The keel of the Titanic was laid on 31.03.1909 at the Northern Irish shipyard Harland & Wolff. The steamer was fitted out to the highest standards of elegance and luxury for use in the prestigious transatlantic liner service of the White Star Line. Two years later, on 31.05.1911, the Titanic was launched. With a length of 269.04 m, a width of 28.19 m and a tonnage of 46,329 GRT, she was the largest ship in the world in 1912. Captain Edward John Smith transferred from the sister ship Olympic to the Titanic especially for the maiden voyage. On Wednesday, 10 April 1912, she set sail from Southampton. The stops at Cherbourg (France) and Queenstown (Ireland) were on the way to New York (USA). The crossing went smoothly until, due to numerous warnings of icebergs, the lookout bell sounded on Sunday (14.04.1912) at about 23:40 (shipboard time). The ship struck the iceberg on the starboard side and sank into the icy waters of the Atlantic after two hours and forty minutes. Only 712 people survived the disaster.
