Over a century later, the Titanic's casualty statistics still reveal a stark social hierarchy. A passenger's survival was determined more by ticket class than by maritime principle.
Key Takeaways
- British inquiry began May 24, 1912, chaired by Lord Mersey.
- The RMS Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269.1 meters) long, making it the longest ship in the world at the time of its construction.
- Titanic departed Southampton on April 10, 1912, at noon.
- 2,208 people aboard when struck iceberg.
- 1,496 deaths, mostly from hypothermia in 28°F water.
Titanic sank on its first voyage, claiming over 1,500 lives despite numerous warnings.
Related reading
01 · Category
Aftermath and Legacy18 stats
01
British inquiry began May 24, 1912, chaired by Lord Mersey.
02
U.S. Senate inquiry started April 19, 1912, by Sen. Smith.
03
1,503.50 compensation per victim recommended by British inquiry.
04
White Star Line fined $100,000but appealed successfully.
05
SOLAS convention adopted 1914, mandating lifeboats for all.
06
Wireless regulations improved, 24-hour monitoring required.
07
Olympic refitted with more lifeboats post-Titanic.
08
Wreck explored 33 times, 5,500 artifacts recovered.
09
RMS Titanic Inc. owns 5,000+ artifacts from wreck.
10
Heart of the Ocean necklace fictionalized in 1997 film.
11
1997 James Cameron film grossed $2.2 billion worldwide.
12
Titanic memorial in Belfast dedicated 1998.
13
1517 official death toll per British inquiry.
14
Mackay-Bennett recovered 306 bodies, 59 buried at sea.
15
209 bodies recovered, 121 buried in Fairview Cemetery, Halifax.
16
$7.8 million lawsuit by survivors dismissed 1916.
17
International Ice Patrol founded 1914.
18
Nomadic, Titanic's tender, still exists in Belfast.
Interpretation
Aftermath and Legacy Interpretation
While the world was captivated by a fictional blue diamond in a blockbuster film, the real legacy of the Titanic is measured in sobering statistics: the meticulous inquiries that exposed systemic failures, the calculated price placed on a human life, and the enduring, hard-won reforms like the International Ice Patrol and mandatory lifeboats for all, born from the cold Atlantic lesson that safety must never be an afterthought.
02 · Category
Design and Construction30 stats
01
The RMS Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269.1 meters) long, making it the longest ship in the world at the time of its construction.
02
Titanic's gross register tonnage was 46,328 tons, a measure of the ship's internal volume.
03
The ship featured four funnels, but only three were functional for smoke exhaust; the fourth was for ventilation.
04
Titanic's beam (width) measured 92 feet 6 inches (28.2 meters).
05
The ship's hull was constructed with 3,000,000 steel rivets and required 39,000 tons of steel plates.
06
Titanic had a double bottom extending for 546 feet along the keel.
07
The height from keel to bridge roof was 104 feet (32 m).
08
It accommodated 2,435 passengers and crew in total capacity.
09
The boiler rooms housed 29 boilers in six groups.
10
Titanic's waterline had 16 watertight compartments divided by doors that could close automatically.
11
The ship's anchors weighed 30 tons each for the main bower anchors.
12
Construction began on March 31, 1909, at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
13
Launched on May 31, 1911, with 100,000 spectators present.
14
Fitted out from June 1, 1911, to March 31, 1912, costing £1.5 million.
15
The grand staircase spanned 60 feet from boat deck to D deck.
16
Turbine engine produced 16,000 horsepower, reciprocating engines 30,000 hp each.
17
Top speed was 23 knots (26 mph; 43 km/h).
18
Wireless telegraphy by Marconi system with 5 kW power.
19
Fresh water capacity was 1,092 tons for boilers and passengers.
20
The ship had 20 lifeboats for 1,178 people, far less than capacity.
21
Gymnasium included rowing machines, stationary bicycles, and punching bags.
22
Swimming pool was 32 feet long, 14 feet wide, 7 feet deep.
23
Turkish bath suites on F deck for first-class passengers.
24
Cargo included 75,000 pounds of fresh meat and 7,500 pounds of butter.
25
The keel was laid on March 31, 1909, yard number 401.
26
Drydocked for propeller fitting in March 1912.
27
Sea trials on April 2, 1912, from Belfast Lough.
28
Captained by Edward Smith for maiden voyage.
29
Crew numbered 885 on departure from Southampton.
30
First-class suites had electric heaters and bedside cabinets.
Interpretation
Design and Construction Interpretation
It was a masterpiece of Edwardian engineering, a floating palace built with three million rivets of hubris, boasting a grand staircase for the first class but only enough lifeboats for half its souls, proving that colossal scale and luxury are poor substitutes for foresight.
03 · Category
Maiden Voyage and Departure30 stats
01
Titanic departed Southampton on April 10, 1912, at noon.
02
Nearly collided with SS New York due to suction effect upon leaving Southampton.
03
Arrived Cherbourg, France, at 6:30 pm, embarking 274 passengers.
04
Departed Cherbourg at 8:10 pm, heading to Queenstown (Cobh).
