This guide on how long was the titanic gathers the main facts, common questions and practical tips in one place.
The Titanic’s voyage lasted just under five days. She left Southampton on 10 April 1912, picked up passengers at Cherbourg and Queenstown, and struck an iceberg late on 14 April. She sank in the early hours of 15 April.
Key takeaways
- Departed Southampton on 10 April 1912.
- Hit an iceberg at about 11:40 pm on 14 April.
- Sank at about 2:20 am on 15 April.
- The planned crossing to New York was about a week.
The timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 April | Leaves Southampton, then stops at Cherbourg, France in the evening |
| 11 April | Calls at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, then heads into the Atlantic |
| 12 to 14 April | Crosses the open ocean, receiving several ice warnings |
| 14 April, 11:40 pm | Strikes an iceberg |
| 15 April, 2:20 am | Sinks |
How long it would have taken
The ship was due in New York on the morning of 17 April, so the full crossing would have been about a week from departure. In practice, she was at sea for roughly four days before the collision.
The rescue
The Carpathia, another liner, reached the lifeboats a few hours after the sinking and picked up about 700 survivors. She then took them to New York, where they arrived on 18 April.
Why the speed mattered
Titanic was travelling fast through an ice field at night. Lookouts had no binoculars and the sea was calm, so the iceberg was difficult to spot until it was close. The disaster led to major changes in maritime safety, including better lifeboat rules and round-the-clock radio watch.
The wreck was found in 1985, about 370 miles off Newfoundland, at a depth of roughly 12,500 feet.
Quick facts
The ship carried over 2,200 people, and more than 1,500 died. She was the largest ship afloat at the time and was judged to be nearly unsinkable by many contemporaries, though that was never an official claim. The wreck lies in two main sections on the sea floor and is protected by international agreement.
Museums in Belfast, Liverpool and Southampton tell the story in detail, and the Belfast museum sits on the site of the shipyard that built her.
Key takeaways about how long was the titanic
Here is a short summary of how long was the titanic so you can find the main points quickly.
- The Titanic's voyage lasted just under five days.
- The ship was due in New York on the morning of 17 April, so the full crossing would have been about a week from departure.
- The Carpathia, another liner, reached the lifeboats a few hours after the sinking and picked up about 700 survivors.
- Titanic was travelling fast through an ice field at night.
- The wreck was found in 1985, about 370 miles off Newfoundland, at a depth of roughly 12,500 feet.
- The ship carried over 2,200 people, and more than 1,500 died.
- Museums in Belfast, Liverpool and Southampton tell the story in detail, and the Belfast museum sits on the site of the shipyard that built her.
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For general background, you can look up how long was the titanic on Wikipedia.
