Sinking of the RMS Titanic time of her entry into service on 2 April 1912, Royal Mail Ship (RMS) "Titanic" was the second of three sister ships, and was the largest ship in the world. She and her sister, , were almost one and a half times the gross register tonnage of Cunard's and , the previous record holders, and were nearly longer. "Titanic" could carry 3,547 people in speed and comfort, and was built on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Her reciprocating engines were the largest that had ever been built, standing high and with cylinders in diameter requiring the burning of of coal per
Musicians of the RMS Titanic C.W. & F.N. Black, who placed musicians on almost all British liners. Until the night of the sinking, the players performed as two separate groups: a quintet led by violinist and official bandleader Wallace Hartley, that played at teatime, after-dinner concerts, and Sunday services, among other occasions; and the violin, cello, and piano trio of Georges Krins, Roger Bricoux, and Theodore Brailey, that played at the À La Carte Restaurant and the Café Parisien. After the "Titanic" hit an iceberg and began to sink, Hartley and his fellow band members started playing music to help keep the passengers calm as