9:20p.m. Titanic's captain, Edward J. Smith retires for the evening, leaving Second Officer Charles Lightoller in charge of the watch.

9:30p.m. Titanic comes in contact with Cape Race, Newfoundland. Marconi operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride are busy sending passenger's messages to family, friends, and business associates.

10:00p.m. Second Officer Lightoller is relieved on the bridge by First Officer William Murdoch. The lookouts in the crow's nest are replaced by Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee. They are warned to be on the lookout for icebergs.

10:50p.m. Wireless comes in from the Californian. It reads, "Say old man, we are stopped and surrounded by ice." Phillips replies, "Shut up! Shut up! I am busy. I am working Cape Race."

11:39p.m. Iceberg spotted, 500 feet away, by Fredrick Fleet. He immediately sounds the warning bell and dials the bridge. Sixth Officer James Moody answers.

Fleet: "Is anyone there?"

Moody: "Yes, what do you see?"

Fleet: "Iceberg, right ahead!"

Officer Murdoch orders "full speed ahead" and "hard a-starboard" hoping to avoid a collision. After several seconds, Titanic begins to veer to port. The iceberg strikes the starboard bow, tearing into the side of the ship as she passes by. Murdoch orders the watertight doors sealed. Thirty-seven seconds have passed.

11:50p.m. Captain Smith asks Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer, and the ship's carpenter to conduct an investigation of the damaged sustained by the ship.

Monday, April 15

12:00a.m. Thomas Andrews reports to Captain Smith that five of the watertight compartments have been breached. Titanic will only remain afloat about ninety minutes. The boilers are shut down.

12:05a.m. Captain Smith gives the order to uncover the lifeboats and gather the passengers and crew on deck.

12:10a.m. - 1:50a.m. Lights from the nearby ship, Californian, are visible to passengers and crew on board Titanic. Titanic attempts to signal her by flare and morse lamp. Crew members on board Californian see these lights, but they are ignored as the lights seem too low over the ships deck to be distress rockets.

12:10a.m. The ship's orchestra takes up position outside the First Class Entrance and begins to play, hoping to calm the passengers.

12:15a.m. Harold Bride and Jack Phillips begin sending out Titanic's distress signal.

"CQD MGY 41.46N 50.14W We have struck a berg. Requie assistance. Putting the women off in the boats."

The closest ship to respond is Carpathia, four hours away.

12:25a.m. The order is given to begin filling the lifeboats, women and children first. Carpathia heads full speed toward Titanic.

12:45a.m. - 1:00a.m. The first lifeboat, #6, is loaded and launched. It carried only twenty-eight passengers. Its maximum capacity is sixty-five. Boats #8 and #10 are lowered. Captain Smith, convinced the lights he sees in the distance are that of a ship, orders the boats to row towards Californian.

1:00a.m. - 1:15a.m. Boat #3 is lowered. Boat #1 soon follows carrying 12 out of a maximum capacity of 40.

1:15a.m. - 1:30a.m. Lifeboats #9, 11, 13, and 15 are lauched. Boat #15 nearly lands atop #13, but the crew of #13 manage to cut the falls in time and pull away from Titanic unharmed. Boats #14 and #16 are then launched.

1:15a.m. Water begins to reach the name "Titanic" painted on the bow. The tilt of the deck grows increasingly steeper.

1:20a.m. A wireless from Cape Race, Newfoundland reaches the office of the New York Times. It reads:

"Sunday night, April 14th (AP). At 10:25 o'clock tonight the White Star Line steamship Titanic called 'CQD' to the Marconi station here, and reported having struck an iceberg. The steamer said that immediate assistance was required."

1:40a.m. As most of forward lifeboats have been lowered, the remaining passengers move to the stern of the ship.

2:00a.m. - 2:20a.m. Water washes over the forward deck well and begins to work its way over the forecastle. The ship's propellers are now visible over the forecastle. Collapsible lifeboat D is loaded. J. Bruce Ismay steps onboard, leaving 1500 passengers behind on the sinking ship. Collapsible C, the final lifeboat to be lowered, is launched. Captain Smith releases the Marconi operators from duty. Phillips tries one last time to alert another ship but gives up as the ship's electrical system begins to fail. Collapsible B is pushed off the roof of the officer's quarters, but it lands upside down on the boat deck. Collapsible A is in the process of being loaded when the bridge and boat deck go under. Both boats are swept off Titanic. Most of boat A's passengers are washed out of the lifeboat. Captain Smith tells the crew, "It's every man for himself," and returns to the bridge to await the end. Thomas Andrews is seen alone in the first class smoking room staring into space. Father Thomas Byles hears confession and gives absolution to some 100 passengers gathered at the aft end of boat deck. The band stops playing. The forward funnel collapses, crushing dozens of passengers that have jumped overboard. About two dozen people swimming in the water swamp Collapsible A, floating freely in the water. Titanic's lights flicker, then go out. Items inside the ship are heard crashing as they fall toward the sinking bow. The ship breaks in two between the third and fourth funnels, and the bow section sinks. The stern settles back onto the water. Slowly it begins to fill with water, and again tilts its end high in the air. It remains that way for several moments before filling with water and beginning a straight vertical drop into the sea.

2:20a.m. The last of Titanic slips below the surface of the water.

© 1997 bfroberts@hotmail.com

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