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
RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act The R.M.S. "Titanic" Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 (, ) is a United States Act of Congress that was passed to designate the wreck of the RMS "Titanic" as an international maritime memorial and to regulate the research, exploration and salvage of the wreckage. The Act became law on October 21, 1986, when it was passed by the 99th United States Congress. According to a 1985 report, the United States Congress was concerned about potential damage caused to the "Titanic"'s wreck caused by salvagers. The report found that: Walter B. Jones, Sr. (the Democratic Congressman