April 15, 1912
12:05 am: Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats and prepare the passengers and crew to board them. If every seat on the lifeboats is filled, there is enough room for 1178 passengers. Sadly, there are 2227 on board. The squash court is flooded – 32 feet above the keel.
12:10 – 1:50 am: The Californian is only 10 -20 miles away, and several of her crew members report seeing Titanic’s lights. They also report seeing her distress rockets go up, but because they seem low and make no sound, they show no concern. Titanic sends messages to the Californian via morse lamp, but they never respond. The ships move further and further apart until they can no longer see each other. Sadly, had the Californian taken the distress rockets or the morse code message seriously, they could have saved many lives.
12:15 – 2:30 am: Many nearby ships hear Titanic’s distress signals.
The Olympic (Titanic’s sister ship) is 500 miles away
The Mount Temple is 49 miles away
The Frankfort is 153 miles away
The Birma, is 70 miles away
The Baltic is 253 miles away
The Virginian is 170 miles away
and the Carpathia is 58 miles away.
12:15 am: The band plays lively tunes in the 1st class lounge, to keep the passengers spirits up and to prevent a panic. Later, they move up to the boat deck near the entrance to the grand staircase.
12:20 am: The order is given, and the crew begins to load women and children into the lifeboats.
12:25 am: The Carpathia is southeast of Titanic’s position, and is heading full speed to assist.
12:45 am: The first lifeboat to be lowered is #7, and although it can carry 65 people, it leaves with only 28 aboard. The first of 8 distress rockets are fired. Fourth Officer Boxhall sees a vessel approach Titanic and then turn away, despite their attempts to message the ship via morse lamp. Lifeboat #4 begins loading passengers sometime between 12:30 and 12:45.
12:55 am: The first lifeboat launched from the port side is #6, and it is launched with only 28 aboard including Molly Brown. Lifeboat #5 is lowered, and launched with only 41 aboard.
1:00 am: Starboard lifeboat #3 is lowered with only 32 aboard, including 11 crew members.
1:10 am: Starboard lifeboat #5 is lowered with only 12 aboard, even though its capacity is 40 people. On this lifeboat are 7 crew members, Lady Duff Gordon and Sir Cosmo, among others. The port side lifeboat #8 is lowered with only 39 people on board and is being steered by none other than the Countess of Rothes.
1:15 am: The water reaches Titanic’s name on the bow and she is listing badly on the port side. The tilt of the deck grows steeper. The lifeboats are now being launched more fully loaded.
1:20 am: The starboard lifeboat #9 is lowered with 56 people on board. The list is now to starboard, and quite noticeable.
1:25 am: The port side lifeboat #12 is lowered with 40 women and children on board, along with 2 seamen. After the Titanic sinks, this boat is tied together with lifeboats #4, #10, #14 and collapsible D, and the survivors are moved onto lifeboat #14 so the other boats can return to pick up passengers who are by then swimming in the freezing water.
1:30 am: The passengers still on the ship being to panic. The port side lifeboat #14 is lowered with 60 people on board, including Fifth Officer Lowe. Some of the passengers are preparing to jump into the already full boat when Lowe fires warning shots into the air. Titanic is still sending out distress calls, and they are getting more desperate. “..We are sinking fast,..” and “..women and children in boats, cannot last much longer…”
1:35 am: The port side lifeboat #16 is lowered with over 50 people on board. The starboard lifeboat #13 leaves with 64 people on board, mostly 2nd and 3rd class women and children. Lifeboat #15 is lowered 30 seconds later, with 70 passengers on board, and is nearly lowered on top of lifeboat #13.
1:40 am: Now that most of the forward lifeboats have been loaded and launched, the passengers begin to move to the stern area, hoping to find more lifeboats there. J. Bruce Ismay boards collapsible lifeboat C with 39 aboard. He will be chastised for this, the rest of his life. The forward well deck is submerged at this time.
1:45 am: The last message from the Titanic was heard by the Carpathia, who is en route to assist the faltering ship. “Engine room full up to boilers.” The port side lifeboat #3 is lowered and leaves with only 25 people on board. Her capacity is 40.
1:55 am: John Jacob Astor is refused entry to lifeboat #4 by Lightoller, and instead sees his wife off safely. The boat is lowered with 25 people on board. In their rush to launch the boat, 20 places on the boat are left empty.
2:00 am: The water level is now only 10 feet below the promenade deck.
2:05 am: There are still more than 1500 people left on the sinking Titanic. Collapsible lifeboat D is one of the last boats. It has room for 47 people. To keep the passengers from rushing the boat, Lightoller waves (and may have fired) his pistol in the air, and crew members surround the lifeboat with their arms locked together. Only women and children are allowed to board, and the boat is lowered with 44 on board. The forecastle head sinks under water, and her decks tilt even steeper.
2:10 am: Captain Smith releases the wireless operators from duty, but they choose to stay and continue sending distress messages. The last message Titanic sent read: ” CQD, CQD MGY (Titanic’s radio call letters) We are sinking fast – passengers are being put into boats. MGY”
2:17 am: Captain Smith announces that it is now “every man for himself” and returns to the bridge. Thomas Andrews is seen alone in the 1st class smoking room, staring off into space. The bow plunges under the water, enabling the trapped collapsible lifeboat B to be released. Father Thomas Byles takes confession and gives absolution to over 100 2nd and 3rd class passengers. The band stops playing at this time, and many passengers and crew jump overboard. The forward funnel collapses, crushing many passengers who were already in the water. Collapsible lifeboat A floats free and 2 dozen people in the water try to hold on to it. It rolls right side up, but is swamped and dangerously overloaded. .
2:18 am: A roar is heard as the moveable objects on the ship crash toward the submerged bow. The ship’s lights blink once more and then go out for the last time. Many of the survivors in nearby lifeboats report that they saw the ship break into two pieces. The bow half sinks under the water.
2:20 am: Titanic’s broken stern section settles back into the water, righting itself for a few minutes. It slowly fills with water and then tilts high into the air, before slowly disappearing beneath the waves. Over 1500 souls were lost in what is called the “greatest maritime disaster in history.”
“The sound of people drowning is something I cannot describe to you – and neither can anyone else. It’s the most dreadful sound – and there’s a dreadful silence that follows it.” (Ms. Eva Hart, Titanic survivor)
3:30 am: The Carpathia sends off rockets which are seen by some of the lifeboats. Her normal speed is 14.5 knots, but she has raced to the Titanic’s aid at 17.5 knots. Lifeboat #14 returns to pick up passengers in the water, but most of them had already died.
4:10 am: Lifeboat #2 is the first one picked up by the Carpathia. Ice is floating all around the disaster area with debris from the Titanic.
5:30 am: The Californian is advised by the Frankfort of the sinking of Titanic, and heads towards the disaster area.
5:30 – 6:30 am: Collapsible A passengers are rescued by lifeboat #14, and collapsible B by lifeboats #4 and #12.
8:30 am: The last lifeboat, #12, is picked up by the Carpathia. Lightoller is the last survivor to come on board. The Californian arrives at the disaster area to search for survivors.
8:50 am: The Carpathia leaves for New York City carrying 705 survivors. An estimated 1522 people were lost in the sinking. J. Bruce Ismay wires White Star’s offices in New York, saying “Deeply regret to advise you Titanic sank this morning after a collision with an iceberg, results in serious loss of life. Full particulars later.”
Headlines announce the fate of the Titanic
The RMS Titanic and it's passengers 
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