Sinking of the RMS Titanic Sinking of the RMS Titanic "Titanic" received six warnings of sea ice on 14 April but was travelling near her maximum speed when her lookouts sighted the iceberg. Unable to turn quickly enough, the ship suffered a glancing blow that buckled her starboard side and opened five of her sixteen compartments to the sea. "Titanic" had been designed to stay afloat with four of her forward compartments flooded but no more, and the crew soon realised that the ship would sink. They used distress flares and radio (wireless) messages to attract help as the passengers were put into lifeboats. In
Legends and myths regarding RMS Titanic Legends and myths regarding RMS Titanic There have been several legends and myths surrounding the RMS "Titanic" over the years. These have ranged from the myth about the ship being unsinkable, to the myth concerning the final song played by the ship's orchestra. Contrary to popular mythology, "Titanic" was never described as "unsinkable", "without qualification", until "after" she sank. Three trade publications (one of which was probably never published) described "Titanic" as "practically" unsinkable prior to her sinking. Many survivors recalled in video interviews as well as in testimony that they had considered the ship "unsinkable." Shipbuilder Harland and Wolff