108 Years to its Doomed Atlantic Crossing, Rare Photos of Titanic

Today, April 12th, 108 years pass on the sail of Luxurious R.M.S. TITANIC, crossing the Atlantic in its maiden voyage from Southampton, London to New York City, USA.

According to historical data, on April 10, 1912 Passengers in Southampton, England, board the ship and the Titanic begins her maiden voyage. Next day, it stopped in France before picking up more passengers in Queenstown, Ireland. On April 12 & 13, 1912, the Titanic sailed through calm waters, crossing the Atlantic.

On April 14th, 11:40 pm (Ship time), Lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an iceberg dead ahead. It  strike the Titanic on the right side of her bow. 10 minutes later, 14 feet of water pour into the front part of the ship. By midnight, the captain was told the ship can only stay afloat for a couple of hours. The mess then began.

The British passenger liner operated by the White Star Line has 2224 passengers and crew onboard. Within the next 2 hours, more than 1,500 died, making the sinking one of modern history's deadliest peacetime commercial marine disasters. RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and was the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, chief naval architect of the shipyard at the time, died in the disaster.

Titanic was under the command of Capt. Edward Smith, who also went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States. The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants and opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger "marconigrams" and for the ship's operational use. Although Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, it only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people—about half the number on board, and one third of her total capacity—due to the maritime safety regulations of those days. The ship carried 16 lifeboat davits which could lower three lifeboats each, for a total of 48 boats. However, Titanic carried only a total of 20 lifeboats, four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch during the sinking.

Here are some rare photos caught from the RMS Titanic:

[caption id="attachment_120944" align="aligncenter" width="369"] The Titanic sits near the dock at Belfast, Northern Ireland soon before starting its maiden voyage. Circa April 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120949" align="aligncenter" width="394"] The icy waters where the Titanic sinking occurred, as seen just days before the disaster. April 4, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120942" align="aligncenter" width="351"] The reading and writing room on the first-class deck of the Titanic, as seen soon before the vessel took off. 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120934" align="aligncenter" width="366"] The first-class lounge aboard the Titanic, as seen soon before the vessel took off. 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120948" align="aligncenter" width="375"] Titanic passengers stroll past the ship's onboard lifeboats soon before the ship went down. Circa April 10-14, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120943" align="aligncenter" width="351"] A child plays on the playground located on the saloon deck of the Titanic three days before the ship went down. Circa April 10-11, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120940" align="aligncenter" width="380"] The Café Parisien portion of the first-class restaurant aboard the Titanic, as seen soon before the vessel took off. 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120937" align="aligncenter" width="359"] Captain Edward J. Smith (right) and Purser Hugh Walter McElroy stand aboard the Titanic as it travels between Southampton, England and Queenstown, Ireland, just one day into its voyage — and three days before it would sink. Circa April 10-11, 1912. The man who took this photograph, Rev. F.M. Browne, got off at Queenstown. Both Smith and McElroy died in the Titanic sinking.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120939" align="aligncenter" width="446"] The main dining room aboard the Titanic, as seen soon before the vessel took off. 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120933" align="aligncenter" width="362"] The iceberg suspected of having sunk the Titanic, as photographed by the steward of a passing ship the morning after the Titanic sinking. The other ship had not yet received word about the Titanic sinking but the steward reportedly saw red paint smeared along the base of the iceberg, indicating that a ship had struck it within the last several hours. April 15, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120941" align="aligncenter" width="393"] Following the  ship sinking, a lifeboat carries survivors to safety. April 15, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120931" align="aligncenter" width="320"] A lifeboat, believed to be from the Titanic, is hoisted and drained of water. Date unspecified.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120946" align="aligncenter" width="381"] The last lifeboat launched from the ship makes its way through the water. April 15, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120932" align="aligncenter" width="370"] Survivors of the Titanic sinking sit on the deck of the Carpathia, wrapped in blankets and clothes given to them by Carpathia passengers, soon after their rescue. April 15, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120930" align="aligncenter" width="405"] Crowds wait outside the White Star Line office in order to hear the latest news on the disaster. New York. Circa April 15-18, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120935" align="aligncenter" width="371"] Crowds line the docks as the ship prepares to take off on its voyage. Southampton, England. April 10, 1912.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_120938" align="aligncenter" width="372"] The ship sits at the dock in Southampton, England soon before setting off. April 10, 1912.[/caption]