A Titanic Disaster

When the cruise ship Titanic set sail from England on April 10, 1912, everyone thought it was unsinkable. But just four days later, disaster struck.

On April 14, shortly before midnight, the ship hit an iceberg. Within hours, the largest and most spectacular vessel of its time sank to the floor. About 1,500 of the more than 2,200 passengers died, including some of the wealthiest people in the world. The first ship to reach the site rescued 705 survivors, mostly women and children.

Sadly, many more lives could have been saved. The Titanic only had enough lifeboats for half of its passengers. A nearby ship could have rescued more people, but its radio operator was off duty and didn’t hear the Titanic’s call for help.

Today there are much stricter rules that ships have to follow. By law, there must be enough lifeboats for every one. Ships are required to have lifeboat drills or practices so that every one knows what to do in an emergency. Radio operators must always be on duty, and the International Ice Patrol warns ships about icebergs.