Titanic and her sisters FAQ

To cut down on the amount of question e-mails I get, I've decided to make the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. If you have a question that isn't answered on this page, feel free to e-mail me at wakkow5@aol.com.


Q: How big were the Olympic class liners and how much did it cost to build them?

A: Each of the ships were about 92 feet from the keel (the very bottom of the ship [it's under the water level]) to the boat deck and about fourty feet from the boat deck to the tops of their masts. However, they differed in legnth. Olympic was 882 feet long, Titanic was 883 feet long, and Britannic was 885 feet long. To build each of these ships it cost about seven and a half million American dollars (that would be about 40 million today).

Q: Will Titanic or Britannic ever be raised?

A: Well, raising Titanic is out of the question. Because she lies so far down (2 1/2 miles), plus her fragile condition, it would be immposible (for more info on this read the last couple paragraphs of my RMS Titanic page). However, raising Britannic might be possible. She is in much better and stronger condition. Except for the crack in her bow that was caused when she slamed into the ocean floor, she is all intact. To raise her, it would cost a bundle of money and there'd be a lode of problems, but, with modern technology, there might be a chance that she could be raised. This issue is being debated right now. For more info go to this page: Raise Britannic

Q: I think I may have a relative who was on one of the three sisters. How can I find out if they were or not?

A: Most public libraries in large cities (Like New York City, London, Galway, and Los Angeles) have passenger lists of ships going back to the 1620's. Also, the U.S. Dept. of Immigration and Naturalization has a web site and immigrant data base (for a nominal fee) where you can search all immigrants that were processed through Ellis Island (an immigration center in NYC) from 1872 through 1931. You could also contact the departments of immigration in Canada if you're looking for some one.

Q: What does "RMS", "HMHS", "HMS", and "SS" stand for?

A: "RMS" stands for royal mail ship or steamer (ships with this title have a room for transporting mail onboard). "HMHS" stands for His or Her Majesties Hospital Ship (This just ment that they were a British red cross ship). "HMS" stands for His or Her Majesties Ship (this was a title given to ships of the British Royal Navy). And "SS" stands for Steam Ship or Sailing Ship (although with modern cruise ships "SS" has come to mean other things like State Ship or Star Ship).

Q: Why weren't any human remains found at Titanic's wreck?

A: Because of the extrem coldness and strong pressure (3000 pounds per square inch) where the ship lays, a body would be gone in a very short time.

Q: On Titanic, how many men women and children were saved? On Britannic?

A: Though the numbers vary slightly depending on who's account you read, most agree that of Titanic's 2,227 total compliment, (1,343 passengers, 885 crew) A total of 705 people survived. Only 210 of Titanic's crew members survived (194 men and 20 women). Titanic had the capacity of carrying 3,547 fully loaded. Titanic would have needed 48 lifeboats for all on board to evacuate the vessel. It was fitted with 20. It's a good thing that she wasn't fully loded for her maiden voyage.

In 1st class, 54 men were saved and 119 were lost. 11 women died, 145 women and children were saved, and 1 child died (total of 130 were lost and 199 were saved). In second class, 142 men were lost, 15 were saved, 24 women were lost, 104 women and children were saved, no children died (a total of 166 were lost and 119 were saved). In 3rd class, 417 men were lost, 69 were saved, 66 women died, 82 were saved, 53 children died, 23 were saved (a total of 536 died, 174 were saved) .

Because Britannic was working as a hospital ship when she sank, there were no children onboard her. There were only adult men and women onboard her that made up the medical staff, and the engine crew. There was a total of about 1100 people on her when she sank. Of the 30 people who died in the sinking, most were men, only a couple were women.

Q: What is left of the Olympic?

A: Many of Olympic's artifacts were sold right before she was scrapped in 1937. Many museums bought a lot of her artwork, as well as other things like chairs and tables. Some rich families also bought some things. The White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, England, for example, bought many of her artifacts including paintings, stained glass windows, light fixtures, and even the balustrade from her aft grand stair case. For more places that have Olympic's artifacts, check out my Great Places page.

Q: "I noticed that on your page, you have Jack Dawson in the crew list. This is wrong, he was a 3rd class passenger who died in the sinking. Just thought I'd point out this flaw."

A: Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but Jack Dawson, Rose Dewitt-Buckater, Ruth Buckater, Jack's Italian friend, Tommy (the Irishman in 3rd class), and Cal Hawcley are made up. They are characters that were made up for James Cameron's movie, "Titanic". The J. Dawson listed in the crew list has nothing to do with the movie. It's just a coincidence that he has the same first initial as the movie character (infact, the J. stands for James, not Jack).



More FAQ is on the way.