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The biggest ship in the world

Low angle animated image of the Titanic juxtaposed next to Nelson's Column
  • Titanic was the biggest ship on the sea when she was launched in May 1911.

  • She was as tall as Nelson's Column in London.

  • Over 15,000 people helped build Titanic in a dry dock in Belfast.

  • You can still visit the Thompson Dock nowadays.

Low angle animated image of the Titanic juxtaposed next to Nelson's Column
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Building and launching the Titanic

Cross section of Titanic
  • Workers used 22 tonnes of soap to make sure Titanic could slip into the water smoothly.

  • It took around three years to finish the ship but only 62 seconds for her to slide off the slipway and into the water.

  • Titanic weighed over 24,000 tonnes when she was launched. That's as heavy as 3,428 African elephants!

  • She weighed much more when she was fully fitted and all passengers were on board.

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Who sailed on Titanic?

Animated image of passengers holding up tickets to board the Titanic
  • People were travelling for all sorts of reasons.

  • People in business were travelling for work, some people were on holiday, and others just wanted to try life on board the world's biggest and most luxurious ship.

  • First class passengers were some of the richest people.

  • Many of the second-class passengers were tourists. Normally they worked in jobs like teaching or as members of the clergy in churches.

  • The passengers in third class were people looking to start a new life in America.

Animated image of passengers holding up tickets to board the Titanic
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Why did Titanic sink?

Animated image of a crowd of people gathering around the Titanic
  • In April 1912 Titanic set sail on her first voyage, carrying over 2,200 people.

  • Just before midnight on 14th April an iceberg was spotted.

  • The crew acted quickly to try and turn the ship, but she hit the iceberg. The ice made holes in the ship below the water line.

  • The Titanic sank within two and a half hours.

  • Over 1,500 people died.

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Titanic facts

Image of an architect designing the Titanic on a blueprint
  • Titanic had ten decks, three engines and four funnels. Only three of the funnels worked. The fourth was for show!

  • Titanic crew had been warned about icebergs but the ship kept up speed to get to New York quickly.

  • There were only twenty lifeboats on board Titanic. There were not enough for everyone on board the ship and many lifeboats left the ship half-full!

  • The band played on the deck as the ship began to sink.

  • Captain Smith went down with his ship.

  • The survivors in the lifeboats were rescued at four o'clock in the morning.

Image of an architect designing the Titanic on a blueprint
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Activities

Activity 1: Sort the passengers into the correct class. More than one passenger may fit in each class.

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Activity 2: What was the Titanic made from?

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Activity 3: Quiz 鈥 Titanic

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