water expelled the residual air in the space.
2341 2151 Boiler Room No. 6 Fireman Frederick Barrett Hesketh and Barrett were talking in the starboard aft corner of Boiler Room
No. 6. A bell rang and a red light flashed, indicating a change in speed.
Hesketh and Barrett shout, "Shut the doors [ash doors to the furnaces]".
Fireman Barrett on duty in Boiler Room hears a crashing sound [sounded
like thunder]. He turns to look forward and sees water coming from a
riveted seam along the starboard side, about two feet above the grating on
which he is standing. A bell begins to ring, indicating that the
watertight door between Boiler Room Nos. 5 and 6 is about to close.
Barrett escapes into Boiler Room No. 5 with Engineer James Hesketh as
the watertight door descends. As Barrett gains his footing, he peers into
the forward starboard bunker, now empty, and notices water flowing in from
the same seam he saw flooding in the forward boiler room. He notes that
the seam is damaged only over a distance of 2 feet beyond the main
transverse bulkhead in Boiler Room No. 5.
Boiler Room No. 6 Fireman George He was in Stokehold No. 10, he noticed the shock. It was just like thunder, British Inquiry
Beauchamp the roar of thunder. Page 34
C Deck (Forward) Joseph Scarrott (A.B.) Did not feel any direct impact, but it seemed that the ship shook in the same British Inquiry
manner as if the engines had been suddenly reversed to full speed astern, just Page 23
the same sort of vibration, enough to wake anyone up if they were asleep.
2341 2151 Bridge Quartermaster Hitchens Quartermaster Olliver is asked to note time of collision Haas & Eaton
(Approx.) Officer Moody records time of collision in Ship Log
2341 2151 Bridge Quartermaster Hitchens Appears in Bridge area inquiring on collision Bill Garzke
2341-2342 2151-2152 Bridge Officer Boxhall Captain Smith arrives on the Bridge within seconds after the collision. He American
requests Chief Officer Wilde and Boxhall to make an assessment of damage
in the forward portion of the ship. He inspects the Steerage Class areas on Inquiry
G Deck in vicinity of Cargo Hold Nos. 2 and 3, but observes no damage.

Researched and compiled by our consultants, Naval Architect Bill Garzke and Titanic Historians and Authors Jack Eaton and Charlie Haas. copyright Maryland Science Center 2001

 

 

 

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