At what time did the Titanic strike the iceberg?

Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship’s time on 14 April 1912.

Lookouts Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee spotted the iceberg ahead from the crow’s nest and sounded the warning bell three times. Fleet then telephoned the bridge, where First Officer William Murdoch ordered the ship to turn and the engines to stop or reverse. Titanic was travelling at roughly 22 knots, leaving very little time to avoid the berg.

The collision was a glancing blow along the starboard side rather than a single massive puncture. The impact buckled hull plates and allowed water into several forward compartments. Titanic could remain afloat with four flooded compartments, but the damage extended beyond that limit. She sank at about 2:20 a.m., roughly two hours and forty minutes after the collision.

A common mix-up is the date: the collision occurred late on 14 April by Titanic’s shipboard clock, while the sinking occurred early on 15 April. Some historical accounts give slightly different times, but 11:40 p.m. is the standard accepted time.