How Big Was the Titanic?
 

'The Titanic's length compared to various modern vehicles.


Diagram courtesy of Discovery Online.
 

The R.M.S. Titanic was a White Star Line steamship carrying the British flag, built by
Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Ireland. No expense was spared in her design and decor.
(Reported cost of $7.5 million)

specifications: "Titanic was 883 feet long (1/6 of a mile), 92 feet wide and weighed 46,328 tons (with a depth of 59.5 feet), with triple screw propulsion. She was 104 feet tall from keel to bridge, almost 35 feet of which were below the waterline... even so, she stood taller above the water than most urban buildings of  the time. There were three real smoke-stacks; a fourth, dummy stack was added largely to increase the impression of her gargantuan size and power and to vent smoke from her numerous kitchens and galleys. She was the largest movable object ever made by man. The ship's immense size and complexity is illustrated by an incident recalled by Second Officer Lightoller. There was a gangway door on the starboard side aft 'large enough to drive a horse and cart through.' Yet three officers who joined the ship during her preparations spent a whole day simply trying to find their way to it."
-Courtesty of http://www.titanicmovie.com/

unsinkable & unbeatable:Moreover, she was designed to be a marvel of modern safety technology. She had a double-hull of 1-inch thick steel plates and a (heavily publicized) system of 16 water-tight compartments, sealed by massive doors which could be  instantly triggered by a single electric switch on the bridge, or even automatically by electric water-sensors. The press began to call her "unsinkable." Her accommodations were the most modern and luxurious on any ocean, and included electric light and heat in every room, electric elevators, a swimming pool, a squash court (considered terribly modern), a Turkish Bath, a gymnasium with a mechanical horse and mechanical camel to keep riders fit, and staterooms and first class facilities to rival the best hotels on the Continent. She also had one of the very first swimming pools ever seen on an ocean liner. First class passengers would glide down a six-story, glass-domed grand staircase to enjoy haute cuisine in the sumptuous first class dining saloon that  filled the width of the ship on D Deck. For those who desired a more intimate atmosphere, Titanic also offered a stately à la carte restaurant, the chic Palm Court and Verandah restaurant, and the festive Cafe Parisian. She offered two musical ensembles (rather than the standard one) of the best musicians on the Atlantic, many of them lured from rival liners. There were two libraries, first- and second-class. Even the third class (steerage) cabins were more luxurious than the first class cabins on some lesser steamships, and boasted amenities (like indoor toilet facilities) that some of Titanic's emigrant passengers had not enjoyed in their own homes.

too cluttered... The original design called for 32 lifeboats. However, White Star Line management felt that the boat-deck would look too cluttered, and reduced the number to 20, for a total life-boat capacity of 1,178. This actually exceeded the regulations of the time, even though Titanic was capable of carrying over 3,500 people (passengers and crew).
 
 

Titanic: History Behind the Tragedy
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