Besides her luxurious accommodations, what set the Titanic apart from other ships of the time was the fact that she was “practically unsinkable.” Her hull was divided into sixteen watertight compartments, and the ship’s builders promised the ship would still float even with four of these compartments completely flooded. In case of an emergency, there were also 20 lifeboats on-board, capable of holding 1,178 people total. Unfortunately, this was roughly half the number of people booked for the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Question

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail for New York with 2,200 passengers and crew on board led by their captain, Edward J. Smith. For the next few days, passengers enjoyed the splendid ship, eating delicious meals in the dining rooms, and walking the decks. They also enjoyed the use of a new invention: the wireless telegraph. Passengers loved this new communication device, which allowed them to send messages to family and friends back home. The two wireless operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, worked hard sending and receiving messages, many warning of ice in the Titanic’s path. No one seemed overly concerned about the ice. What harm could ice do to an unsinkable ship?

At 11:40 p.m., the lookouts spotted a huge iceberg right in the path of the Titanic. They sounded the warning bell, but it was too late: the iceberg scraped along the side of the great ship, ripping small holes in five of the watertight compartments. The ship’s builder, Thomas Andrews, made a quick assessment and determined that the compartments would slowly fill with water while the Titanicsank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The crew was ordered to begin filling lifeboats with passengers. At first, passengers could not believe that this “unsinkable” ship was in trouble and refused to board the lifeboats. Many of the first lifeboats launched with only a handful of people.

At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the most luxurious ship in the world sank beneath the waves. More than 1,500 people were lost in the tragedy. The survivors were picked up by another cruise liner, the Carpathia, who comforted and cared for them the rest of the trip to America.

Because of the Titanic tragedy, many new safety regulations were put in place, including a mandatory law that all cruise liners must carry enough lifeboats to accommodate every passenger and crew member on board. The Titanic was lost to history until she was discovered by Robert Ballard in 1985, which allowed a new generation to become enthralled with her story once again.

How did the assumption that the Titanic was unsinkable lead to problems?

Use details from the passage to support your answer.

Answer 1

The assumption that the Titanic was "practically unsinkable" led to several critical problems during its maiden voyage, culminating in the disaster that occurred on April 15, 1912. The belief in the ship's unsinkability fostered a sense of overconfidence among both the crew and the passengers, which contributed to their lack of preparation and urgency in the face of danger.

First, the false sense of security resulted in insufficient attention to ice warnings. Despite receiving multiple messages from other ships about icebergs in the area, the Titanic's passengers and crew did not perceive the ice as a significant threat. The passage states, “No one seemed overly concerned about the ice. What harm could ice do to an unsinkable ship?” This attitude likely contributed to a relaxed approach to navigating the icy waters, leading to a lack of appropriate caution that could have averted the disaster.

Moreover, when the iceberg was spotted and the ship sustained damage, the passengers' disbelief in the ship's vulnerability inhibited a timely and effective response to the emergency. The text mentions that "At first, passengers could not believe that this 'unsinkable' ship was in trouble and refused to board the lifeboats." This refusal resulted in lifeboats launching with only a handful of people, which severely limited the number of individuals who could be saved.

Lastly, the Titanic was inadequately equipped for the number of passengers on board. With only 20 lifeboats capable of holding 1,178 people—around half the total number of people booked—the lack of sufficient lifeboats meant that many people had no means of escape when the ship did sink. The disaster highlighted the severe oversight in safety regulations due to the belief in the ship's unsinkability, as suggested by the paragraph detailing the implementation of new safety regulations following the tragedy.

In summary, the assumption of the Titanic's unsinkability led to complacency regarding safety measures, negligence towards ice warnings, and an inadequate evacuation plan, all of which contributed to the catastrophic loss of life during the sinking.