The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats. This included 14 standard wooden lifeboats, four collapsible Engelhardt boats, and two smaller emergency cutters mounted near the officers’ quarters.
Together, the boats had room for about 1,178 people. Titanic carried more than 2,200 people on its maiden voyage, so the lifeboats could accommodate only about half of everyone aboard. The ship was legally allowed to carry this number under the regulations then in force, which based lifeboat requirements largely on a vessel’s tonnage rather than its passenger capacity.
The shortage became catastrophic after Titanic struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912. Several boats were launched below their rated capacity because many passengers initially doubted that the ship was in serious danger. After the sinking, the disaster helped drive major changes in maritime safety rules, including requirements for enough lifeboat space for everyone and continuous radio watch.
Titanic’s lifeboats were not all identical. The collapsible boats had canvas sides and were intended to save deck space, while the cutters were used by the crew. The rescue ship Carpathia eventually picked up the lifeboat survivors on the morning of 15 April 1912.