The RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner built for the White Star Line. Workers laid her keel in March 1909 at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company constructed her alongside her sister ship, the Olympic. On May 31, 1911, they launched the hull amid great public interest. Fitting out took nearly another year, and she completed sea trials in early April 1912. At the time, she ranked as the largest passenger ship in the world.

Titanic measured about 882 feet long and 92.5 feet wide. Her gross registered tonnage came to roughly 46,300 tons. She featured nine decks and could reach a top speed of around 23 knots, powered by a combination of reciprocating steam engines and a low-pressure turbine driving three propellers. The ship offered luxurious accommodations, especially for first-class passengers, with grand staircases, a swimming pool, and fine dining rooms. Many people at the time called her unsinkable because of her watertight compartments, although builders never used that exact term in official statements.

The maiden voyage began on April 10, 1912, from Southampton, England, bound for New York City. The ship stopped first at Cherbourg, France, then at Queenstown, Ireland, to pick up additional passengers. In total, more than 2,200 people were aboard, including about 900 crew members. Passengers ranged from wealthy industrialists in first class to immigrants seeking new lives in America in third class. Captain Edward Smith commanded the vessel.

On the evening of April 14, the ship received several warnings about ice in the area. She continued at high speed through the North Atlantic. At 11:40 p.m., lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an iceberg directly ahead. The crew turned the ship hard to port and reversed the engines, but it was too late. The iceberg scraped along the starboard side, opening a series of holes below the waterline. Water flooded the forward compartments. The ship could stay afloat with up to four compartments flooded, but damage affected five or more.

Passengers and crew felt the impact as a slight jolt. Many went back to sleep or continued their activities at first. As water rose, officers began loading lifeboats. The ship carried only 20 lifeboats, enough for about half the people on board. Officers followed the custom of the time and loaded women and children first. Distress signals went out via wireless, and the Cunard liner Carpathia responded, but she was hours away. By 2:00 a.m., the bow had sunk low enough that the stern rose out of the water. The ship broke apart between the third and fourth funnels. The bow section plunged first, followed by the stern, which settled briefly before sinking. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves.

Around 1,500 people perished that night, mostly from hypothermia in the near-freezing water. Only about 700 survived, rescued by the Carpathia later that morning. First-class passengers had the highest survival rate, while third-class passengers and many crew members fared worse. The disaster led to major changes in maritime safety, including requirements for enough lifeboats for everyone on board, 24-hour wireless operation, and regular ice patrols.

The wreck remained lost for more than 70 years. In September 1985, a joint French-American expedition led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discovered it. The ship lies in two main pieces about 13,000 feet deep, roughly 350 miles off Newfoundland. The bow and stern sections rest about a third of a mile apart. Explorers have since visited the site many times, documenting the deteriorating condition of the hull. Artifacts recovered from the debris field now appear in museums around the world. The Titanic continues to fascinate people as a reminder of human ambition and the power of the sea.