05
Boarded 123 passengers at Queenstown on April 11 at 11:30 am.
06
Final departure from Queenstown at 2:20 pm April 11, with 2,208 aboard.
07
Traveled 484 miles first full day, averaging 20.75 knots.
08
Iceberg warnings received from RMS Caronia on April 12.
09
Captain reduced speed to 21 knots on April 14 due to ice field reports.
10
Six warnings of icebergs received that day from other ships.
11
Band played in first-class lounge on evenings during voyage.
12
Wireless operators sent 600 messages on April 14 before shutdown.
13
Ship's cat Jenny survived by being left ashore.
14
Daily runs logged: April 12 - 546 miles, April 13 - 519 miles.
15
Passed RMS Baltic at 5:42 pm April 14, receiving ice warning.
16
Californian warned of ice at 7:30 pm April 14.
17
Lookouts Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee on duty 10pm-12am April 14.
18
Temperature dropped to 31°F (-1°C) at 10 pm April 14.
19
Sea calm with no swells, making icebergs hard to spot.
20
Iceberg sighted at 11:40 pm April 14 by lookout Fleet.
21
Six bells rung in crow's nest to alert bridge.
22
First contact with iceberg at 11:40 pm, scraping starboard side.
23
Water entered first five compartments within 10 minutes.
24
Passengers mustered on boat deck by 12:05 am April 15.
25
Distress signal CQD sent at 12:15 am April 15.
26
SOS first used at 2:08 am by operator Jack Phillips.
27
Lifeboat 7 launched first at 12:45 am with 28 people.
28
RMS Carpathia responded to distress, 58 miles away.
29
Titanic fully submerged at 2:20 am April 15, 1912.
30
Total distance traveled: 2,209 miles from Queenstown.
Interpretation
Maiden Voyage and Departure Interpretation
Even amidst the celebratory music and modern comforts, the ship's early brush with disaster upon departure and the subsequent dismissal of mounting ice warnings show a tragic narrative where human confidence fatally underestimated the indifferent power of nature.
More related reading
04 · Category
Passengers and Crew21 stats
01
2,208 people aboard when struck iceberg.
02
1,317 passengers, 885 crew members total.
03
First class: 324 passengers, survival rate 62%.
04
Second class: 284 passengers, survival 41%.
05
Third class: 709 passengers, survival 25%.
06
Crew survival: 212 out of 885 (24%).
07
Women and children first policy: 74% women survived.
08
John Jacob Astor IV, richest passenger, worth $87 million.
09
Molly Brown, prominent survivor, helped in lifeboats.
10
Captain Edward Smith went down with ship.
11
Isidor and Ida Straus refused separation, both perished.
12
Violet Jessop, stewardess, survived Titanic, Britannic, Olympic collisions.
13
908 passengers from UK, 500 from US.
14
Average first-class ticket: £30 (about £3,000 today).
15
Cheapest ticket: £7 17s for third class.
16
116 Irish passengers from Queenstown.
17
23 musicians, all perished.
18
8 children under 3 years survived.
19
Benjamin Guggenheim dressed formally before dying.
20
705 survived, taken to New York on Carpathia.
21
Third-class barriers delayed evacuation.
Interpretation
Passengers and Crew Interpretation
The stark math of the "women and children first" policy was that your odds of surviving the Titanic were depressingly predictable, dictated not by courage but by the class of your ticket and the social status of your gender.
05 · Category
Sinking Incident20 stats
01
1,496 deaths, mostly from hypothermia in 28°F water.
02
Iceberg struck starboard side, buckling plates over 300 feet.
03
Bow plunged first at 2:18 am, stern rose vertically.
04
Ship broke between third and fourth funnels.
05
Boiler explosions occurred during final plunge.
06
Bow section sank to 12,500 feet, 1,970 feet from stern.
07
Lifeboats rowed away fearing suction, only half full.
08
Collapsible D launched upside down with 30 aboard.
09
Water temperature 28°F (-2°C), death in 15 minutes.
10
Only 18 lifeboats launched successfully.
11
Distress rockets fired every 5-10 minutes from 12:45 am.
12
Californian saw rockets but did not respond.
13
Carpathia arrived at 4:00 am April 15.
14
Last lifeboat picked up at 8:30 am.
15
Wreck discovered September 1, 1985, by Ballard at 41°43′57″N 49°56′49″W.
16
Six narrow slits in hull confirmed by wreck photos.
17
Stern imploded upon sinking, scattering debris.
18
3,547 cubic feet of water per minute initially flooded.
19
Ship listed 5 degrees to starboard after collision.
20
Electric plant failed by 11:50 pm.
Interpretation
Sinking Incident Interpretation
The chilling truth is that 1,496 people met a needlessly bureaucratic death, not in a dramatic cinematic explosion, but in a slow, agonizingly preventable defeat by 28°F water while half-empty lifeboats rowed away and a nearby ship ignored the distress rockets lighting up the night.
Reference
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Titanic Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/titanic-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Titanic Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/titanic-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Titanic Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/titanic-statistics.
Sources & references
8 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level