Expedition Titanic 2012 - Per Wimmer

Historical Background
Maiden Voyage
The Titanic began her maiden voyage from Southampton, bound for New York City on 10 April 1912, with Captain Edward J.
Smith in command. When she finally departed for New York, there were a total of 2,223 people aboard.
The Iceberg
On the night of Sunday the 14 April 1912, the moon was visible in the clear sky, the temperature had dropped to near
freezing, and the ocean was calm. Lookout Frederick Fleet was the first to see the fatal iceberg as a small mass one mile
away and he immediately alarmed the bridge. The crew tried in vain to turn the ship, but the Titanic’s course altered only
slightly allowing the iceberg to tear open the ship’s side. The Captain ordered for distress signals to be sent and the stewards
began to urge passengers to dress and put on their life vests.
The Sinking
Unfortunately the Titanic’s distress signals were never heard. On deck, people were scrambling towards the stern or jumping
overboard in hope of reaching a lifeboat. The ship's stern slowly rose into the air, exposing the propellers and everything
unsecured crashed towards the water. The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats with a total capacity of 1,178 people, less than half of
the passengers and crew members on board. The morning of the 15 April 1912 the Titanic fell into the depths, resulting in
the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime disasters maritime in history.
The Rediscovery of the Titanic
The rediscovery of the Titanic was found by Dr Robert Ballard in 1986. Since then multiple dives have been conducted by
some of the world’s five deep diving submersibles. Every dive collates data, physical samples and records imagery from the
site. The wreck itself continues to host ongoing scientific experiments conducted by world scientists.