RMS Titanic with the plot bearing a number of similarities to the "Titanic" disaster. In the novel the ship is the SS "Titan", a four-stacked liner, the largest in the world and considered unsinkable. And like the "Titanic", she sinks after hitting an iceberg and does not have enough lifeboats. Only recently has the significance of "Titanic" most notably been given by Northern Ireland where it was built by Harland and Wolff in the capital city, Belfast. While the rest of the world embraced the glory and tragedy of "Titanic", in its birth city, "Titanic" remained a taboo subject throughout the 20th
Sinking of the RMS Titanic fired every few minutes to attract the attention of any ships nearby and the radio operators repeatedly sent the distress signal CQD. Radio operator Harold Bride suggested to his colleague Jack Phillips that he should use the new SOS signal, as it "may be your last chance to send it". The two radio operators contacted other ships to ask for assistance. Several responded, of which RMS "Carpathia" was the closest, at away. She was a much slower vessel than "Titanic" and, even driven at her maximum speed of , would have taken four hours to reach the sinking ship. Another