Titanic’s Last Night: Printable Timeline

A free, two-page printable for students: the Titanic’s last night from the first ice warning to the last lifeboat rescued, with questions to answer. Read the full story in The Titanic sinking: a complete guide.

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Timeline

Titanic’s Last Night

From the first ice warning to the last lifeboat rescued: 14–15 April 1912 (ship’s time)

9:00 amThe first ice warning of the day arrives by wireless, from the liner Caronia. More follow through the day.
1:42 pmThe Baltic reports icebergs and field ice ahead. Captain Smith shows the message to J. Bruce Ismay of the White Star Line.
9:40 pmThe Mesaba warns of heavy pack ice and large icebergs directly in Titanic’s path. The message never reaches the bridge.
about 11:00 pmThe nearby Californian, stopped in the ice, radios a warning. Titanic’s busy wireless operator, Jack Phillips, cuts it off.
11:39 pmLookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg dead ahead, rings the bell three times and phones the bridge.
11:40 pmTitanic scrapes along the iceberg on her starboard (right) side. The first five or six watertight compartments begin to flood.
about midnightDesigner Thomas Andrews inspects the damage and tells Captain Smith the ship will sink within an hour or two.
12:05 amSmith orders the lifeboats uncovered and the passengers called. There are lifeboat places for only about 1,178 of the roughly 2,224 people aboard.
about 12:15 amThe first distress call goes out by wireless. The Carpathia, about 58 miles away, turns and races north.
12:45 amLifeboat 7, the first to leave, is lowered with fewer than 30 people in a boat built for 65. The first distress rocket is fired.
2:05 amCollapsible D, the last lifeboat to be lowered, leaves the ship. More than 1,500 people are still aboard.
2:17 amThe last wireless signals are sent. Captain Smith releases the crew from their duties.
2:18 amThe lights fail. The ship breaks apart between the third and fourth funnels.
2:20 amTitanic sinks. Hundreds of people are left in water about −2 °C (28 °F).
4:10 amThe Carpathia picks up the first lifeboat, Boat 2.
8:30 amThe last lifeboat, Boat 12, is picked up. About 710 people have survived.
Sources: US Senate and British Wreck Commissioner’s inquiries, 1912 (titanicinquiry.org); Encyclopedia Titanica.Page 1
ULTIMATE TITANICFree printable for students · ultimatetitanic.com
Your turn

Think about the timeline

Use the timeline on page 1 to answer these questions.

  1. How long did Titanic take to sink after hitting the iceberg? Show how you worked it out.
  2. How many hours passed between the first ice warning and the collision?
  3. Which warning do you think mattered most? Explain your choice.
  4. Lifeboat 7 left with fewer than 30 people aboard a boat built for 65. Give two reasons why the first boats may have left half empty.
  5. How long did survivors wait in the lifeboats before the first was rescued? Before the last?
  6. Choose one moment on the timeline where a different decision might have saved more lives. What should have happened instead?
Challenge: Rewrite three events from the timeline as a short newspaper report from 16 April 1912. Begin with a headline.
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