Passengers of the RMS Titanic April 1912 at around 11:40 pm, while the RMS "Titanic" was sailing about south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink. Shortly before midnight, Captain Edward Smith ordered the ship's lifeboats to be readied and a distress call was sent out. The closest ship to respond was Cunard Line's away, which would arrive in an estimated four hours—too late to rescue all of "Titanic" passengers. Forty-five minutes after the ship hit the iceberg, Captain Smith ordered the lifeboats to be loaded and lowered under the orders women and children first. The first
Grand Staircase of the RMS Titanic Grand Staircase of the RMS Titanic The Grand Staircase is the name sometimes given to the large ornate staircases in the first-class section of the White Star Line liner RMS "Titanic", which sank following a collision with an iceberg in 1912. The staircase has been prominently featured in "Titanic" media and often recreated in film, making it one of the most recognizable features of the lost liner. Sited in the forward part of the ship, the Grand Staircase was the main communication between decks for First-Class passengers and the point of entry to numerous public rooms. It descended in seven