The Russian steamer Birma is 70 miles away when it hears Titanic's SOS, also too far. As Titanic sinks, the crew spots a ship on the horizon. However this mystery ship does not respond to messages or approach the sinking liner. It is believed this was the Sampson, a Norwegian boat that was in the area illegally hunting seals. The nearby Californian is Titanic's last hope, but the wireless is turned off. The crew wakes Captain Stanley Lord when they see Titanic's emergency flares, but he orders them to respond using the morse lamp instead of the wireless. They will not hear a response from Titanic.
Meanwhile, Titanic begins to launch lifeboats, with women and children first. But without a general alarm, many below-deck passengers are not even aware something is wrong. Titanic has 20 lifeboats, enough for 1,178 people, a little over half of those on board. However a lifeboat drill earlier in the day was cancelled, and the crew has the wrong impression the ships davits have not been weight-tested, though they were in Belfast. So the already-too-few lifeboats are launched under-capacity, at an average of only 60% full. As Titanic's bow fills with water, the hull begins to rise out of the ocean. At 2:18 AM, Titanic splits in half. At 2:20 the stern sinks below the ocean, plunging over 1500 people into the freezing water. Those in the lifeboats are fearful of getting swamped and wait to return. By the time they do, 68% of the people onboard Titanic have died. 45% of first and second class passengers, 75% of third class passengers, and 78% of the crew perished at sea.
The Carpathia arrived at 3:30 AM, about an hour after Titanic sank, rescuing 705 survivors from lifeboats. On April 18th, Titanic's survivors arrived in New York City, greeted by massive crowds. News of Titanic's sinking had spread around the globe, the tragedy magnified by the glamour associated with the ship and its maiden voyage, and the deaths of many of era's wealthiest and most prominent people, including John Jacob Astor, Isidor Strauss, president of Macy's, and his wife Ida. Ida Strauss refused to leave her husband's side, and while Isidor was offered a seat next to her in a lifeboat,
he refused to take it while women and children remained onboard. Titanic's captain Smith and designer Andrews also died on Titanic. However others, like J. Bruce Ismay, survived in lifeboats and were consequently vilified by the press. Both the American and British governments investigated the sinking. The U.S. Senate Inquiry was led by Michigan Sen. William Alden Smith and interviewed 80 survivors. It faulted the British Board of Trade for not regulating the number of lifeboats aboard and doubted the distance claimed by the crew of the Californian. As a result of the sinking, ships were required to hold enough lifeboats for all passengers and keep 24-hour radio watch, and a new international iceberg monitoring service was created.
The sinking of the Titanic had little averse impact on Harland and Wolff. The Olympic's watertight doors were extended up to B deck, and the ship served as a troop transport in WWI. A third ship, Brittanic, replaced Titanic, but was sunk after striking a mine in 1916. J. Bruce Ismay retired in shame a year after the sinking. Then in 1935, the White Star Line was acquired by longtime competitor Cunard. Titanic remained firmly entrenched in the popular imagination, though interest would wane over time. Then, in 1985, famed oceanographer Robert Ballard announced the discovery of the wreck of Titanic. Titanic became a testing ground for Argo, a cutting-edge submersible equipped with a remote control camera. On September 1st, 1985 the first underwater images of Titanic were recorded. The wreckage has been populated by rusticles, which, over time, will slowly dissolve the ship. Titanic rests on the ocean floor 13 miles away from its last reported coordinates.
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