Titanic was 883 feet long (1/6 of a mile), 92 feet wide and weighed 46,328 tons. She was 104 feet tall from keel to bridge, almost 35 feet of which were below the waterline... even so, she stood taller above the water than most urban buildings of the time. There were three real smoke-stacks; a fourth, dummy stack was added largely to increase the impression of her gargantuan size and power and to vent smoke from her numerous kitchens and galleys. She was the largest movable object ever made by man. Moreover, she was designed to be a marvel of modern safety technology. The press began to call her "unsinkable." The maiden voyage lured the "very best people:" British nobility, American industrialists, the very cream of New York and Philadelphia society. It also attracted many poor emigrants, hoping to start a new life in America or Canada.

The maiden voyage began at Southampton on Wednesday April 10, 1912 at Noon. On Sunday night of April 14, the fifth day at sea, the greatest maritime disaster in history began. During that night, 705 lives were saved, 1502 lives were lost.