Explore a searchable RMS Titanic timeline covering design and construction in Belfast, the 1912 maiden voyage, iceberg collision, sinking, lifeboat evacuation, Carpathia rescue, survivors and official investigations.
Historical overview
The archive follows Titanic from Olympic-class design and construction through the maiden voyage, collision and sinking, Carpathia rescue and the official investigations that followed.
Harland and Wolff developed Titanic as Yard Number 401 for White Star Line. The record set follows naval architects, shipbuilders, structural work, the 1909 keel laying and construction, 1911 launch and fitting-out period.[1]
Titanic completed sea trials in Belfast Lough before formal acceptance and delivery. Officers, surveyors and technical staff prepared the new liner for passenger service.[1]
Titanic departed Southampton for New York, calling at Cherbourg and Queenstown before entering the North Atlantic. The maiden-voyage archive records crew, passengers, musicians and Harland and Wolff's guarantee group.[1]
Wireless ice warnings accumulated during the day. Late that evening the lookouts sighted an iceberg and the bridge attempted evasive action before the collision caused flooding.[1][3]
Distress calls were transmitted while officers and crew prepared the lifeboats. Titanic sank during the early hours, leaving survivors in boats and collapsibles until Carpathia reached the scene.[1]
The United States Senate investigation began within days. The British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry also examined the circumstances of the loss.[4][3]
Key dates below are cross-checked against Royal Museums Greenwich.[1]
Historical photographs
Historical images are stored locally for stable display, while their Wikimedia Commons or Library of Congress source pages remain linked for provenance.
Permanent subject pages
These crawlable pages are generated from the same 617-record archive. Each combines concise historical context with matching records rendered directly as static HTML.
Search the archive
Search all 617 records by person, event, place, role or description, or narrow the chronology by year, country, person, event and location. Results update immediately.
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RMS Titanic history
This Titanic archive follows RMS Titanic from the Olympic-class design and construction programme at Harland and Wolff in Belfast through sea trials and delivery to White Star Line and departure from Southampton on 10 April 1912.[1] The chronology also covers calls at Cherbourg and Queenstown before Titanic entered the North Atlantic.
Records for 14–15 April 1912 cover ice warnings, the iceberg sighting, collision, flooding, wireless distress calls, lifeboat operations and the final sinking. The archive also follows the rescue by RMS Carpathia, notable passengers and crew, and the subsequent United States Senate and British Wreck Commissioner's investigations.[3]
Titanic questions answered
These permanent pages answer common historical questions using the same Titanic archive, with links to supporting subject pages and external reference sources.
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
The historical overview provides context for the site's 617 structured archive records. The chronology preserves the database's stored dates, people, countries, locations, roles, event labels and descriptions.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
