The tragedy of the Titanic: where exactly did the famous ocean liner sink?
The tragedy of the Titanic has been a story known for generations, yet there is one detail that was long misunderstood: the exact location of the disaster. Recent events and maps showing the wreck, however, have highlighted that the supposedly unsinkable ocean liner did not go down where it was previously believed to have done so.
For over a century, the tragedy of the Titanic has been part of the collective memory, yet for a long time, there were misconceptions about exactly where the legendary ocean liner met its end.
As reported by IFLScience, events in recent years – particularly the OceanGate Titan submarine disaster – have brought renewed attention to the ship’s story, and many were surprised to discover that the Titanic was much closer to America when it sank than previously thought.
The final voyage of an unsinkable ship
In 1912, the Titanic was the world’s largest and most modern ocean liner. It set off on its maiden voyage from Southampton in the United Kingdom, with its final destination being New York, one of the most important port cities in the United States.
At the start of the journey, the ship first crossed the English Channel, stopped at Cherbourg in France, and then picked up its final passengers at Queenstown in Ireland – now known as Cobh – before setting off almost directly across the Atlantic Ocean.
The crossing, planned to last six days, was cut short after just four, when disaster struck: on 15 April 1912, a collision with an iceberg caused fatal damage to the hull, and the Titanic sank, with over 1,500 people losing their lives.
Where did the tragedy of the Titanic actually happen?
For decades, many imagined that the tragedy of the Titanic happened somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far from any land. In reality, the location is far more astonishing. The accident occurred roughly 640 kilometres from Newfoundland, in the eastern Canadian province, meaning the ship was already relatively close to North America, having completed a significant portion of its journey – over 3,200 kilometres across the ocean.
That the ship was so close to America has only become widely recognised in recent years, with maps showing the precise location of the wreck becoming more accessible to the public.
The real cause of death: not drowning, but hypothermia?
A total of 2,201 people were on board, and official records indicate that 1,489 passengers and crew ended up in the icy waters, long thought to have died from drowning. However, a study published in 2003 nuanced this view.
According to the research, the primary cause of death was not necessarily drowning but so-called immersion hypothermia. The Atlantic Ocean’s water that night was a mere -2.2°C, meaning those who entered it would have frozen to death in a very short time.
The rediscovery of the wreck
In recent years, the tragedy of the Titanic has once again captured global attention following the disappearance of the OceanGate Titan submarine during a visit to the wreck. The incident tragically resulted in the deaths of all five people on board, but it also highlighted to many the extreme conditions surrounding the famous ship’s remains.
The ocean liner rests at a depth of around 3,810 metres on the ocean floor. The vessel broke in two, with the two main sections lying approximately 790 metres apart. This enormous depth alone explains why exploring the wreck is considered an extremely dangerous undertaking, even with modern technology.