With 26 couples on their honeymoon and 3,327 people coming together from all different ways of life, the Titanic seemed like a dream for both the passengers and the crew. Everyone boarded the ship in 1912, praying for a smooth journey from Southampton to New York City. However, whether the ship was jinxed by not having a proper Christening or the victim of gross negligence the "Unsinkable" Titanic sank at 2.20am on April 15th 1912. The 1,000 feet high iceberg struck the right hand side of the ship at 11.40pm on the night of the 14th April, giving the crew members three hours to get everyone on board into lifeboats. Unfortunately, there weren't enough seats on the lifeboats for everyone. The ship was equipped to carry sixty-eight boats but only made room for twenty as it was thought that the deck would look too cluttered. This irresponsible decision resulted in the deaths of one third of the people on board.
"The sounds of people drowning are something that I can not describe to you, and neither can anyone else. Its the most dreadful sound and there is a terrible silence that follows it" - Eva Hart, survivor.
Whilst the ship was designed to withstand four compartments filled with water, six of these compartments were breached with no one to help the people on board. It took seventy four years to find the ship again, lying at the bottom of the ocean. So here are a few things that you might not have known about the Titanic and its tragic fate back in 1912.
15. The Families Of The Musicians Were Charged For Their Uniforms
The musicians had an important role to play on the Titanic and their actions on the ship are still remembered to this day. The eight men that made up this band are now famous for their consideration of the other passengers and their cheerfulness in times of darkness. When staff were informed that the ship was sinking, the band took their instruments to the deck and refused a place on the lifeboats in order to play happy music in order to try and calm down passengers. They played together until until the end. But be prepared to feel angry about what happened next. White Star Line then billed the families of the band for the uniforms that they were wearing (and died in) when the ship sank. Hopefully, the families all wrote a very angry worded letter about this to White Star Line after receiving this ridiculously outrageous invoice.
