The Titanic (the background)

'RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage fromSouthampton, UK to New York City, US.' - 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

The background of the Titanic

Before the voyage

• where did the name come from?

The word Titanic came from Greek Mythology which meant Gigantic.

• where was the Titanic built?

Belfast in Ireland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as it was called back then) it was second of 3 olympic class ocean liners to be made. 

• when was the Titanic built?

The order for the Titanic to be built was made on the 17th September 1908. It was laid down by 31st March 1909, launched by 31st May 1911 and completed 2nd April 1912.

• who was it made by?

The company Harland and Wolff

• what was the basic layout?

Titanic was 882 feet 9 inches (269.06 m) long with a maximum breadth of 92 feet 6 inches (28.19 m). Her total height, measured from the base of the keel to the top of the bridge, was 104 feet (32 m).^[15] She measured 46,328 gross register tons and with a draught of 34 feet 7 inches (10.54 m), she displaced 52,310 tons.^[16]

All three of the Olympic-class ships had ten decks (excluding the top of the officers' quarters), eight of which were for passenger use. From top to bottom, the decks were:

• The Boat Deck, on which the lifeboats were housed. It was from here during the early hours of 15 April 1912 that Titanic's lifeboats were lowered into the North Atlantic. The bridge and wheelhouse were at the forward end, in front of the captain's and officers' quarters. The bridge stood 8 feet (2.4 m) above the deck, extending out to either side so that the ship could be controlled while docking. The wheelhouse stood directly behind and above the bridge. The entrance to the First Class Grand Staircase and gymnasium were located midships along with the raised roof of the First Class lounge, while at the rear of the deck were the roof of the First Class smoke room and the relatively modest Second Class entrance. The wood-covered deck was divided into four segregated promenades; for officers, First Class passengers, engineers and Second Class passengers respectively. Lifeboats lined the side of the deck except in the First Class area, where there was a gap so that the view would not be spoiled.^[17][18]
• A Deck, also called the Promenade Deck, extended along the entire 546 feet (166 m) length of the superstructure. It was reserved exclusively for First Class passengers and contained First Class cabins, the First Class lounge, smoke room, reading and writing rooms and Palm Court.^[17]
• B Deck, the Bridge Deck, was the top weight-bearing deck and the uppermost level of the hull. More First Class passenger accommodation was located here with six palatial staterooms (cabins) featuring their own private promenades. On Titanic, the A La Carte Restaurant and the Café Parisien provided luxury dining facilities to First Class passengers. Both were run by subcontracted chefs and their staff; all were lost in the disaster. The Second Class smoking room and entrance hall were both located on this deck. The raised forecastle of the ship was forward of the Bridge Deck, accommodating Number 1 hatch (the main hatch through to the cargo holds), numerous pieces of machinery and the anchor housings.^[b] Aft of the Bridge Deck was the raised Poop Deck, 106 feet (32 m) long, used as a promenade by Third Class passengers. It was where many of Titanic's passengers and crew made their last stand as the ship sank. The forecastle and Poop Deck were separated from the Bridge Deck by well decks.^[19][20]
• C Deck, the Shelter Deck, was the highest deck to run uninterrupted from stem to stern. It included both well decks; the aft one served as part of the Third Class promenade. Crew cabins were housed below the forecastle and Third Class public rooms were housed below the Poop Deck. In between were the majority of First Class cabins and the Second Class library.^[19][21]
• D Deck, the Saloon Deck, was dominated by three large public rooms—the First Class Reception Room, the First Class Dining Saloon and the Second Class Dining Saloon. An open space was provided for Third Class passengers. First, Second and Third Class passengers had cabins on this deck, with berths for firemen located in the bow. It was the highest level reached by the ship's watertight bulkheads (though only by eight of the fifteen bulkheads).^[19][22]
• E Deck, the Upper Deck, was predominantly used for passenger accommodation for all three classes plus berths for cooks, seamen, stewards and trimmers. Along its length ran a long passageway nicknamed Scotland Road, in reference to a famous street in Liverpool. Scotland Road was used by Third Class passengers and crew members. ^[19][23]
• F Deck, the Middle Deck, was the last complete deck and mainly accommodated Second and Third Class passengers and several departments of the crew. The Third Class dining saloon was located here, as were the swimming pool and Turkish bath.^[19][23]
• G Deck, the Lower Deck, was the lowest complete deck that carried passengers, and had the lowest portholes, just above the waterline. The squash court was located here along with the travelling post office where mail clerks sorted letters and parcels so that they would be ready for delivery when the ship docked. Food was also stored here. The deck was interrupted at several points by orlop(partial) decks over the boiler, engine and turbine rooms.^[19][24]
• The Orlop Decks and the Tank Top were on the lowest level of the ship, below the waterline. The orlop decks were used as cargo spaces, while the Tank Top—the inner bottom of the ship's hull—provided the platform on which the ship's boilers, engines, turbines and electrical generators were housed. This area of the ship was occupied by the engine and boiler rooms, areas which passengers would not be permitted to see. They were connected with higher levels of the ship by flights of stairs; twin spiral stairways near the bow provided access up to D Deck.^[19][24]

(wikipedia link at bottom of page)

During the voyage

• Who was the commander of the titanic?

Edward Smith - A famous captain who was going into retirement when he was asked to captain the titanic, according to some sources he said it would be his last voyage however, according to the Halifax morning chronicle on 9th April 1912, he was set to stay commanding the Titanic till they built a better, larger and finer steamer.

• How many guests and crew were on board the first and final voyage of the Titanic?

There were 2,224 people on board the ship on its maiden voyage.

• was there enough health and safety procedures on board?

The Titanic was very advanced in safety features for its time, with water tight compartments and remotely activated water tight doors however, there wasn't enough lifejackets or lifeboats for every person. There was only lifejackets for just over half the people on board its maiden journey.

• where did the Titanic set off from and where was it going to on its maiden journey?

The journey started from Southampton, UK and was voyaging to New York City in America.

•  Where did the titanic call at on its Maiden journey?

Southampton, UK - Cherbourg, France - Queenstown (chobh), Ireland - New York City, America.

• Why were the public split up depending on what class they were from?

Third class passengers were legally required by US Emigration laws to be physically segregated from first and second class passengers in order to prevent the spread of disease.

references - 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith_(sea_captain)

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/p/titanic.html
http://britannica.com/titanic
http://www.titanicbelfast.com/
http://livingtitanic.com/myths--faqs.htm
 - Lauren Tarshis (2010). I Survived the Titanic, 1912. New York: Scholastic Inc.. p1-76.
 - Rebecca Aldridge (2008). The Sinking of the Titanic. New York: Infobase Publishing. p33-75.
 - Jay Henry Mowbray (2012). The Sinking of the Titanic (Extended Edition). Germany: JazzyBee Verlag, 2012. p23-33.
 - The Titanic Belfast Museum
 - The Titanic Exhibit, Las Vegas

Reflection of Research
Reflecting back on this page I used quite a few Websites however, i did back up all my findings by using books and going to the museums. I think this page helped me understand the background of the Titanic before it even set sail. Though this page does have many facts I think some of the other pages helped me more with my research such as the film page as this developed my research into media orientated critical research work.

The best part of this research page is why they kept the 3rd class segregated from the 1st and 2nd class - even though I do feel there were more reasons as to why they did this which is what I have discussed in my last page (the representation of class within the Titanic and Downton Abbey).