The Titanic was built during a time when shipping companies like White Star Line and Cunard were competing fiercely to have the best steamships in the early 1900s. White Star Line was trying to outdo Cunard, a respected British company known for their top-notch ships that were considered the height of luxury and technology. The Mauretania, a ship operated by Cunard, started its service in 1907 and quickly achieved a remarkable feat by setting a speed record for the fastest transatlantic crossing. This record remained unbroken for a remarkable 22 years.  In the same year, Cunard’s Lusitania, another amazing ship, was praised for its stunning interiors. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on May 7, 1915, when a German U-boat torpedoed the ship, leading to the deaths of almost 1,200 out of the 1,959 passengers and crew on board. This event also played a role in the United States joining World War I.¹

Titanic’s huge hull, the biggest movable manmade object in the world back then, was launched into the River Lagan in Belfast on May 31, 1911. Over 100,000 spectators watched as the ship was launched smoothly in just over a minute. The ship’s hull was quickly taken to a huge dock for final touches, where many workers would work hard for almost a year to build the decks, create luxurious interiors, and install the 29 massive boilers that would fuel the main steam engines.

Some theories suggest that the Titanic was destined for disaster due to its cutting-edge design that many praised. The Olympic-class vessels had a double bottom and 15 watertight bulkheads with electric watertight doors that could be controlled all at once or one by one from a switch on the bridge. The watertight bulkheads were the reason Shipbuilder magazine called the Olympic liners “practically unsinkable.” However, the flaw in the watertight compartment design could have played a crucial role in the sinking of the Titanic: Although each bulkhead was watertight, water could still overflow from one compartment to another. Other ships that were owned by Cunard and were sailing around the same time as the Titanic had already come up with clever safety measures to prevent a similar tragedy. If White Star had learned from its competitor’s example, maybe the Titanic could have been saved from its unfortunate fate. The second major safety mistake that led to the loss of many lives was the number of lifeboats on the Titanic. There were 16 boats and four Engelhardt “collapsible” that could hold a total of 1,178 people. The Titanic had a maximum capacity of 2,435 passengers and around 900 crew members, making it able to accommodate over 3,300 people. This means that even if all the lifeboats were filled to their maximum capacity during an emergency evacuation, there would only be enough seats for one-third of the people on board. Although it may seem unbelievable by today’s standards, the Titanic actually had more lifeboats than what was required by the British Board of Trade’s regulations.