RMS Titanic departs from Southampton

undefined

On 10 April 1912, RMS Titanic departed from Southampton's White Star Dock on her maiden voyage to New York, carrying over 2,200 passengers and crew. Southampton had been chosen as the departure port because of its deep-water berths, its double tides, and its established role as the home port for the great transatlantic liners. The vast majority of the ship's 897 crew members were Southampton residents, recruited from the streets around the docks. Four days later, on the night of 14-15 April, Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank with the loss of over 1,500 lives. Of the Southampton crew, 549 perished, devastating entire neighbourhoods in the Northam, Chapel, and St Mary's districts of the city. Some streets lost almost every adult male resident. The disaster left hundreds of families destitute and prompted a major relief fund. Southampton's connection to the Titanic is commemorated by memorials throughout the city, including the Engineers' Officers' Memorial in East Park and the Crew Memorial on the waterfront. The SeaCity Museum, opened in 2012 on the centenary of the disaster, tells the story of the ship and her Southampton crew through personal testimonies, artefacts, and interactive displays.